Prime Minister Julia Gillard and partner Tim Mathieson receive a briefing from Member for Mallee John Forrest at the Swan Hill aerodrome. PHOTO: SANDRA GODWIN/The Weekly Times

"STARTLING" was how Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the volume of floodwater bearing down on Swan Hill last week.

Ms Gillard flew over the water - from the Campaspe, Loddon and Avoca rivers and the Pyramid and Bendigo creeks - on Friday on her way from Canberra, via Bendigo, to Swan Hill.

Greeted by several children waving small Australian flags, she was shown the extent of the flooding on a map, before being whisked away to check out the army headquarters and visit army reservists working to sandbag the Murray River at nearby Nyah.

A swarm of television, radio and newspaper journalists dodged prickles and the threat of snakes to jockey for the best shot.

With the river as a backdrop, Ms Gillard defended her proposed flood recovery levy, telling journalists it was a vital part of the Government's strategy to come up with the $5.6 billion needed to rebuild flood-affected infrastructure in four states.

Ms Gillard said she had expected the flood levy to be controversial but she was confident in the spirit of Australians and their generosity.

"Often you talk to farmers who have experienced drought and now are experiencing floods so it's a really tough double whammy for them," she said.

On her way back to the airstrip, Ms Gillard made an impromptu stop at a cafe in Swan Hill, where she graciously posed for photos with children, babies and teenagers and was mobbed by people who came in off the street to see her.

After downing a latte and a glass of water, it was back to the air strip with her partner Tim Mathieson, to fly to Melbourne.

Regardless of whether they loved or loathed Ms Gillard's particular brand of politics, her unexpected visit gave people something to talk about.

It was thought to be only the third time a sitting Prime Minister had visited Swan Hill. The others being Paul Keating and Sir John Gorton, whose father had an orchard at Kangaroo Lake, north of Kerang.