Devastated friends and family paid tribute to a “special girl” who dreamed of helping children after their worst fears were confirmed by the search and rescue teams.

Her father Cam Dickinson said the family was shattered by his daughter’s death but relieved her body had been found.

“Now we can take her home and give her the farewell she deserves,” he said.

“She’s a beautiful girl and will be terribly missed.”

The 24-year-old disappeared when her canoe capsized in rapids about 200 metres upstream from the Biggara Bridge, near Corryong, two days earlier.

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Police said Volunteer Rescue Association divers found her body about 4.45pm.

Miss Dickinson arrived in the area on Sunday for a camping trip, along with her boyfriend, mother, her mother’s partner and two friends.

Her father and younger sister made the trip from Melbourne just hours after hearing news of the accident.

All the family remained camping nearby throughout the two-day search and were on the scene yesterday when the body of the former SES cadet was found by a VRA volunteer.

The search was only moments away from being called off again for the night, as Victoria Police divers had spent the day combing the spot where the 24-year-old had disappeared.

There had been no sign of the keen Hawthorn supporter since she went into the water on Tuesday.

Her canoe and life jacket were recovered on Tuesday night.

Yesterday the family was still coming to terms with the tragic accident.

Her mother, Helen Dickinson, had been canoeing with her daughter when disaster struck, and frantically tried to find her after she disappeared under the fast-flowing water.

Mrs Dickinson said she and her partner had been paddling the waterway, locally known as the Indi River, for many years without any problems.

“We’ve canoed this river a long time and also spoken to locals who said the same thing,” she said.

Her daughter had been studying to be a teacher, and Mrs Dickinson said she loved children.

“Kids were a very big part of her life,” she said.

“She was a very special girl and a very precious part of the family.”

The swift, cold waters of the Murray River hampered emergency-service workers throughout the search and rescue operation. Yesterday they were forced to excavate part of the river bank and river bottom in an effort to improve safety for divers.

The day before an SES search boat struck trouble when it also capsized in rapids.

Miss Dickinson’s family praised police, SES and others who joined them at the scene.

Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner.