Either side of the Murray River, efforts to rebuild roads and clean up are under way following flooding and heavy rainfall.
As the floodwater recedes, recovery efforts are ramping up, according to NSW and Victorian government authorities.
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NSW Reconstruction Authority Riverina Murray director Donna Argus said completion of damage assessments around Moama had allowed the authority to coordinate the clean-up.
“We’ll work with impacted people, councils and local recovery committees in their clean-up efforts and facilitate support for those eligible for the Back Home Grant,” Ms Argus said.
“This support is extended to caravan park owners, owners of vans or cabins and people that permanently live in caravan parks.
“We’re engaging Service NSW, Australian Red Cross and Legal Aid NSW on Mobile Recovery Support visits to caravan parks along the Murray River that were seriously impacted, to determine needs for clean-up, waste management, recovery support grants and services.”
Meanwhile, the Victorian Government was starting a second round of major roadworks in the state’s north, Victorian Roads Minister Melissa Horne said.
The $41.3 million works will involve more than 460 individual projects across major freight and travel routes, including the Goulburn Valley and Sunraysia highways.
Other roads that will be repaired include Elmore-Raywood Rd, Bendigo-Pyramid Rd and Dimboola-Rainbow Rd.
Some sections of flood-damaged roads will be completely rebuilt, along with large-scale asphalt patching and resurfacing.
Other projects will include landslip repairs, clearing debris from roadsides, drains and culverts and repairing structures affected by the recent floods and extreme rainfalls.
The second round of works follows initial emergency repairs announced in December 2022 on the Hume and Midland highways.
Currently, there are more than 370 roads, made up of a mix of arterial and local roads, that remain closed across the state.
Since October, 120km of asphalting and rebuilding, and more than 85km of roadside and drainage clearing and cleaning have been delivered.
Keep the support up
Campaspe Shire Mayor Rob Amos in front of a tree used to moor paddle-boats when Echuca flooded. (AAP Image/Adrian Black)
Campaspe Shire Mayor Rob Amos said it was key that government support was ongoing throughout the recovery process.
"What we need to make sure is that that support doesn't fade away for our communities," Cr Amos said.
"We know we're not the only ones, but we want to make sure that this is a long term thing and we need the federal and state governments to stick with us."
In Serpentine, mixed grain and sheep farmer Prue Milgate and her family have rebuilt three shed bases and are about to start re-cutting tracks, all off which were washed away when the Loddon River overflowed.
The Milgates’ farm was completely cut off during the floods.
"The state of the roads in regional Victoria is our biggest issue, they were bad before the floods and now they're horrific," Ms Milgate said.
"Our whole businesses rely on vehicles being able to get in and out, like chemical deliveries, sheep getting delivered to the feedlots, to the abattoirs, to the supermarkets.
"If we can't get the trucks on the roads our businesses can't operate."
Ms Milgate said the poor harvest was flowing onto local businesses already reeling from flood closures.
"Our regional community is suffering."
She said local businesses were the backbone of regional communities, sponsoring sports clubs and services such as playgroups.
"My message to people out there is please, come out to country Victoria, NSW, SA, Queensland and now the Kimberleys, anywhere that's been hit by floods, please go visit them ... they're our biggest supporters really."
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