By Ethan Benedicto
Businesses in Hallam’s Rimfire Drive are still in murky waters, following further delays on changes to Centre Road’s conditions.
It comes amid the City of Casey’s most recent meeting on Tuesday 20 August.
Trucking companies, automotive services, catering businesses, and retail providers, as well as establishments in the industrial zone of Rimfire Drive, have been battling the flooding waters of the Hallam Valley Floodplains for over a decade.
However, any immediate changes are unlikely, with the council’s agenda citing roughly three to four years for initial construction to begin from Melbourne Water.
This is due to the endangered species of Galaxiella pusilla (dwarf galaxias) in the floodplain, meaning any proposed works require environmental approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which in turn can take up to 12 to 24 months.
Gary Beardsley, founder of Redi Milk and who has long since been outspoken for action on Centre Road said that while the delays were not “surprising”, they are definitely “disappointing”.
“This year was the worst, mainly because of the overbearing emphasis on safety; and what made it worse was that the police and SES became involved, and they closed the road – they didn’t let anyone in.
“Their reasoning behind it was safety, and we find that very frustrating because we’ve been living with this for 30 years and the promise of fixing it still hasn’t occurred,” Beardsley said.
Rimfire Drive was flooded twice in 2024, with both entrances from Centre Road cordoned off with almost knee-high depths, effectively shutting businesses down for roughly two weeks.
Staff at Desflora are in the same boat, and while their business wasn’t underwater, the corner of the eastern Centre Road entrance would be submerged.
“So that whole corner there goes completely under, every time people try to drive through it there would always be cars floating in it,” Cindy, owner of Desflora, said.
Acknowledging the feasibility of the Centre Road bridge being opened for access is highly unlikely, “all we want is access”.
“We pay the rates, we pay and we have to shut down, nobody comes and tells us that the area’s closed.
“We have to bring our gumboots and walk through the water – and we do a lot of weddings, there’s brides crying because they can’t get in and get their flowers so we have to walk them through the water to get their things – it’s just ridiculous,” Cindy said.
In the first week of opening after the Christmas break, Cindy, alongside other staff Carly and Esther had their vehicles stuck in Rimfire Drive for three days due to the floodwaters, only lucky enough to have partners with four-wheel-drive vehicles that could trudge through the blockage.
“I’ve got a backpack in the back of my car with gumboots and a raincoat, but if we didn’t have that… nobody comes and checks if we’re okay, if there’s anyone in here that needs helping out,” Carla said.
To Cindy, while she understands that the process of ‘fixing’ Centre Road is an expensive one, there needs to be some action.
“We’re desperate, there are massive businesses here in the area, and the loss these businesses suffered have [probably] outweighed what it could cost the council,” she said.
Current interim measures that Casey Council looks to endeavour include flood monitoring, investigating the reopening of Centre Road Bridge, lifting Centre Road and Drainage Maintenance.
Casey’s manager of city and asset planning, Keri New, said that these interim measures will not “reduce the incidence of flooding on Centre Road”.
“They are focused on ensuring preparedness in the event of flooding; ongoing maintenance may assist in reducing how long the road is flooded for, however until the floodplain upgrades are undertaken, flooding will continue to be an issue.
“Council will continue to advocate to Melbourne Water and other approval agencies to expedite the planning, approvals and works required,” New said.
Melbourne Water’s senior manager of catchment planning and engineering, David Reginato, said that they are working with Casey to “reduce the risk of flooding of Centre Road and the surrounding area, while also ensuring that any planned works protect the cultural and environmental value of the floodplains”.
“Melbourne Water will upgrade the floodplain drainage system north of the Hallam Valley contour drain between Narre-Warren Cranbourne Road and the South Gippsland Freeway, works that benefit the Centre Road and Rimfire Drive area.
“These priority works will commence as soon as the design is complete and the relevant approvals secured,” Reginato said.
However, there are no changes to the aforementioned dates, with Melbourne Water confirming that the project is still in its design phase and is planned for delivery in three to four years’ time.
The reopening of Centre Road Bridge is the least likely proposition to occur, with council citing in the agenda that not only would it cost $500,000 for full reconstruction and safe operation, but traffic management issues due to limited usage would also be another issue that would arise.
In a detailed assessment from the council, New said the council “concluded [that] reopening is not feasible due to an impact on traffic management, structural limitations and high costs”.
“We are also seeking to understand the feasibility of lifting Centre Road; the council has undertaken an engineering survey that identified the extent of low points over Centre Road.
“Further engineering investigations and flood modelling are required to determine the suitability of lifting the road above flood levels without causing any upstream flooding,” New said.
However, those at Rimfire Drive are still looking for a stable working environment, one that doesn’t involve flooding and its accompanied dangers.
Beardsley from Redi Milk acknowledged that there is a sense of disparity when it comes to prioritisation, between the businesses and “all the care we give to those little guys [dwarf galaxias]”.
“In comparison to what everybody’s main livelihood, where are our priorities?” he said.
The staff from Dive Gear Australia said that the current situation is “pathetic”.
“We get locked out of the area, our businesses close for the time and we have to shut,” they said.
“We’ve been here 15 years and it’s been non-stop happening… we’ve lost around $100,000-plus.”
The issue they coined was overall infrastructural negligence, not just on the frequency of the flooding, but the lack of general safety from the public when it comes to accessing Centre Road at speeds that many staff deem to be dangerous, even without the flooding.
“There are a lot of factories getting built down there [Centre Road], so eventually it has to be open; when they did the overpass, it was great when [drivers] only went 40km/h, but it’s so dangerous getting in and out of here,” they said.
The mechanics from CK Mechanics are of the same mind, but while agreeing that speeding and road infrastructure are a must, so are accessibility and safety of the workers in Rimfire Drive.
“We’ve had the same argument of, ‘it’s dangerous here because it’s a work zone’, so what would happen if someone falls off or gets injured? You can’t get an ambulance in here,” they said.
“WorkCover should be told, emergency services should be told, because we have to keep our workplaces safe, and how can it be work-safe if I can’t even get in?”
Pollution was also another issue, where staff from CK and surrounding businesses at the edge of Rimfire Drive see, more often than not, many vehicles dumping rubbish on Centre Road, which in the occurrence of flooding, would pile up on the businesses’ driveways.
“When it floods out, the water takes all the crap with it, there’s rubbish all over the place, and then when it recedes it’s sucked back into the floodplains.
“You’ve got a pollution problem, that’s killing the fish more than anything else; you’ve got cars floating around and everything in them just coming out, the grime, fluids, number plates – all washing off into the wetlands,” they said.
As it stands, Melbourne Water and Casey Council have developed a fact sheet that outlines a range of solutions being explored, with Melbourne Water encouraging locals to reach out to the council for further information.
The current timelines remain unchanged, with works on Centre Road and floodplains expected in the next three to four years.
