The 65-year-old's car had been inundated metres from her home of 30 years in central Victoria, forcing the Woodvale resident to wade through waist-deep water for more than an hour during the state's flood crisis in October.
Almost by accident, State Emergency Service Bendigo unit volunteers Braden Verity and Trent Ross had driven along a secluded road and couldn't believe it when they saw a woman coming towards them.
"It's a miracle that I was found," Ms Wing-Quay told reporters on Tuesday, almost two months after the ordeal.
"I think I frightened them, as much as I was so happy to see them."
The volunteers navigated the tricky terrain, eventually helping her to safety and calling paramedics.
"That's one of the first times I can think of that we've actually had such a direct input into saving someone's life," Mr Ross said.
Mr Verity agreed that luck was with Ms Wing-Quay that night.
"You don't happen upon people like this very often in the SES like what we did that night, so I think Marlene is quite lucky," he said.
There were lots of hugs and laughter as the grandmother was reunited with her rescuers.
"They are so amazing and brave and I have to say thank you," Ms Wing-Quay said.
Mr Verity said the flood crisis across much of regional Victoria through spring has led to an influx of queries from people keen to volunteer to protect their community from future disasters.
While the worst of the flooding has subsided, the effects of weeks of wild weather are still being felt.
At Phillip Island, authorities have warned people to steer clear of coastal cliffs on its southern beaches.
A geotechnical assessment this year raised the alarm about potential landslides and rockfalls and recent rainfall have made the cliffs more fragile, particularly at the Colonnades and Surf Beach.
"While there is no immediate risk to visitor safety or infrastructure, the cliff edges are made of soft rock, which can give way without warning and pose a danger to beachgoers," Phillip Island Nature Parks ranger Ben Thomas said.
Warning signs have been installed at the areas of most concern.
Mr Thomas said people should avoid being close to cliff edges and refrain from standing or sitting within 10 metres of cliff bases.
High barriers can't be installed at many of the cliffs because of high tides, sandy beaches and soft rock, Phillip Island Nature Parks said.
The cold front crossing Victoria has caused temperatures to plummet below December averages by up to 12C, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's Matthew Thomas.
Snow fell at Mount Buller on Monday night and while it may feel like an unusually chilly or rainy start to the festive period, he said the state has frequently shivered through a cold start to summer.
"It's not that unusual ... every maybe four or five years on average at the moment," Mr Thomas told AAP.
The mercury is set to climb back into the low 20s by the weekend, however it's still too early to tell what conditions could look like by Christmas Day.
12°C