SES crews made a valiant last-ditch effort to stop water rising through a Marong home's floorboards on Thursday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
But many of the crew's more experienced hands were telling the homeowner it could be doomed to failure.
They had been at the property as recently as 2016 when floods damaged the house.
The crew were wading the submerged driveway after the nearby Bullock Creek broke its banks and people raced to sandbag any areas still exposed.
Homeowners had earlier sandbagged a first line of defence but those efforts had ended up being futile.
![An SES volunteer moves sandbags to another part of the Goldie Street property. Picture by Brendan McCarthy. An SES volunteer moves sandbags to another part of the Goldie Street property. Picture by Brendan McCarthy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Tom.OCallaghan/a013b98f-9c8e-4db8-a4ea-9b62ca8a4c5b.jpg/r0_0_4944_3296_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The waterline had now crept past signs - erected in drier times - saying "Danger, Area 51".
Some SES members began moving those sandbags closer to the house and others started unpacking more.
Even while they were there, the ground beneath a carport was submerged and water began pooling in the crawlspace beneath the house.
The SES was handling properties under the greatest threat but property owners had descended en masse on Marong's CFA station to get their own sandbags.
"Up until 20 minutes ago it had been non-stop, we couldn't keep up," first lieutenant Larry Weston said.
"It's all residential people trying to protect their own properties," Mr Weston said.
"They can see the water building up."
The rush for sandbags had eased over lunchtime but no-one living near the creek was resting easy.
![People load sandbags at Marong's CFA headquarters. Picture by Brendan McCarthy. People load sandbags at Marong's CFA headquarters. Picture by Brendan McCarthy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Tom.OCallaghan/2eaff8d2-effe-49d2-99ff-a2e8db45e0e0.jpg/r0_0_5568_3712_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Marong's rapid growth in recent years has caused one particular problem in the township, Mr Weston said.
He had discovered multiple homeowners who had moved in since 2016's floods, while out door knocking on Thursday morning.
"They had no idea their houses might be impacted," Mr Weston said.
He had told them to watch the creek and get everything they could off the ground if it burst.
"Then you have to leave," Mr Weston had told them.
More news
He was confident the CFA would be able to handle any issues even if SES crews were called out to other towns - as had happened during other major flood events.
Mr Weston worried for properties that would be at risk if the water got so high roads in and out of Marong were closed off.
"I'm just hoping the worst of the rain has come and gone. If it comes in heavy, we're in real trouble."
![Vehicles negotiate floodwaters on the Calder Highway under the watchful eye of emergency service workers, who would soon close the road. Picture by Brendan McCarthy. Vehicles negotiate floodwaters on the Calder Highway under the watchful eye of emergency service workers, who would soon close the road. Picture by Brendan McCarthy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Tom.OCallaghan/f92a38ec-92df-486e-9f3f-3ca8f12a0430.jpg/r0_0_5520_3680_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Within an hour, the road into Marong from Bendigo had closed.
Water had inundated a bridge over the Bullock Creek.
As emergency crews allowed the last cars to brave that stretch of road, the rain was still falling.
Speak up now! Tell us what matters to you ahead of the Victorian election: