Dear friends,

It’s been a while since we last connected. Many in our community have been focused on rebuilding homes, juggling work and family, and living with the ongoing fear of another flood. The impact of the October 2022 flood still shapes our daily lives.

Now, we have a real chance to influence the future—and we need your help.

Melbourne Water have launched a flood mitigation study for the Maribyrnong River catchment. As part of this, they’re asking the community to contribute to an interactive digital map, which will directly inform their recommendations—what to mitigate, and by how much.

The problem? Of the 261 contributions so far, most focus on parks, biodiversity and recreational spaces—important, yes, but they completely overlook the hundreds of homes destroyed and the thousands of lives upended.

This is where you come in. We need as many people as possible to log their location to make sure the true human impact of the flood is seen—and addressed.

Here’s how you can help (it takes less than 1 minute):

1. Visit the map: https://letstalk.melbournewater.com.au/maribyrnong-river-flood-model/flood-mitigation-study
2. Zoom in to Maribyrnong—look for Anglers Tavern on the river
3. Click Add Marker
4. In the dropdown for Category, select Dwelling
5. Drop the house icon anywhere in the known flood-affected area
6. Tick:
   Flooded October 2022
   At risk of flooding in the future
7. Enter a screen name or initial
8. Add your email
9. Click Submit

This simple action will mean that the study has data points that represent the thousands impacted in our local community and will avoid authorities ignoring Maribyrnong once again.