When the flood crisis hit Echuca in October, it threatened the community with a severe threat of flooding at a level not seen in more than 100 years.
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And what it brought with it as a result is something that residents had both never seen before, and are likely never to forget — an enormous levee through the heart of the community.
The 3km wall of dirt stretched down Pakenham St, Bowen St and Goulburn Rd down to Moama St, with the huge structure 1.5m tall in places.
It was built to protect homes and businesses in the heart of Echuca from the huge flood surge that was predicted to be flowing down the Murray River. And while it provided safety and security for much of the town, it left others completely cut off.
With the levee literally being built down the middle of the road, dozens of homes and properties on the north side — the wet side — of the wall were suddenly isolated.
While the wall would protect much of Echuca, it would not protect them.
In fact, it would actually make things worse.
The levee did its job and held the floodwaters at bay. But that barrier created a build-up on the wet side of the levee that saw homes inundated by far more water than they were ever anticipating.
At one point, more than a foot of water was inundating homes along Goulburn Rd.
Residents did everything they could to protect their homes — walls made up of hundreds of sandbags were built, plastic tarps were put in place, furniture was lifted and pumps and generators were brought in as well.
The efforts were monumental. But for some, the floodwaters were too great to keep at bay.
The levee had other impacts too. As the water rose, residents were left isolated, unable to get in or out of their homes via car.
Some waded through the waters, others used kayaks to get in and out of their homes to reach crucial supplies.
The levee’s construction was first announced on Monday, October 17, during an emergency community meeting in Echuca.
The Campaspe River had already flooded Rochester and had burst its banks in Echuca too, inundating homes near its banks.
The focus now was turning to the threat posed by the Murray River, and the huge body of water it was bringing towards Echuca and Moama.
At the community meeting that Monday, the forecast was dire.
“The peak of the Murray River is expected to 95.9m at the Echuca Wharf,” an official from Emergency Management Victoria said at the meeting.
“What we don’t understand yet, because of the significance of this event, are the things like the levee bank that was built around Moama before the records were taken.
“This is potentially what we talk about being a one-in-1000-year event.
“There are things that are happening that have never been recorded before. I am not sugarcoating this, this is serious.”
The mentioned level of 95.9m would have been the highest recorded flood since 1870, and for many at the meeting, it set alarm bells off in their head.
At that same meeting, held in the morning, people were first told of the levee’s impending construction. By that evening, work had already begun.
Construction crews worked day and night to build the wall, up against serious time pressures as the water continued to make its way towards town.
It was a monumental effort to get the project finished, but in just a number of days, it was completed.
Now, all people could do was wait.
For the people who were on the wrong side of the newly finished levee, it was a wait that must have felt like torture.
The areas surrounding their homes were dry, for now, but the giant wall served as a stark reminder of what was heading their way.
Despite everything, there were still moments of immense inspiration and positivity.
For one group of residents, a tradition born during the COVID-19 lockdowns once again became a key part of day-to-day life.
Each afternoon, residents from both sides of the wall would gather for a a daily picnic and catch up.
Held on the lawns of different houses, people would come out with chairs to sit in the setting sun, talk and enjoy each other’s company.
Chairs were not the only thing that were brought along, people would bring drinks, treats and homemade snack as well to share among the group.
The mood would always be incredibly positive and upbeat, a surreal feeling given the situation at hand.
It was a shining example of people coming together in the face of incredible hardship, but it was not the only one.
Days later, floodwaters from the Murray had surrounded homes, with a 30cm of water surrounding homes in places.
It was a devastating scene, but it would also be the setting for one of the most unique parties Echuca has ever seen.
Along Goulburn Rd live James and Jemima Hayes. A young married couple, they are both DJs — and they had an idea to lift people’s spirits.
Atop the sandbag wall that was keeping floodwaters from entering their home, they placed speakers and DJ equipment as they played tunes for the whole neighbourhood.
The music played from mid-afternoon into dusk, and then well into the evening.
People up and down the street enjoyed the tunes as they shared a drink in their front yards, many of them standing knee deep in floodwaters as they did so.
It was a night of welcome relief, even with the flood crisis still literally surrounding them.
There were other incredible, inspirational stories up and down the levee too.
So many members of the community had done so much to help one another — whether it was dropping off sandbags, helping build walls, helping lift or remove furniture or bringing in supplies.
The floodwaters surrounded homes for days and then weeks, before slowly — finally — receding.
With the risk of more flooding subsiding, sections of the levee were removed early in December, giving everyone on the other side access to the rest of town via car — something some had not been able to do for weeks.
The levee was constructed to protect the town from the floodwaters, and it succeeded in doing that.
But it also did two other things as well.
First, it literally divided a town. But almost immediately after that, it also brought a whole community together.