Victoria floods: Heartbreaking moment a wombat and its joey scurry to safety near Melbourne

The heartbreaking moment when a wombat and its little joey flee the rising waters of northern Victoria has cropped up amid the chaos.

The photo was taken by staff at the Molesworth Recreation Reserve and Caravan Park, just over 60 miles northeast of Melbourne’s CBD on the Goulburn River.

The fate of the wombat and his joey remains unknown, as the caravan park and its inhabitants battle a losing battle against rising floodwaters.

A spokesman for the park told Daily Mail Australia that the mother and Joey were not the only wombats rushing for their lives.

‘Everywhere wombats were looking for higher ground. It is a terrible situation with the Goulburn at the moment,” the spokesman said.

“Our entire park is under water and it’s getting deeper and deeper, so hope is quickly waning.”

The Bureau of Meteorology said major flooding with the Goulburn peaked in Seymour – just northwest of the caravan park – above the record May 1974 flood of 7.64 meters.

Further south, more dramatic images have captured how an ordinary river flowing through one of Melbourne’s largest suburbs turned into a raging beast overnight.

As dozens of Maribyrnong residents continue to flee that river, locals down the street watch as the Werribee River bursts its banks.

The Daily Mail Australia captured footage of the fast flowing river under the Cottrell Street Bridge in Werribee just 24 hours ago.

On Friday, a raging stream of water flooded the bridge, cutting the area in half.

The Bureau of Meteorology last night updated its main flood warning list, warning residents of Werribee that the river was about to swell.

Unaccustomed to seeing the river flow over the area known as the ‘ford’, locals expressed concern about the churning river.

“We’ve never seen it like this before,” said one resident. “This is insane.”

“Under this river is the actual bridge we drive to school on,” said another. ‘In the 19 years I’ve lived in Werribee, I’ve never seen the river so high. Usually the ford only breaks every few years. It’s happened twice in the past week.’

Further down the river, in Ballan, residents fear it is about to burst its banks and flood their homes.

A man posted on social media a video of “rapids” forming just outside his backyard.

Footage from the Werribee River near Melton Weir shows water flowing over the spillway.

The river rises in the Wombat State Forest on the Great Dividing Range and flows about 70 miles southeast to Port Phillip Bay.

Yesterday the vision of a cat swimming for its life appeared in Point Cook, a stone’s throw from Werribee.

Rescuers jumped into a kayak to try to save the cat, who was stranded under a bridge.

Dramatic footage from local news service Wyndham TV shows ‘Yumi’ the cat swimming for life after it was eventually swept away by the floodwaters.

The owner managed to get the cat to safety when it was swept away by the floodwaters.

The disturbing scenes in the community unfold as dozens of Maribyrnong residents evacuate their homes.

Located just north of the River Werribee, about 60 homes around the Anglers Tavern area have received evacuation orders since 5 a.m. Friday, as flooding threatened properties up to 200 yards from the river.

Nearly 50 roads in the state have been closed since 8pm last night, including Raleigh Rd off Van Ness Ave in Maribyrnong, with drivers advised to take Ballarat Rd instead.

Two tram lines have been shut down and flooding is also causing delays just south of Williamstown Rd in Port Melbourne.

At least 9,000 homes in the state are without electricity after a power station in Castlemaine, 100 km northwest of Melbourne, was flooded.

There have also been numerous warnings to move to higher elevations and avoid flooded areas around the state.

Forty-two suburbs have been declared in danger.

Brunswick, Coburg, Fitzroy and Northcote in the interior of Melbourne and Essendon, Sunshine, Footscray and Yarraville in the west are all on the list of ‘at risk neighbourhoods’.

There may be some relief for Victorians along the way, as the Bureau of Meteorology says the severe weather warning issued for the state has now been cancelled.

Scattered showers are forecast for Friday in the southern and mountain areas of the state, but wet weather has largely eased.