WATCH | Toolamba locals carry out wallaby rescue

In the boat was Toolamba man Shayne Tolley, who said the Goulburn River was normally more than a kilometre away from his house, but on this day, it had come up to his backyard.

The three men had been offering assistance to neighbours and residents and fortunately found that most people were okay.

“We thought we would go for a cruise in the boat when we came across this little fella,” Shayne said.

“Unfortunately we saw a lot of kangaroos who didn’t make it out.”

Rescuing wildlife can be a risky proposition but Shayne said he sized up the wallaby and reckoned he could handle him.

“He put up a fight for a start but once I held down his paws and he couldn’t scratch, we were right.

“When he was in the boat and we held on firmly and he was warming up he calmed down. He was happy by the time we disembarked.”

The trio set him down on a rise protected from the rising flood water and with enough feed.

“We were pretty happy. We gave each other a high five after that,” Shayne said.