Vehicle Blinds are a great way to ensure you can ford a river without negative impact on your vehicle.
Using a vehicle blind to the front of the vehicle for deep Fords helps ensure you don't have water entering your air intake and also and as importantly water penetrating your electrical system in the engine bay. It is highly recommend to use a blind for deep fording of rivers in the high country. The fitment should be checked before you go on the trip to ensure that it will with stand the pressures of the water whilst crossing. You can fit a piece of canvas that has clear sections for my lights and elastic straps that attach to tie down points so that it can't move or shift. This is a minimal cost and an easy to pack item that could save your trip and $$$ given the unpredictable nature of the Victorian High County.
