Ben Evans. Mellool, NSW

Ben Evans settled on his 2,600-acre Mellool farm just two months ago. He only moved his family to the property two and half weeks ago. He now has 3,000 sheep stuck on a 400-metre stretch of road because that was the only high and dry bit of land he could find.

His entire property, bar six acres, is underwater. All crops have been lost. Ben’s wife and his young children have moved to Bendigo for safety and the family home is sandbagged for the first time in its 70-year history.

All up, it has been one hell of a start to farming for the Evans family. “I don’t think things can get any worse and the financial losses from this will be huge,” Ben said.

And while he has no idea how things are going to turn out, his next priority is to get the sheep out. Initially, the sheep were in a 100-acre paddock and it was a battle to get them to safety.

“The water was too deep to take the buggy, and the crops were so thick, when we took the boat, they kept clogging up the motor. It was a nightmare. There were dead sheep up against the trees but we were doing our absolute best to get the sheep to safety and it was a huge relief when we got them onto the road.

“They are starting to get stressed now and we are working on the safest way to get them out,” Ben said.

Despite all the destruction and uncertainty as a newcomer to the district, Ben has been amazed by the support his family has received from the local community.

“When flood water started to threaten our house, I made one phone call and then all of a sudden there were 15 people sandbagging our house, it was unbelievable,” Ben said.

Daniel Monk. Mellool, NSW

Generational Mellool farmer, Daniel Monk, has never seen floodwater inundate the area as widely or as quickly. Daniel has spent the last few weeks helping the community as the panic set in.

“Out here, we are used to high rivers but the severity of this flood has taken out country that has never really flooded before. We now have serious issues where some people will have no dryland whatsoever to put their stock on,” Daniel said.

He said financial losses within a 10km radius of his place will run into the millions alone. And it will be a long slow recovery.

“Personally, I have lost one of the best barley crops I have ever grown, and as a hay contractor, the majority of my hay season. I am looking at least at a $500,000 loss and others around me are worse off and will have lost more than me. This is a crisis,” Daniel said.

One farmer down the road said he was looking at a million dollars down the drain after crop losses and the fact he won’t be able to plant a summer rice crop either.

“This community will need financial assistance to get back on their feet once the flood water goes away, the clean-up will be massive.”

Daniel said while he has been through a few floods at Mellool, he has never had to lift a sandbag before. “This time around, every house in the area is sandbagged or has had water under it and you have got to wonder what has happened this time and why this flood is so different,” Daniel said.

Daniel said the Murray River Council has been extremely proactive and great to work with.

“When we rang them and said we have to cut the road to get some of this water away, they told us to just do it. The locals have all jumped in and helped. It has been a real community effort to save what we could.”

Marcus Nalder. Mallan, NSW

Marcus Nalder hasn’t slept for a week. Marcus and his wife, Bree, have 90 per cent of their 4,000ha farm inundated at Mallan.

They are hoping the wheat and peas they still have left on some sandhills remain dry, along with their sheep that are currently protected by a levee.

“I have my fingers crossed the sheep will be okay. They have plenty of feed, I just have to put my faith in the levee holding, although we have lost every other battle so far,” Marcus said.

The Nalder’s house and sheds are currently protected by a recently constructed levee and their driveway, which has never flooded before, is now sitting under five feet of water. The only way in is via boat.

Their three daughters have been relocated to Swan Hill to live with relatives so they can get to school. And forecasts expect the floodwater to linger for months. “The potential is for us to be isolated here for months,” Bree said.

The Nalder family farm is located on the junction of the Niemur and Wakool – the family is used to dealing with floods but the speed and direction of this one has been unprecedented.

“Farming on a floodplain is a roll of the dice some years and we expect that, but this flood is something we have never experienced before and it has been very hard to get any accurate information, we have been forgotten out here,” he said.

It has been a huge week as the family raced to move their gear to high land and construct a levee to protect the house. They are running on adrenaline and hanging out for the peak – whatever and whenever that will be.

Bree said the girls are feeling sad, disconnected and are anxious because their home is not the safe place it used to be. “The girls are worried about their pets, they miss their dad and it is a time of huge uncertainty for us all,” she said.

Ken Spence. Mallan, NSW

Ken Spence remembers the battle to keep Cunninyeuk Road at Mallan open during the 1975 flood.

He said he spent three weeks with a little John Deere scraper carting dirt and dumping it on the road, while every available piece of earthmoving equipment in the district formed the road.

The community effort managed to keep the road open, but water did flood the wooden bridge.

“That was my first ever experience of floods because I came to Mallan from the Mallee.

“The Mallan school managed to stay open and parents would bring the kids down to the bridge and they would get carted over in a carry all on the tractor.

“The kids thought it was great fun,” Ken said.

Ken said looking around Mallan now, it’s hard to ever imagine another drought.

“I have never seen so much water ever,” said Ken.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 10 November 2022.