Rochester Business Network president Sanjay Ranchhod.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Demountable flood barriers were deployed across the Rochester civic precinct last week as part of a flood preparedness exercise by Campaspe Shire Council.
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A 10-person crew installed the barriers on Wednesday, March 4, around several key facilities, including the town hall, community house, council service centre and library.
The buildings were selected due to their importance in maintaining essential services and supporting community recovery during flood emergencies.
Campaspe Shire Mayor Daniel Mackrell said the exercise was an important step in ensuring critical facilities remained accessible during a flood event.
“These facilities play a critical role during an emergency, and practising the barrier deployment now ensures we’re ready when it matters most,” he said.
The barrier deployment caused confusion among some locals and raised questions about whether the protections would extend beyond council-owned assets.
Rochester Business Network president Sanjay Ranchhod said more communication with the community would have been appreciated, as some residents felt they were not sufficiently informed.
“(Businesses) are not very happy,” he said.
“There’s no communication, and we’re not saying that (council) need to communicate at every level but ... have an open conversation to say, guys, this is what we're doing, this is what we're planning, this is what we can do for the whole town.
“We don’t have any inclination of what’s going on.”
The Café Rochester owner Lisa Froon
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
For others, the timing of putting the barriers up following the heavy rain on Sunday, March 1 also caused unease.
The Café Rochester owner Lisa Froon said the exercise was stressful for some residents.
“I think it was a little bit triggering; obviously, you can't control the weather but the fact that we've just had a heap of rain and then all of a sudden, there’s barriers getting put up — it’s a lot for people,” she said.
“A lot of people were stressing about it and a lot of kids also ... it’s a big thing for the kids to go, ‘Well, hang on a minute, are we gonna flood again? Why are there barriers there?’”
Ms Froon also raised concerns about whether other key sites throughout Rochester would be considered for protection to alleviate extra stress in a flood emergency.
“If you can protect the main infrastructures like your chemist, IGA and any hospitality venues and stuff, it means that’s one part of (people’s) lives that’s normal,” she said.
The purchase of the barriers was funded under the Disaster Ready Fund and the Regional Flood Risk Reduction program, with council co-contribution and support from North Central Catchment Management Authority and environmental consultancy Water Technology.
The AquaFence system will continue to be stored at council’s Rochester depot, enabling rapid deployment ahead of any future flood event.
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