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CAREFUL planning more than 25 years ago means the rising Campaspe River will not affect the Elmore Events Centre, field days organisers say.
Water started overflowing from the Lake Eppalock spillway on Monday morning and making its way towards Elmore and Rochester.
Elmore Field Days president Derek Shotton said the site is on the high side of the river and is unlikely to be affected.
“This property has never gone under in history, a lot of due diligence was done when the field days moved to the site,” he said.
“I can’t ever remember seeing water in Elmore, it has to be a major flood for that to happen.
“It’s not as though the water will come along the Campaspe straight away either, it takes some time to flow down the river.”
The field days moved to the current site from its previous spot at Aysons Reserve on the banks of the Campaspe River more than 25 years ago.
Flood risk was the biggest reason for the move, Mr Shotton said.
“But in the end, we deal with these challenges almost every day of our lives,” he said.
“Farmers are a pretty good demographic to deal with.”
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting heavy rain near midday on Tuesday, before conditions ease for the rest of the week.
Another year, another dose of Mother Nature’s finest
One year it was extreme heat, the next year it was intense wind and dust, and this year it’s heavy rain and waterlogging.
Farmers have seen it all and are always ready to cope with any conditions – just like the Elmore Field Days committee.
Organisers hope this tradition of resilience will keep the turnstiles ticking over no matter what Mother Nature serves up as this year’s event kicks off on Tuesday.
Emergency car parking measures could be put in place to protect patrons’ cars from becoming bogged, but only slight delays are expected.
Mr Shotton said the conditions were challenging, but site holders and the committee had worked together well to get the best possible result.
“Farmers aren’t afraid of a bit of mud on their boots,” he said.
“We’ll have more staff on to help people out, and while operationally there might be a few gray hairs, we’re not expecting there to be too much of an impasse while people look for car parks.
“We wouldn’t want to be complaining about what we’re copping here given what others are dealing with elsewhere in the state.”
After Tuesday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a dry few days in a row for Elmore.
Organisers are hoping for 40,000 patrons this year after a slower year in 2015.
Mental health will be front of mind throughout the Elmore Field Days, which includes a number of high profile speakers.
Bali bombing survivor and former AFL player Jason McCartney will be among those to offer support and insight during his speech on Wednesday, particularly for dairy farmers facing tough times.
There will also be information about making the most of the conditions and improving farm productivity, along with the hundreds of exhibitors from Australia’s biggest agribusinesses.
Police Association secretary Ron Iddles will also speak on Thursday.
Elmore Field Days are Tuesday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5.30pm. Visit www.elmorefielddays.com.au