On a late October afternoon in 2022, a 15-minute burst of torrential rain coated Lilydale in 75mm of water. Main Street was transformed into a river as waves of water rushed through the doors of businesses.

Yarra Valley Smokery owner Alex Tsao estimates the flood cost about $10,000 in ruined stock. It was the third time his business had been inundated in 10 years.

University of Melbourne professor of urban ecohydrology Tim Fletcher says increasingly intense rainfall means events like Lilydale’s 2022 deluge are likely to become more common, and that Melbourne’s current drainage system is not equipped to cope.

“Flooding will get more frequent if we don't spend money to upgrade,” he said. “There’s a really clear increase in those rainfall intensities as the climate gets warmer.”

Infrastructure Victoria says extreme weather events cost the Victorian economy an average $2.7 billion a year between 2006 and 2016. The 2022 floods caused $3.5 billion in insured losses.

Heavy rain makes Tsao and his staff “tentative”, with reports of rain often prompting him to return and sandbag the business.

“That sort of trauma will always be there because you want to make sure that you catch it early,” he said.

Across Melbourne, local councils manage 25,000km of drains and street gutters, while Melbourne Water is responsible for 1,400km of regional drains.

Intense rainfall events often lead to stormwater overflow, while weather shifts and urban growth has added to stress on the system.

Melbourne Water says bringing all drainage assets up to date would be “too costly and disruptive”, so high-risk areas are prioritised for upgrades.

Infrastructure Victoria says the state’s flood data is “outdated and unreliable” and has recommended the government update flood maps and planning schemes.

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Bayswater has no bay, and Mount Waverley has no major undulation, so do Lillydale Lake and Lilydale have any relation to a woman and flowers?

We did a little digging to try and discover how the town and the lake got their names, and why the spelling is different.

Take a look at our video below.

Question 1: I opened in 1967. I was one of Australia's earliest enclosed regional shopping centres. You can find an owl sculpture along one of the paths around me.

A: Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood 🛍️

Question 2: I began life as part of Victoria's narrow-gauge railway network. My original purpose wasn't tourism. I was built to connect timber and farming communities. Today, thousands of people ride me for fun.

A: Puffing Billy Railway 🚂

Question 3: I was built to help protect a nearby town from flooding. Two old sandstone walls along my border are the remains of one of Victoria's early flour mills. My name uses a spelling of a nearby town that locals have argued about for more than a century.

A: Lillydale Lake, Lilydale ⛵️

Question 4: I was created without explosives or modern machinery. My purpose was to make a river temporarily disappear. Gold was the motivation. My creators hoped to expose many kilometres of riverbed.

A: Pound Bend Tunnel, Warrandyte 🪏

Question 5: Many of my manmade inhabitants don't move. My creator spent decades making them. I'm surrounded by mountain ash and fern-filled bushland.

A: William Ricketts Sanctuary, Mount Dandenong 🌳