1909 Western Victorian floods
Encyclopedia
The 1909 Western Victorian floods consisted of widespread flood
ing on rivers of the western half of the State of Victoria
during the middle of August that year.
. Although April and May were moist, June was exceptionally wet, seeing in many places (e.g. Melbourne) a record number of rainy days for any month. The heavy June falls had already made the ground throughout Victoria very moist, and despite the fact that July rainfall was only above normal in the north of the State was of relatively little significance as evaporation was too low to dry the ground.
was anticipated.
The third of four major depressions for the month arrived in western Victoria on the 17th and produced very heavy falls upon already-saturated catchments on flat land where water was not draining away quickly. As the slow-moving depression linked with warm air from the Tasman Sea
, thunderstorms began to develop over the Wimmera
region on the 18th. Rich Avon recorded 50mm (2 inches) from one of these whilst in the Great Divide there were reports that some areas had received as much as 100mm (4 inches) in as little as six hours.
As a result of this heavy rain, many rivers rose to record or near record levels. The Avoca River
rose above the top of sheds of farmhouses near its banks, as the Hopkins
and the Merri River near the coast.. Further east, houses at Inglewood
were swamped and many buildings were wrecked by the swollen Loddon River
. In Donald itself, not only roads, but even footpaths were devastated as the Richardson River flooded the town to a level never seen before or since, eventually reaching normally-dry Lake Buloke. Near Geelong, four people were drowned
trying to cross the flooded Barwon River at Winchelsea
.
The floods had a major impact upon agriculture in the region, with many crops in the Western District completely destroyed through being soaked - not only during the floods, but also before they reached their peak. Large numbers of sheep in the Western District were killed because of foot-rot due to the wet ground.
Unusually for floods in Australia, not only did the rivers recede rapidly but the excessively wet conditions of the autumn and winter that produced them gave way to much drier weather from September onwards so that a repeat was never remotely possible. Flooding during August 1909 also happened in South Australia
, the northeast of Victoria and more northerly parts of the Murray-Darling Basin
; however, these were not as unusual as those in the Wimmera and Western District.
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing on rivers of the western half of the State of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
during the middle of August that year.
Meteorological background
Persistent above-average rainfall began to affect most of Victoria apart from eastern Gippsland in April 1909 as a result of strong southern low-pressure systems interacting with moisture in the Indian OceanIndian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Although April and May were moist, June was exceptionally wet, seeing in many places (e.g. Melbourne) a record number of rainy days for any month. The heavy June falls had already made the ground throughout Victoria very moist, and despite the fact that July rainfall was only above normal in the north of the State was of relatively little significance as evaporation was too low to dry the ground.
The floods
With these moist conditions, in was natural that heavy rain in August would cause major flooding on the State's rivers, and a series of very slow-moving depressions naturally caused August to be very wet. As early as 11 August major flooding on the Richardson River at DonaldDonald, Victoria
Donald is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844...
was anticipated.
The third of four major depressions for the month arrived in western Victoria on the 17th and produced very heavy falls upon already-saturated catchments on flat land where water was not draining away quickly. As the slow-moving depression linked with warm air from the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
, thunderstorms began to develop over the Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
region on the 18th. Rich Avon recorded 50mm (2 inches) from one of these whilst in the Great Divide there were reports that some areas had received as much as 100mm (4 inches) in as little as six hours.
As a result of this heavy rain, many rivers rose to record or near record levels. The Avoca River
Avoca River
The Avoca River drains a substantial part of Victoria, the southernmost state of mainland Australia. The river rises at the foot of Mount Lonarch in the Central Highlands near the small town of Amphitheatre, and flows north for 270 km through Avoca, Charlton and Quambatook...
rose above the top of sheds of farmhouses near its banks, as the Hopkins
Hopkins River
The Hopkins River is a river in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It begins near Ararat, and enters Bass Strait at Warrnambool. It is one of two rivers flowing through Warrnambool, the other is the Merri River....
and the Merri River near the coast.. Further east, houses at Inglewood
Inglewood, Victoria
Inglewood is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Calder Highway, in the Shire of Loddon. At the 2006 census, Inglewood had a population of 834...
were swamped and many buildings were wrecked by the swollen Loddon River
Loddon River
The Loddon River is a 392-km long tributary of the Murray River that flows through central and northern Victoria, Australia. The river rises near Trentham and flows by Glenlyon. It then flows generally northward through Guildford and Newstead, 40 km west of Bendigo through the Cairn Curran...
. In Donald itself, not only roads, but even footpaths were devastated as the Richardson River flooded the town to a level never seen before or since, eventually reaching normally-dry Lake Buloke. Near Geelong, four people were drowned
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
trying to cross the flooded Barwon River at Winchelsea
Winchelsea, Victoria
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong .- History :...
.
The floods had a major impact upon agriculture in the region, with many crops in the Western District completely destroyed through being soaked - not only during the floods, but also before they reached their peak. Large numbers of sheep in the Western District were killed because of foot-rot due to the wet ground.
Unusually for floods in Australia, not only did the rivers recede rapidly but the excessively wet conditions of the autumn and winter that produced them gave way to much drier weather from September onwards so that a repeat was never remotely possible. Flooding during August 1909 also happened in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the northeast of Victoria and more northerly parts of the Murray-Darling Basin
Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
; however, these were not as unusual as those in the Wimmera and Western District.