A wet start to 2010 has caused flash flooding in Victoria's northeast, with the State Emergency Service (SES) receiving more than 500 calls for help for wind and flood damage.
Up to 200mm of rain has fallen in some parts of Victoria since New Year's Eve, leaving homes and businesses in Gisborne and Alexandra inundated.
An Alexandra nursing home was left with ankle-deep water while the town's Commercial Hotel was hit with water through its ground level, SES operations manager Tim Wiebusch said.
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The rain is expected to ease on Saturday but flood warnings remain in the state's northeast.
"That flash flooding will be replaced by flooding in river systems and other waterways," said Mr Wiebusch.
"We're expecting an inundation in rural paddocks and possibly on roads.
"Campers are urged not to set up alongside rivers and creeks in the northeast."
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a major flood warning for the Buffalo River, a minor flood warning for the Buckland River and flood watch for the Goulburn, Broken, Upper Murray, Mitta Mitta, Kiewa, Ovens and King river catchments.
The rain has not been as heavy around Melbourne, with about 13.4mm falling and water storage levels at 37.4 per cent.
However, less than 1mm of rain fell in Melbourne in January and February 2009, bureau forecaster Terry Ryan said.
The rain is the remnants of tropical cyclone Laurence, which crossed the coast of Western Australia in December and caused flooding in NSW's west last week.
