KOONDROOK'S Arbuthnot Sawmills has been cut off from the redgum forests it needs to run a business, which is a major infrastructure supplier to the Victorian Government and other states.

The surging Murray River levels have flooded the forests and company director Paul Madden said he doubted they will get anywhere near a tree until well into 2023.

Also under siege was the mill itself, requiring a lot of sandbagging and pumping to keep the river at bay.

Seepage was the major challenge and Paul said if the river rose any more, they might have some serious problems.

The historic sawmill has been operating from the same site for 133 years and while it no longer turns out paddle steamers, it is a major supplier of sleepers for railways, wood for wharves and bridges, house stumps and, of course, the high-end furniture trade.

Paul said not only did the floodwater across the forests in Victoria and NSW need to run out, the land then had to dry out so trees can be felled and machinery brought in to get the logs out.

He said the floods had left their wood collection contactors out of work but the mill had enough supply on hand to last until February – after that it will all depend on the conditions in the forests.

“Demand for our timber is through the roof and while we will have enough to meet our commitments until February, as I said before, after that we will need the weather to be on our side,” Paul said.

“But with our infrastructure commitments it is very important we get the job done and fill all our orders.

“With the railways there are certain sections of every track where concrete doesn’t work as well as a proven timber such as redgum – and they include bends, as well as sections where two or three tracks merge into one – and for those we supply pieces as long as 30 feet, down to the standard gauge 9 feet. And we also supply interstate customers as well.”

Paul said while the river level was steady at the moment, giving the mill a “little bit of leeway”, they were still doing sandbagging where necessary, especially around the log yard.

Arbuthnot Sawmills is a family company established on its present site by Alexander (Sandy) Arbuthnot in 1889.

The Arbuthnot name is synonymous with the era when paddle steamers were much more than tourist attractions.

This included the 1923 construction of the paddleboat Alexander Arbuthnot at its mill, which is still in service as a tourist attraction at the Port of Echuca.