Convoys of trucks, filled with water-logged mattresses, carpets and whitegoods dominated a steady flow of traffic in and out of Rochester’s makeshift dump site from as early as last Monday morning.
Once floodwaters had receded sufficiently for safe traffic flow in and out of the site, people transported their ruined belongings from the house or kerbside to the quickly expanding dump site.
Utility vehicles towing fully laden trailers and the occasional emergency service or Campaspe council vehicle added to the consistent flow of traffic in and out of the Webb Rd dump site at Rochester.
The makeshift dump, at the rear of Paul Evans Welding, was a stark reminder of the horrific damage to the contents of Rochester homes that were flooded during the five-day flood event that started on Thursday afternoon and continued through until Monday.
Such was the demand for the site, which had a mountainous mattress heap, a separate site for washing machines, fridges and dryers and a separate pile for carpets and other water-damaged household goods that was starting to match the size of the large industrial shed to its north.
There was a second site established in High St as secondary rainfall made access to the other site difficult for vehicles.
A cleverly constructed Facebook post detailing entry and exit points to the dump was also indicative of just how much activity was at the site during the clean up.
Repairs to the road were necessary a couple of days into the dump site’s announcement due to the sheer amount of traffic it was subjected to in the initial three days of the recovery effort.
The dump site was co-ordinated by the Campaspe Shire, among the various duties that were under the management of one of many celebrated individuals involved in the recovery effort — acting director community Andrew Fletcher.
Mr Fletcher received wide acclaim for his quick action in co-ordinating council staff to assist in the clean-up, particularly with the imminent flood disaster at Echuca.
The 12-year Campaspe Shire employee, a former planning and building manager, was the focal point of negotiations between Rochester flood relief co-ordinators and the shire.
Precious few homes and buildings escaped the wrath of Rochester’s biggest ever flood, as evidenced by the inundation of the Rochester and Elmore District Health Service facility and the town’s police station.
And while most of the town’s household goods were destroyed it did not prevent looters from targeting the town, having earlier been a major problem along the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne.
With several home owners either still out of town, or assisting in other flood recovery efforts away from their own property, suspicious activity in the streets — amid the confusion and activity of the flood-recovery effort — was a concern for community leaders.
Due to structural damage the Rochester police station was closed and officers were relocated to Elmore Police Station.
Policing services were in great demand in the town as the ugly threat of looters became an issue early last week.
Several individuals, one carrying a whipper snipper and another with a large fully loaded backpack, were the subject of lengthy Facebook messaging.
Police have maintained patrols in the Rochester area in spite of the southern re-location.