Car swept out to sea as severe storm hits, Lorne split in half as Cumberland River rises
Updated ,first published
A major operation was launched on Thursday evening to help hundreds of holidaymakers stranded on the Great Ocean Road, following the floods that affected many tourist areas.
Heavy showers hit Lorne, the River Wye, Separation Creek and the Cumberland River on Thursday afternoon, sweeping scores of cars out to sea on the River Wye.
Water triggered by heavy downpours also engulfed riverside campsites, forcing panicked campers to run for safety.
Several people were rescued after flash flooding in the early afternoon, including a man trapped on a roof in the Cumberland River who was winched to safety by police. A few people took shelter on the roof of Wye River’s general store, cars were trapped under bridges and floodwaters trapped some holidaymakers in their caravans.
Floodwaters in Lorne overtook many tents and swept around caravans; SES crews and residents were seen carrying children from the water to safety. Officials said on Thursday night that the Erskine River Caravan Park had sustained significant damage and it was unclear when it would reopen.
The Great Ocean Road remained closed between Skenes Creek and Fairhaven, an area of around 80 kilometers covering Lorne and the River Wye.
No injuries were reported.
As of 22:00 on Thursday, the advice from the authorities was that it was not safe to return to the area between Lorne and the Kennett River, and those who had not been evacuated were advised to take shelter as high as possible.
People isolated by floodwaters are being warned they could remain so for a long time.
The local council, Colac-Otway Shire, had set up a help center for Wye River at Apollo Bay P12 College and was organizing a bus to take people there.
Surf Coast Shire has also set up its own assistance center for Lorne at Stribling Reserve.
More than 200 people arrived at the Lorne relief center in the first two hours and 20 people are expected to spend the night. Hundreds more people were expected to visit throughout the night.
Many of those still to come have been evacuated from trailer parks.
The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, which helped evacuate them, said at 10pm that the Kennett River and Wye River campers were OK to stay.
They appealed to tourists expected to arrive on Friday to delay their plans by two days to give authorities time to assess the safety of the Great Ocean Road.
In both Lorne and the River Wye, many residents have made their homes available as temporary emergency shelter.
Images captured by this masthead show flooded sections of the Wye River Big4 holiday park being submerged, cars being swept into the ocean and at least four cars crashing into the Cumberland River bridge as floodwaters surged.
Around 1,500 people were evacuated from the Wye River caravan park and local emergency services estimate around 400 people will not be able to take their cars and will need to be taken out of town on buses.
Owners of several properties at Separation Creek, just north of the River Wye, also fled after their lower floors were flooded.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 175 millimeters of rain in six hours in the Mount Cowley area, near Lorne.
Wye River’s CFA captain Andy Hack first learned about the rising waters from his daughter, who worked in a local cafe.
“He called the house and said, ‘We’re evacuating because water suddenly appeared and it was in the cafe.’ I looked out the window and saw two cars floating out to sea,” Hack said.
“The trailer park was actually closed and people would have to go out of town. It came out incredibly quickly, so people weren’t prepared.”
Premier Jacinta Allan summed up the state’s mood by describing the images at the River Wye as horrifying. “Thinking about the community and campers along the Great Ocean Road tonight. I’m following any updates as they come out,” he said.
“We estimate there may be around 400 people who will not be able to access the vehicles at this stage. The cars are pushed against each other or parked on the grass and it is too boggy to get out by vehicle.”
“This flood coming down [Wye River] it passes through the waste area of the treatment plant, so there may be some hazardous substances in the water, so we have to be careful in managing this to be safe [for people to return to the caravan park].”
Police said no one in the vehicles went out to sea
On Thursday afternoon, police said their local officers and the Air Wing had responded to several incidents in the area.
“We believe there was no one in any of the vehicles at the time,” police said.
“No one was seen in the vehicles and there are no reports of missing persons at this time.”
“The Air Wing rescued a man in his 60s from a roof in the Cumberland River using a crane and we are aware of reports that a number of people took shelter on the roof of a shop in the River Wye, but they were able to get off the roof as the water has now receded.”
Police also coordinated evacuations from caravan parks on the Cumberland River and Erskine River.
The flash flooding comes as Victoria continues to battle massive bushfires that have burned more than 400,000 hectares across the state.
Alex Kelly was among those who evacuated the Wye River caravan park with his wife and two children on Thursday. It was just six days after the family had to evacuate Castlemaine as the Ravenswood South bushfire threatened their home.
“We went to Melbourne on Friday and moved again because we had a booking at Wye River,” he said. “A lot of our friends at Harcourt were affected.”
“I’m very angry. And the thing I’m most angry about is that we’re not ending the fossil fuel industry.”
The flash flooding occurred just weeks after the River Wye commemorated its 10th anniversary. forest fire 116 houses were destroyed.
Wye River witnesses describe wild scenes
Rebecca Scott was camping with her daughter at the Wye River Big4 park when the river broke its banks around 1pm.
“All of a sudden the water started rising,” Scott said. “You know that moment when you say, ‘This is a flood?’ These are dangerous waters.”
Scott described a frantic scene as campers unplugged electrical equipment and tried to salvage essential items. As the park’s playground became a “reservoir,” he was forced to abandon his tent, bed, and camp kitchen to escape in his car.
“We pass by campsites that are underwater, people are running towards the campsites in shock,” he said.
Scott’s exit was eventually blocked by rising water, forcing him to abandon his vehicle and walk to the Wye River pub.
Michelle Mackenzie was at the Ye River pub for lunch when the flooding became serious. He described seeing old shoes and chairs blown away as the bar was filled with evacuees from campsites.
Mackenzie said there were many fire trucks in the town and the main bridge crossing the river was closed.
Local resident Kath told the ABC conditions became “frightening” at around 1.40pm following heavy rain in the morning.
“It was literally like a tsunami coming out of the river,” he said.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this’
Lorne was effectively split in two by flooding which closed the Great Ocean Road bridge over the River Erskine.
3AW breakfast presenter Ross Stevenson, who is holidaying in Lorne, reported that the bridge at the entrance to the town near Foodworks was closed due to debris and rising water.
“Lorne’s high street is now a total gridlock because no one can get across that bridge,” Stevenson told 3AW.
“Amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Stevenson described “raging” water flowing into the local caravan park and campground. “It’s really impressive,” he said. “On the north side… of the bridge… I see the water actually rising significantly.”
Speaking from Lorne, local MP Richard Riordan urged people not to automatically cancel bookings in affected towns as flood-affected areas were largely confined to river banks.
“If the roads are clear, it’s safe to go down,” he said. “December to January is so important for the whole Otways region and when you lose entire weekends at this time of year it really is a blow to the heart.”
This is not the first time this has happened in the region. In April 1985 storms and heavy rain caused the River Wye to rise one meter in half an hour, destroying the caravan park and flooding 50 caravans.
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Rachael Dexter is a journalist working on The Age’s City team. Contact her at rachael.dexter@theage.com.au, rachaeldexter@protonmail.com or via Signal at @rachaeldexter.58.Connect with: Facebook or email.
