ROB Jamieson hasn't seen it like this for three decades.
The Darlington farmer is keeping a careful eye on his property as Mount Emu Creek continues to rise, and said the raging waterway was likely to break records.
"It's level with the highest that I can remember, and that was 30 years ago," he said.
"On our property our measuring stick paint has worn off; there hasn't been a flood for 30 years so haven't worried about it."
Mr Jamieson's concern centres on his canola, wheat and barley crops, which were sown on creek flats and are now susceptible to damage.
"The crops will deteriorate with this amount of water," the 74-year-old said.
"But there's no worries with our homes, because they were all built so long ago and they're high up. The district doesn't really have any low-lying houses."
About 65 millimetres of weekend rain in Ballarat prompted flood warnings along the 271-kilometre Mount Emu creek, which extends from Trawalla to Cudgee before meeting the Hopkins River.
The creek reached its peak at Skipton on Sunday night but was yesterday continuing to rise further downstream, with Corangamite Shire preparing for sandbagging and asset protection work at Darlington.
Community relations manager Glen Bernoth said landowners needed to move stock from low-lying areas and make plans in case evacuation was required.
Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority staff were also kept busy taking river measurements and speaking with those living in high-risk zones.
Floodplain and works manager Marcus Little said there were fears Mount Emu Creek could converge with the Hopkins River near Panmure, slowing its flow and increasing the risk of inundation.
Like Mr Jamieson, he had few memories of a similar flood event and said records for south-west waterways were often patchy.
"We don't have a lot of historical flood information for Darlington, so it's a bit hard to compare this to other flood events down there," he said.
Glenda Hirth, owner of Panmure's Crowsfoot Pottery, said residents generally weren't alarmed by the prospect of a rising creek.
"No houses are in trouble; the people who are panicking are further north with their crops," she said.
"We've lost an awful lot of trees in the area - the local tree lopper, Sam Bennett, reckons he'll have enough work for five years."
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Andrea Peace said today would remain dry across the south-west before a low pressure system entered the state late tomorrow.
Up to 10 millimetres of rain is tipped to fall on Thursday.
Minor flood warnings yesterday remained in place for the Glenelg and Barwon rivers, which were both near four metres in height.
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