A woman who was clinging to a tree in rising waters after jumping into a river to save her dog has been rescued alive in Victoria.

Madi, age 29, entered the Werribee River, west of Melbourne, on Tuesday to rescue her pooch Minka about 1.30pm, police said.

But she lost her footing and was swept about 20 metres downstream, near Redgum Close, Werribee.

A bystander noticed the woman holding onto a tree in the rapid waters and called emergency services.

Water Police and Search and Rescue members pulled Minka and the woman onto the riverbank, where they were found not to be seriously injured.

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The rescue comes as two people died in the state’s storms this week. The death toll across Victoria, NSW and Qld rose to eight on Wednesday. 

A woman, who is yet to be identified, died after a campground was hit with flash flooding in regional Victoria.

Emergency workers were called to the Buchan campground in east Gippsland just after 5pm on Tuesday.

A number of vehicles in the campground area were underwater and several were safely retrieved from a nearby bridge, police said.

The woman was found dead at 6.45pm and police are continuing to investigate the circumstances around her death.

Earlier on Tuesday, a 44-year-old Bunyip man was killed after a branch fell on his property in Caringal, eastern Victoria.

Much of the state remains on flood watch on Wednesday after a wet Christmas and Boxing Day.

A moderate warning is in place for the Avoca River at Charlton, as floods are likely to peak at seven metres on Wednesday morning.

The State Emergency Service is encouraging any campers in Gordon Park to relocate to higher ground as high river levels may impact the camping ground.

SES state agency commander Alistair Drayton said the weather was beginning to ease and “we’re certainly past the worst of it”, but warned of continued flooding.

“Not to say the catchments and tributaries aren’t still flowing and that’s one of the things we need to keep watching today,” he told 3AW on Wednesday.

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As the weather improves, Victorians are warned to be careful when swimming as the rain has swept contaminants across Port Phillip Bay and into the ocean.

EPA Victoria chief environmental scientist Mark Taylor said water quality remained poor for up to 48 hours after heavy rain.

“Higher levels of enterococci, waterborne contaminants, bring an increased risk of skin rashes, eye irritations and even gastro, for people and their pets if they are swimming in poor quality water,” he said.

He urged people to read the EPA’s Beach Report before going for a swim, and check the colour and smell of the water before diving in.

“If you’re a little unsure, wash off in fresh water and if there are signs of things like gastro, think about getting in touch with a health professional,” he said.

Emergency services have responded to more than 1000 assistance requests over the past three days.

The bulk of the calls came from Frankston, Shepparton, Bendigo and the state’s west but the focus was expected to shift to the east with a number of flood warnings issued.

Downed trees, particularly across roads, as well as water entering houses made up a large number of the calls.

-AAP