Myrtleford's wettest winter in four years

Rainfall this week has officially made this winter Myrtleford’s wettest in at least four years. As of 5am Tuesday morning this week, the town had already recorded 109.8mm for August, according to TAFCO’s local weather station, with more heavy rain forecast. Added to 116.6mm in July and 165.6mm in June, Myrtleford's total winter rainfall already stood at 392mm, which is well above 2025 (309.4mm) and 2024 (242mm) and 2023’s 379.8mm. The winter rains put the district in its strongest position for several years heading into spring and summer, providing a healthy boost for stock farmers, vignerons, hop growers and other agricultural and horticultural industries which help underpin the local economy. Goulburn Murray Water (GMW) river operations manager, Andrew Shields, said the wet winter had seen significant volumes of water throughout the catchment, with GMW keeping the gates at Lake Buffalo raised, allowing inflows above the dam’s sil level of 13,500 megalitres to flow down the Buffalo River and into the Ovens River. During two significant rain events in July and early August, more than than 6000 megalitres and 5000 megalitres respectively flowed in and out of the dam in a day or two. Mr Shields said the gates will be lowered to fill the dam to its 24,000 megalitre capacity ahead of summer, but the timing will be guided by further rain events in the next month or two. This wet winter coincides with a public petition renewing calls on the Victorian government to investigate the feasibility of expanding the current 24,000 megalitre Buffalo Dam into the proposed 1,000,000 megalitre Big Buffalo Dam. The petition, backed by Nationals' Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy, asks the state to work with the Commonwealth to commission a comprehensive and independent feasibility study into the project through the National Water Grid Authority, or a similar Commonwealth-funded body. The Big Buffalo Dam Petition can be signed online through the Victorian Parliament website.

Myrtleford's wettest winter in four years

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