Panmure, Allansford flood levels could exceed 2011, authorities ramp up overnight

State Emergency Services incident controller Steve McDowell said authorities also believe the Hopkins River may peak twice at Allansford.

"We're also being told now we may see two peaks now at Allansford," he said.

"We may see the river peak, stay high and then another peak."

He said the prediction was for the floodwaters to reach the 2011 levels, possibly even "slightly" higher.

"We think we've got a handle on where the water is going to rise to. It's going to be roughly the 2011 peak, it might be slightly higher," he said

"If we need to we're going to have plenty of notice to be able to get out and door knock the affected people.

"At this stage we think that the floodwaters will still increase slightly, and we're likely to see those increases continue overnight."

He asked those in the flood zone to keep abreast of updates and warnings.

The bridge at Panmure was closed around 3pm as the water rose one metre within hours and was edging closer to the bottom of the bridge.

Mr McDowell also again warned people not to walk along the edge of the sand along the Hopkins River mouth in Warranmbool.

"That sand is very unstable and could collapse into the water," Mr McDowell said.

"If you were to fall into the water there is basically no coming back from that."

Mr McDowell said if homes were to come under flood attack they would be sandbagged and all drains and toilets would be blocked and all furniture would be lifted up onto the benches and tables and leave early before roads become impassable.

He said it would be 24 to 48 hours before the river levels would start to drop.

"We see the high level water levels on the Mount Emu and the Hopkins River for at least another 24 hours and river levels are still rising," he said.

SES crews would be out throughout the night checking water levels and responding to any requests for help.

Warrnambool City Council's Luke Coglan said there were no road closures within the shire at this point.

"We do have the rail trail close but that's to do with high water levels along the Merri River which isn't uncommon," he said.

He said the Hopkins River mouth was open and running very heavily.

"It's a fairly dramatic sight and we understand people want to get a look at that but we encourage them to stay well back from where the sand is eroding away because if anyone falls in there you could be very quickly swept out," he said.

Moyne Shire has a list of road closures which can be found on the council website.

They include:

The Hopkins Falls Road was also still closed on Sunday because of issues at the lookout which has also been closed.

Update 4pm: Floodwaters along Mount Emu Creek have risen by a metre since this morning with the Panmure bridge officially closed about 3pm.

SES divisional commander Steve McDowell said waters were about half a metre from the bottom of the bridge.

He said crews were out in Panmure and Allansford this afternoon and they were ramping up for a busy night ahead checking on houses that might be impacted by rising water levels.

Updated 1pm: SES divisional commander Steve McDowell said they didn't believe they would have to close the Allansford bridge because of rising floodwaters.

"It's a fluid situation," he said.

Mr McDowell said they were not immediately concerned about any property at this stage.

But he said it could change in a matter of minutes.

They said they would hopefully find out when the peak at Allansford would be when they get an update around 4pm.

Allansford resident said Eddie White said the community meeting, which was held at 11pm, helped alleviate the fears of locals.

Earlier: The bridge over Mount Emu Creek at Panmure will be closed to traffic this morning as flood waters rise with the peak expected later in the day.

Residents filled the Panmure hall to hear from SES, police and Moyne Shire Council representatives about what to expect over the next 24 hours.

Traffic from Warrnambool is being diverted from the Great Ocean Road turn-off near Allansford with water over the road near Terang and McKinnons Bridge closed.

"It is expected the bridge on the Princes Highway will be closed sometime later this morning. Access will be cut at the bridge," Mr McDowell said.

SES divisional commander Steve McDowell said the gauge upstream from Panmure still hadn't hit its peak.

"The water is still rising. It does take a period of time for it to reach Panmure.

"We are seeing significant river rises in the Mount Emu Creek. That's likely to continue until later today," Mr McDowell said.

"The river still has some way to come up before we actually see that peak.

"At this point we don't have a peak for Allansford."

He said the peak would hit late this afternoon, into this evening.

Inspector Steve Thompson said that while the Panmure bridge may not get inundated with water, it was about it being assessed as being structurally intact.

"We ask for your patience around that," he said.

Mr McDowell said there was no indication yet about whether the Allansford bridge would have to close.

With Allansford dealing with water coming down the Hopkins River and Mount Emu Creek, hydrologists are trying to work on when those peaks will meet at the junction, he said.

"It's really hard to get a gauge on what the peak looks like due to those two water bodies coming together," he said.

"They're telling us the peak will sit there for a long time."

Mr McDowell said best guess was that the water would peak for a period of about 24 hours.

He said authorities were not expecting the peak to be quite as high as 2011.

"That said, that's only an estimated guess," he said.

"We're not taking that as gospel. We may actually see it hit 2011 heights."

Mr McDowell said sandbagging had been done on Saturday to 2011 levels and if it looked like it might exceed that they would get crews back out to bolster the work they'd done.

He said the river was expected to peak for "considerable amount of time".

"I would be preparing for a fairly long duration peak of water as it comes down the creek," he said.

Discussions were taking place around whether Panmure Primary School would be open on Monday with the bridge being cut.

"If the roads are covered with water we don't want anyone driving through the water," Mr McDowell said.

Moyne Shire Council chief executive officer Brett Davis said that compared to 2011, the region was coming off the back of a wet season and the next four or five weeks would also be wet.

Mr Davis said there could be other events, depending on what is coming later in the week.

"It's about being vigilant.... We've got to be on our toes for a longer period of time," he said

The Panmure meeting was told that the mouth of the Hopkins River was fully open which was different to the 2011 flooding when it took a long time for it to open.

Mr McDowell said said he would keep the community informed throughout the day when he received updates.

"If you do see emergency services support around this afternoon, please don't be alarmed, we're just doing our regular things," he said.

Mr McDowell said if they needed more community support in the next few days they would let the community know and, if there was a need, they would call other community meetings tomorrow.

Moyne Shire Council has been doorknocking and ringing people in the flood areas over the past couple of days to keep people informed and check on residents.

Now just one tap with our new app: Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with The Standard:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.