As regional areas begin to stare down the clean-up and repair challenge from last week's massive floods, the first emergency funding rounds have been announced.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The primary concern is road repair, although with a wet summer expected it may be some time before all affected roads and bridges are brought up to scratch.
In Ballarat, a viral photo of a destroyed road near Learmonth showed perhaps the worst of the damage, although the City of Ballarat is not immediately eligible for the 'Council Flood Support Fund' of $500,000 - Hepburn and Pyrenees shires are, however.
Another $365 million in flooding support from the state government has been made available, with a focus on a road repair "blitz" and rebuilding, as well as community recovery officers and the clean-up.
This will include $165 million for roads "regardless of who they're managed by", to be completed by Regional Roads Victoria.
Patching and repairs are already under way on the Western Highway, the state government notes.
City of Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney said the damage assessment was still ongoing.
"We've had a couple of damaged roads but nowhere near as bad as the rest of the state," he said,.
"There have been several homes severely affected, but we're lucky our entire community hasn't been affected like Shepparton or Rochester.
"There's still decent rainfall expected later this week - on one hand, with the rain, we had a pressure test for our system and the city as a whole stood up strongly to it, but there are some particular areas to watch.
READ MORE: Floods hits Skipton again | GALLERY
"Cardigan Village, Miners Rest, Invermay, these are the areas most vulnerable, semi-rural areas."
He cautioned that even with funding available, the clean-up and repair process will be lengthy.
"The problem is, you can't do serious road repair until the roads and environment around it has dried out."
"Speaking to other mayors around the state, and at other times, in NSW and Queensland when they had their serious floods - they're experiencing the clean-up now all these months later, the peak of their floods was around the federal election time and they're only just finishing up the clean-up, let alone the major infrastructure repairs."
In Corangamite Shire - which takes in the town of Skipton - mayor Ruth Gstrein said there would be a huge impact on agriculture as a result of the big wet.
"I know we have one bridge where the bitumen has been stripped right off," she said.
"And we won't know just how bad it is until the water is gone."
Cr Gstrein said the council was yet to determine which areas they would put forward for funding, but she believed bridges in Vite Vite, Nerrin Nerrin and Pura Pura should all be prioritised.
The three communities all sit between Derinallum, Carranballac and Skipton.
Nearby Pyrenees Shire said more clarity on the funding available is required.
In a statement, chief executive Jim Nolan said roads, bridges, and private residences in the shire had been affected.
"The funding that has just been announced by the Victorian Government is a very welcome response to the situation," he said.
"The detail of the various funds announced to assist in the recovery and restoration of assets is still being developed, and we are keen to receive the funding guidelines soon to understand what expenditure is eligible, and so that we can get on with the work required."
Have you tried The Courier's app? It can be downloaded here.
