The situation in Wye River
Updated ,first published
A large section of the Great Ocean Road will remain closed until further notice after flooding forced holidaymakers in regional Victoria to seek refuge in relief centres.
On Thursday, up to 400 people in low-lying areas, including tourists living in holiday parks around Lorne, the River Wye and the Great Ocean Road, were forced to frantically evacuate their caravans and tents due to heavy rainfall. Heavy rain caused floods in inland areas.
On the River Wye, Matthew Stanhope waited patiently for the tide to recede on Friday so he could walk to his car and retrieve some of his belongings after it was washed out to sea by flash flooding.
Stanhope said he had been camping on the River Wye for 20 years but had never seen anything like Thursday’s flood.
“It was raining, we were all in the tent playing cards with the gang, and then we heard yelling,” Stanhope said.
The river was overflowing, and Stanhope and his friends quickly ran up the hill behind the campsite.
“It took a few seconds, that’s all,” he says. “It was lightning fast and quiet, no sound at all, all of a sudden the water rose.”
In Lorne, the bridge over the River Erskine that divides the town reopened on Friday and clean-up was continuing with an excavator clearing debris from the river.
Dean and Tracy Sheldrick and their three children were staying at Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park in their camper trailer on holidays in Bendigo when the flooding began.
“We saw the river start to rise rapidly and then park staff ran through the camp and told us everyone had to evacuate,” Dean Sheldrick said. “It probably took us about 10 minutes to get our stuff together, and by then we were in ankle-deep water.”
Tracy Sheldrick said the situation is quickly moving from “the river is flowing a little too fast” to “we need to get out of here.”
After being evacuated, the family spent the night at the Mantra hotel in Lorne and waited for the caravan park to reopen so they could collect their camping caravan and belongings.
“We just want to go home,” Tracy Sheldrick said.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 175 millimeters of rain in the six hours on Thursday in the Mount Cowley area, near Lorne, and 186.2 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday. This is the most rain ever recorded in the region, eclipsing the previous record of 123.2 mm recorded on 30 September 2021.
State Control Center spokesman Dharni Giri said 229 calls for help were made across the state in the 24 hours till noon on Friday. Up to seven water rescues were previously believed to have occurred in the Surf Coast region, but Giri said the exact number was still being confirmed.
“We are aware that dozens of vehicles, including cars and caravans, have been affected by floodwaters,” he said.
Ambulance Victoria said a man believed to be in his 60s was taken to a local hospital for treatment of an upper-body injury. The spokesman said it was understood the patient was rescued from floodwaters by a crane by Victoria Police.
The SES reduced the flash flood warning overnight, warning that dangers remained in the area.
The Great Ocean Road was closed to the public in both directions between Lorne and Skenes Creek while the structural integrity of the Cumberland Bridge was assessed. Giri said this was because “a large number” of vehicles were swept away by floodwaters in front of the bridge.
He said locals and holidaymakers could access properties through traffic management checkpoints.
“Caravan parks are likely to remain closed in that area for the next few days while we work on the response to some of the debris and damage caused,” he said.
“While this is an advisory message that the threat has diminished, we ask the public to remain vigilant as heavy rains increase the potential for landslides and debris on roads.”
Emergency centers are set up at Lorne Stribling Reserve on Otway Street and Apollo Bay P12 College on Pengilley Street, but capacity is limited.
SES said, “The capacity and facilities of these emergency centers are limited. Those who leave the area and have alternative accommodation are encouraged to do so.” he said.
Dozens of evacuated families gathered at the emergency center in Lorne on Friday. The center coordinator said he managed two centers in a week, one for bushfires in Colac and the other for flooding in Lorne.
Surf Coast Shire Mayor Libby Stapleton was at the emergency center and said only four people had to stay the night because everyone else was able to find accommodation elsewhere.
Most evacuees stayed at the Lorne Surf Lifesaving Club, which housed about 40 people, and residents also opened their homes to those who had no place to stay.
“The community has been incredible,” Stapleton said. “The school used its bus to take people to the relief centre, the op shop arrived with blankets and clothing and food arrived from across the Surf Coast and a Sikh community group in Geelong. The local church has been preparing breakfast for everyone here since 6am this morning.”
Caravan parks in Lorne, Cumberland River, Kennett River and Wye River will remain closed until they are assessed, Stapleton said.
“Emergency services need to inspect and evaluate these to make sure there is no risk of electrocution or biocontamination,” he said. “It will take some time.”
The intensity of the rain and the devastating effects of flash floods took holidaymakers by surprise, but a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the agency was acting as quickly as possible.
“The Bureau of Meteorology is briefing emergency services on the risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms this week ahead of the expected peak yesterday,” he said.
“The focus of heavy rain was expected to be over Gippsland and severe gale warnings have been issued for heavy and locally heavy rainfall in this area. The Bureau of Meteorology has also advised agencies of the risk of rain over the Otways.”
He said the bureau was monitoring conditions closely on Thursday and issued a severe storm warning for heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding at 11.57am when 45 millimeters fell in an hour at Cowley Mountain at around 11am.
“This warning was quickly expanded to include heavy rainfall with the risk of flash flooding on the Surf Coast as rain observations continued to increase rapidly at Mt Cowley. This warning also led to the SES issuing its own Watch and Act warning for the region.”
Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the met office, said most of the rain fell on Thursday but people in flood-affected areas should be wary of heavily saturated ground in the coming days.
“We may see patchy showers in the area today, down the surf coast, but rainfall totals are not expected to be as high as what we saw yesterday,” he said.
“This was due to a severe storm bringing heavy rain and we are not currently expecting any storms in the area… There is some rain on the way, but it should be patchy and significantly less than what we saw yesterday.
“The big thing for campers and communities in that area is that the ground is still really, really saturated and really unstable after yesterday when it rained so much in a short period of time and that’s what led to these mudslides and flash floods. It’s still a day to be careful and careful.”
Despite heavy rains and flooding along the coast, Thursday’s downpours will have little impact on parts of the state still battling wildfires, Bradbury said.
“We’ve had some pretty strong winds overnight and we’re expecting to see some fresh, gusty winds from the south today as well, so it’s still going to be pretty mild. There’s also a chance of showers around, but fresh, gusty winds could potentially make conditions a bit difficult for firefighters on the ground,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the rain we saw yesterday and the little bit of rain we might see today is going to have a really hard time reaching any of the significant fires that are going on across the state. It’s likely one or two drops will make it to the ground.”
Victorian Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the flooding was “unexpected” and the Bureau of Meteorology had not predicted the strength of the flood.
“The views on the River Wye and the Great Ocean Road were truly appalling,” he said. “It felt very unexpected. Over 160 millimeters of rain was phenomenal.”
“I understand from reports this morning that the rain has stopped, but people still need to be very, very careful due to the saturation of the surrounding land.”
Asked whether people in the area were given adequate warning about flash flooding, Dimopoulos said that was a question for emergency services.
“The Bureau of Meteorology predicted some rain. Honestly, I’m not sure they predicted this level of flooding. It was pretty scary for campers, visitors and locals alike.”
Dramatic footage from the flooded area showed the devastating impact of the rising tide, which swept cars into the sea or crushed bridges.
On Thursday evening, police said a man in his 60s was rescued from a rooftop over the Cumberland River, while an estimated 1,500 people were evacuated from the Wye River caravan park.
Hundreds of people visited relief centers set up in Apollo Bay and Lorne overnight, while dozens of homeowners in Lorne and the River Wye offered their properties as emergency shelter to stranded tourists.
FoodWorks grocery store in Lorne, which was forced to close its doors until further notice due to flash flooding, reopened at 8 a.m.
Security cameras posted to social media showed the emergency developed so quickly that it took just 20 minutes for the puddle in the car park to spread and fill the area.
Some customers returned to their vehicles just in time to get away from the murky water.
Rachael Ward is a journalist on The Age’s City team. Contact her at rachael.ward@theage.com.auConnect via email.
Bianca Hall is The Age’s environment and climate correspondent and has worked in a variety of roles including senior writer, city editor and the federal policy office in Canberra.Connect with: excitement, Facebook or email.
