A mother of three who drowned trying to save her eldest child was "full of energy and loving", her grieving family says.

Fariba Hussainzada, 33, of Doveton in Melbourne's south-east, died trying to save her six-year-old son Farzad Hussainzada after he fell into Dandenong Creek on Monday.

Saleha Hussainzada told the ABC on Tuesday that her cousin Fariba was a happy person and a "very caring mother".

"She had the power and energy to always be there for her son,"

Ms Hussainzada said.

"She sacrificed herself for her son."

Fariba, originally from Afghanistan, had been living in Australia for 10 years, her cousin said.

She leaves behind two younger children — a four-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.

The pair drowned after being swept away by water in the creek near Allan Street,

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