Murray in minor flood at Barham

Minor flooding is occurring on the Murray River at Barham, and the Bureau of Meteorology flood warning covering that reach is still current on Friday morning.

The river at Barham was sitting at 5.53m and steady at 11:00am on Wednesday 26 August, just above the 5.50m minor flood level for the gauge.

That reading is the most recent official figure published for the town, and the next scheduled update was due by 12:30pm AEST on Friday 28 August.

This is not a forecast of flooding still to come and it is not a South Australian rain story, it is water already in the river and already over the mark.

Where the water is coming from

Two sources are feeding the rise, being upstream flows down the Murray itself combined with flood water arriving from the Goulburn River system.

The Bureau expects levels at Barham to remain around minor flood through to the end of August as flood water continues to arrive from upstream.

There is no new coastal storm behind this, the driver is a residual flood pulse from recent southern rainfall working its way slowly down the valley.

That matters for anyone planning a boating weekend, because a slow pulse behaves nothing like a flash event and it does not clear overnight.

The Wednesday numbers

Upstream the Murray was still filling, with Albury at 1.33m rising, Corowa at 1.45m rising and Tocumwal at 3.27m rising.

Yarrawonga downstream sat at 2.55m and steady, while Echuca Wharf was reading 90.71 mAHD and rising and Torrumbarry Weir was at 6.84m and rising.

Swan Hill was at 3.69m and rising, Wakool Junction at 5.70m and rising, and Boundary Bend at 4.40m and rising.

Further down, Euston Weir downstream was 3.51m and steady and Wentworth Lock 10 was 4.03m and steady at 11:00am Wednesday.

On the Edward system the picture was different, with Deniliquin at 3.25m falling and Stevens Weir downstream at 4.41m falling, while Moulamein was at 2.16m and rising.

The bit weekend boaters will miss

Barham is already over its minor mark while Deniliquin on the Edward is falling, and that split is the easiest thing in this event to misread.

A falling Edward gauge does not mean the Murray has finished, because the two systems drain differently and the main channel pulse is still travelling.

Plenty of people will look at Barham, see a high, steady, good looking river and assume the whole event has passed through.

Downstream of Barham it has not, with Swan Hill, Wakool Junction and Boundary Bend all on the way up at the last published table.

Wentworth will feel this later again, so any early September trip down that end should be checked against the newest warning rather than this week's figures.

On the water at Barham and Koondrook

Ramps are the first problem, because a concrete ramp sitting completely underwater gives you no idea where the edge is or what has washed onto it.

Do not launch at a submerged ramp, and if you cannot see the full run of concrete and the end of it, pick somewhere else.

Higher water at Barham and Koondrook also lifts boats up level with fixed jetty rails, pontoon walkways and low structures that normally sit well clear.

Houseboat operators at Barham are working through the usual high river routine, shifting mooring lines as levels move and watching for debris pressing against hulls.

Redgum snags that sat proud and obvious at normal pool are now just under the surface where you cannot read them from a plane.

Floating timber is the other constant, with limbs and root balls travelling on the current and often riding low enough to be nearly invisible.

Slow down, run further off the banks than you normally would, and keep someone watching forward the entire time you are underway.

Fishing the dirty rise

Dirty water on a rise usually shuts things down for a day or two, and Murray cod and yellowbelly often go quiet while the river is filling and colouring up.

Once levels steady, and Barham has been holding around 5.50m, fish tend to move onto the edges to hunt whatever the water has just flooded.

That means newly covered grass, timber and backwater margins rather than the middle of a fast, brown main channel.

If you fish the flats country, remember the same water that brings the fish in can leave you stranded when it drops or shifts.

Safety

SES advice issued with the warning is simple, being never drive, ride or walk through flood water, and never allow children to play in it.

Do not cut across flooded river flats to shortcut a launch or a campsite, because you cannot see holes, fences or washed out tracks.

Swimming in flood water is a poor idea in any river, and the Murray on a rise carries debris, cold water and unfamiliar current.

If you are towing, check your exit before you commit to a launch, because getting the boat back out matters more than getting it in.

What to watch this weekend

The Friday afternoon reissue is the number that counts, and it will confirm whether Barham is holding around 5.50m or starting to ease back under it.

Watch the downstream gauges rather than Barham alone if your weekend sits at Swan Hill, Torrumbarry or Wakool Junction.

Track current warnings on our NSW warnings page before you hook up the trailer on Saturday morning.

Out on the coast, a Strong Wind Warning is current for the Eden Coast for Saturday 29 August only, issued at 10:00am Friday.

Queensland has Strong Wind Warnings running Friday and Saturday for the Torres Strait, Peninsula Coast and Cooktown Coast, while South Australia has nothing current.

Coastal crews can check NSW tide times if the brown water has you rethinking the weekend.

Check the Friday reissue and the latest Barham height before you launch, then post your local river conditions on Seabreeze so other boaters know what they are heading into.