Big dry, big wet, now a big wait and the pub's dry

SKIPTON residents, who watched in horror as floodwater drowned dozens of homes and businesses in the western Victorian town last January, never thought they would complain of being dry.

But with the town's only pub - the Skipton Hotel, built in the 1850s - still closed 12 months on, the community is yearning for the return of their much-loved watering hole.

''It's not just about having somewhere to go and drink,'' says Carmel Molloy, who has lived in the town of 600, 50 kilometres west of Ballarat, for the past 45 years. ''It was a place where people got together to talk and de-stress and support each other.

''It's true that the pub is the heart and soul of a country town … Without it, the town feels half dead,'' she says.

Publican Josh Nixon, also the owner of the bluestone building extensively damaged when water from the swollen Mount Emu Creek rose 1.5 metres, is still wrestling with the red tape involved in rebuilding a 150-year-old building to meet modern-day building regulations.

''It's been a very frustrating process,'' he says. ''People ask us every day when it is going to re-open. They really miss the place.''

Mr Nixon is hopeful the pub will open by August. In the meantime, the local footy club is trying to fill the void: For the past year, it has enlisted volunteers to serve meals and drinks on a Friday night.

''We had to do something,'' says John Peters, vice-president of the Skipton Football Netball Club. ''We were concerned if there was no meeting place for the locals, the town would die.''

They now serve between 30 and 80 meals each week, he says. ''People love it. They have a couple of grogs and a decent feed and, most importantly, they get to talk to each other.''

Ben Osborne, who owns the eel factory in Skipton, is still rebuilding 12 months on. The eel farmer lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and stock when the water swept through his factory, taking 3000 eels with it.

Mr Osborne and his wife, Laura, are also building a new home after their newly built one fell victim to the floods.

''It's quite ironic that we had been waiting 15 years for the drought that had been strangling our business to break and when it did it hurt us like this,'' he says.

''The business was hit hard. And we still can't afford to replace all our equipment … but, on the up side, the good rainfall we've been getting has been great for restocking our eels. In that respect, business hasn't been better in 15 long years.''

The childhood home of former Victorian premier Sir Henry Bolte, now owned by Hazel and Gary Robson, was among the worst-affected homes in the Skipton floods.

The couple, who were forced to vacate the 101-year-old home just hours after celebrating Mrs Robson's 70th birthday last January, have spent the past year restoring the property back to its former glory.

And while they are back living in their home, Mrs Robson says there is still ''a good four months' work left to do''.

''It's been a very stressful year,'' she says. ''We've had to replace everything - carpets, furniture, bedding, the lot … We are only just starting to see the light.''

While the supermarket, art gallery and pharmacy have all re-opened, Chrissie's Takeaway - popular with locals and passing truckies - also remains closed because of building permit issues.

''Everyone has been working extremely hard to rebuild the town and we are getting there,'' says Lyall Bond, manager environment and emergency, for the Corangamite Shire, ''but we are always finding out just how slow and frustrating the recovery process can be.''

Skipton is not the only Victorian community still struggling to rebuild after the 2010-11 floods that caused damage valued at $1.3 billion across one-third of the state.

In northern Victoria, Charlton is still waiting for its hospital to be rebuilt, the Buloke Shire Council offices are still under reconstruction, extensive roadworks are yet to begin in some areas of the Campaspe Shire, which is also without council chambers and a library, and dozens of homes are still being repaired across the state.

''A lot of people have done it tough,'' Mr Nixon says. ''There will be a big party when the pub re-opens. It's the heart of this town.''