After preparing for days, Echuca residents just want the flood to happen already

Despite a week-long emergency evacuation warning, the town in northern Victoria is buzzing, though everyone is over the waitGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Murray River is bloated. Like the eastern brown snakes found on its banks, it slips slowly through the bush, past paddle steamers and into the port of Echuca. As it rolls through the town, it has started to swallow the trunks of gum trees and left only the tips of children's playgrounds visible.The great dividing river is now uniting border towns in apprehension, as it encroaches on their backyards and threatens their homes. The floods are here, but the forecast for the peak changes more rapidly than the currents can carry it.Sign up for our free morning newsletter and afternoon email to get your daily news roundup Continue reading...