Three months after a rising Maribyrnong River flooded Melbourne’s inner west, residents will have their say on what went wrong.
Public submissions open on Tuesday to an independent flood inquiry looking at potential causes and contributors including the Flemington Racecourse levee.
The grounds of the Melbourne Cup track remained clear as the surrounding area flooded, thanks to the 2.5-metre wall built in 2007.
“To see how the whole Footscray parklands was totally down and all that nice greenery in the racecourse – I will say it was a kick in the guts,” Footscray Canoe Club president Brenton Barnard told AAP.
Mr Barnard’s clubroom was one of the 500 properties inundated when the Maribyrnong River broke its banks on October 14.
In the end, they lost $12,000-worth of equipment including laptops, a security system and fridges. Several canoes, kayaks and paddle boards were also damaged.
“It was awful, to put it bluntly,” Mr Barnard said.
“The clean-up was a lot of back-breaking work.”
Dozens of club members spent the following days sweeping mud out of the clubrooms and clearing damaged carpets and mats.
Grants from the state government, along with support from the local council and equipment donations, helped the club get back on its feet, Mr Barnard said.
It was a similar story up the river at the Essendon Canoe Club, where 1.5 metres of water inundated the property.
Club president Tony Siler told AAP they managed to save all of their boats, although the clubroom walls were left water-logged and a fridge was ruined.
It took a couple of months to get the site back to normal, but they’re back out canoeing on the river, including spending a day in mid-December clearing plastic and debris from the banks.
Rosemary McKenzie from the Friends of Maribyrnong Valley community group said a “phenomenal” amount of rubbish remained in vegetation along the river.
“It’s going to take a long, long time to clear it,” she told AAP.
“The issue is if the rubbish doesn’t get removed, it’s going to end up in the river.”
The Maribyrnong City Council cleared more than 150,000 cubic metres of materials from flooded streets, with work to restore public facilities ongoing.
The council is planning to create an advisory committee on flood recovery and continues to talk to other agencies and authorities about future preparedness.
The Moonee Valley City Council is also supporting residents with flood insurance claims and remediation works, as well as providing information on flood awareness and resilience.
Public submissions to the independent flood inquiry close on March 17, with findings and any recommendations to be handed to the state government this year.
Source: AAP