Clean-up begins in Skipton after yet another devastating flood

Premier Daniel Andrews says the disaster funding includes $165 million in emergency road fixes such as filling potholes and repairing surfaces to get people and freight moving.

"This is an initial amount of money and it will underpin those emergency repairs," Mr Andrews said on Monday.

More rain is forecast in the coming days and the floods are expected to impact the state's north for four-to-six weeks.

Meanwhile consumers are being warned the price of fruit and vegetables could rise after flooding across NSW, Victoria and Tasmania impacted key agricultural areas.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, touring flood-impacted areas in Victoria, said the continuing rain will drive prices higher.

"Tragically, there had been such a good harvest anticipated in wheat, in fruit and vegetables, in so many of the products that the Victorian food basin ... is such a rich area, as well as in areas like poultry," Mr Albanese told ABC Melbourne.

"There's no doubt that there will be an impact ... and the impact will feed into higher prices, most unfortunately at a time when inflation has already been rising."

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said it was too early to say what the full impact on food availability and prices would be.

"Floodwaters have significantly impacted many parts of the agriculture industry," she said.

"There will be significant impact and disruption coming through our supply chain in the coming months."

Farmers in Victoria had been were expecting a bumper winter crop but analysts say they now face volume and quality downgrades due to the excessive rains.

RaboBank issued its Australian winter crop forecast on Monday and found a significant impact on yields of low-lying crops with many underwater in central and northern Victoria.

"The biggest impacts in Victoria, are expected in the low-lying country ... there are literally crops fully underwater," RaboBank's Dennis Voznesenski said.

UPDATE: 11am Monday

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said modelling indicated more than 9000 homes were inundated in Victoria's north and about 34,000 homes across the state could be inundated or isolated.

"It's quite likely we'll see a flood peak happen and waters recede, followed by another peak as different river systems come together," he told ABC TV on Monday.

The Goulburn River at Shepparton peaked overnight at 12.05 metres, below the forecast peak of 12.1m and the 1974 flood level of 12.09m.

"That 15cm makes a significant difference to the number of properties either isolated or impacted," Mr Wiebusch told reporters.

"We believe around 4000 properties there are now either isolated or have some levels of inundation."

Images show buildings in the middle of town surrounded by a vast inland sea of brown muddy water and residents using sandbags to protect properties.

At Rochester, where waters have receded to a moderate flood level, about 800 to 900 homes have flooded but it is too early for authorities to confirm the extent of damage.

A 71-year-old man was found dead in the backyard of his home at the town on Saturday.

Floodwaters have receded in Maribyrnong, where police confirmed an unoccupied house was looted on Monday morning by a man in high-vis clothing who fled in a car with another two men.

A warning has also been issued for the Wimmera River, with Horsham residents told major flooding is possible on Monday and into Tuesday.

The Campaspe River at Barnadown, Rochester Town and Echuca peaked on Monday morning with major flooding occurring - higher than in 2011.

The SES has received more than 6000 calls for help including more than 650 flood rescue requests since Wednesday, when heavy rainfall lashed the state.

Disaster recovery payments have been made available to residents in 23 local government areas and a 250-bed camp will open at the former Mickleham COVID-19 quarantine facility.

About 100 ADF personnel have been deployed to help with evacuations and sandbagging.

Dozens of schools were closed across the state on Monday and the Victorian health department has warned of the increased risk of bacterial outbreaks such as leptospirosis, which is caused when people come into contact with the urine of infected animals and can occur after flooding events.

EARLIER : Monday

Despite a tiring few days, the Skipton community has come together as the clean-up effort in town begins.

Skipton's main road, Montgomery Street flooded on Friday afternoon when Mount Emu Creek broke its banks.

Emu Creek Deli and Gifts along with Skipton Community OP Shop and the Skipton Pharmacy were among the properties swamped with water, in the town's third flood in a decade.

On Saturday, the water started to recede and residents and volunteers began been removing sandbags and assessing the damage.

Elizabeth Phillips from Gumbower Homestead said everyone is "quite exhausted".

Residents hold The Courier on Friday the flooding was just as significant as floods in 2011 and 2016.

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Ms Phillips said the clean-up is expected to be quite big.

"They are already onto that, it is a great little community Skipton," she said.

"They stick together and everyone helps everyone."

While the main street businesses were hit hard, the clean up efforts will extend out to other parts of town.

Mount Emu Creek is situated at the back of Ms Phillips' property.

It definitely has not hit the house but it hits things like fences," she said.

"It is a massive cleanup because all our fences will be lying down and then also the debris."

More emergency funding has been released for the Pyrenees and Corangamite Shire Councils to help with the damage.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the Premier, Daniel Andrews further north in Bendigo on Sunday to view the flood damage to the state.

The local governments most effected by the floods will receive $500,000 to help restore local facilities and begin clean up.

The Council Flood Support Fund includes work like removing debris in council parks and community assets.

Individals who need immediate assistance with emergency shelter, food, clothing or personal items can apply for a state government relief payment.

$560 per adult and $280 per child - a maximum of just over $2000 per family is available to those eligible.

Meanwhile, police are warning drivers to watch out for large unexpected potholes that have emerged on roads around the region, including the Western Freeway or risk trashing a tyre or even causing a high-speed smash.

Sergeant Leah Kersing urged those behind the wheel to slow down.

"Some of these holes are like craters. You can blow your tyre or at high speed you have a situation where you lose control of the vehicle and have a serious collision." she said.

Sergeant Kersing said police based in towns along the Western Highway had been dealing with smashes and potholes "all day" on Thursday, when the worst of the rain hit Ballarat.

"The left lanes are especially affected - and its particularly bad around Beaufort." she said.

Photos have also emerged on social media of severely damaged or almost destroyed roads in areas north of Ballarat.

One photo by Nickolas Bird shows one section of Eastern-Peake Road at Mount Bolton, between Learmonth and Addington almost completely washed away.

Another photo shows a deep pothole on Dana Street outside Dana Street Primary School.

There are also reports of numerous potholes on Howitt Street, Sturt Stret and Creswick Road outside of Mars Stadium and in Delacombe.

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