Ballarat has escaped the worst of flash floods and heavy rain compared to other parts of the state, but the rain that did fall across Wednesday and Thursday still forced the closure of many local roads and impacted some homes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Multiple communities across the Ballarat region were spending a nervous night watching waters rise as record rain fell across the state.
Downstream towns were hit hard, with an order to evacuate Carisbrook near Maryborough at about 8pm om Thursday.
Skipton, Lexton and Miners Rest were some of the locations again in the firing line as the Burrumbeet, Emu and Burnbank creeks all turned into raging torrents following heavy rainfall.
Beaufort, Creswick and Clunes were also issued with 'Watch and act' notices as the creeks rose.
The city recorded 51.4mm between 9am Thursday and 6am on Friday with 29.4mm recorded at the Bureau of Meteorology's rain gauge at Ballarat airport between 9am Wednesday and 9am Thursday.
All up, more than 80mm fell at the Airport in the last two days - with higher falls recorded across various parts of Ballarat.
Areas to Ballarat's north, including Miners Rest and Creswick are also planning for possible flooding on with the City of Ballarat planning a relief centre for impacted residents.
Attention also turns to the Skipton community which has been warned of major flooding of Mt Emu Creek into Friday.
Beaufort was also warned of potential flash flooding on Thursday afternoon.
On the roads, the Department of Transport is urging people not to drive through floodwaters, with number of municipal and major roads closed after they were impacted with water.
One major road that was closed on Thursday was Gillies Street between Sturt Street and the Ballarat Specialist School - due to flooding across the road.
It forced several school buses that travel between Ballarat and Creswick via Gillies Street to be cancelled.
Schools including St Patrick's College and Damascus College asked affected parents to pick their students at the end of the day.
Some schools on Ballarat's outskirts also advised parents to pick their children up early as flooding threatens to make some local roads impassable.
Families at Woady Yaloak Primary School's four campuses at Ross Creek, Scarsdale, Snake Valley and Smythesdale received messages about picking children up early after a number of parents around Ross Creek called the school as water cut nearby roads.
Flooding at the Scarsdale campus forced the school to enact its emergency management plan.
Have you tried The Courier's app? It can be downloaded here.