Roof rescues, hundreds evacuated in Wye River, Lorne split in half by flash-flooding

A massive operation to help hundreds of stranded holidaymakers on the Great Ocean Road was under way on Thursday evening, after flash-flooding hit several tourist areas.

The raging torrents hit Lorne, Wye River, Separation Creek and Cumberland River on Thursday afternoon, sweeping several cars out to sea at Wye River.

Sparked by huge downpours, the waters also swallowed riverside campgrounds, forcing panicked campers to run for their safety.

Numerous people were rescued after flooding hit early afternoon, including a man stranded on a roof at Cumberland River who was winched to safety by police. Several people sheltered on Wye River’s general store roof, cars were left submerged under bridges and floodwaters trapped some holidaymakers in their caravans.

Floodwaters at Lorne claimed several tents and lapped around caravans, with SES crews and residents seen carrying children from the water to safety. Authorities said on Thursday night that the Erskine River Caravan Park suffered significant damage, and it is unclear when it would reopen.

The Great Ocean Road remained closed between Skenes Creek and Fairhaven, about an 80-kilometre stretch that takes in Lorne and Wye River.

There were no reports of injuries.

Advice from authorities at 10pm on Thursday stated that it wasn’t safe to return to the area between Lorne and Kennett River, and anyone who had not evacuated were told advised to shelter in the highest location possible.

People isolated by floodwater are being warned they may remain so for quite some time.

For Wye River, the local council Colac-Otway Shire had set up a relief centre at Apollo Bay P12 College, and was organising for a bus to take people there.

For Lorne, Surf Coast Shire also set up its own relief centre at Stribling Reserve.

More than 200 people accessed the Lorne relief centre in its first two hours, with 20 expected to spend the night. Hundreds more people were expected to visit across the night.

Many of those still to arrive were evacuated from caravan parks.

The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, which helped evacuate them, said at 10pm that Kennett River and Wye River campers were OK to remain.

They urged tourists who had been due to arrive on Friday to delay their plans by two days, to give authorities time to assess the Great Ocean Road’s safety.

For both Lorne and Wye River, many locals have made their houses available as temporary emergency accommodation.

Footage received by this masthead shows sections of the Wye River Big4 holiday park underwater in surging floodwaters, cars being swept into the ocean, and at least four cars crashed against the Cumberland River bridge by surging floodwaters.

About 1500 people have been evacuated from Wye River caravan park, and local emergency services estimate about 400 people will not be able to retrieve their cars and need to be bussed out of town.

The owners of a few properties at Separation Creek – just north of Wye River – also fled after their lower storeys were flooded.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 175 millimetres of rain in the Mount Cowley area near Lorne in six hours.

Wye Rivers CFA captain Andy Hack first learnt of the rising waters from his daughter, who works at a local cafe.

“She called home to say, ‘We’re evacuating because water’s all of a sudden come up out of nowhere and it’s in the cafe’. I looked out the window and I saw two cars just floating out to sea,” Hack said.

“The caravan park has essentially been shut down and people will have to get out of town. It just came up incredibly quickly, so people weren’t prepared.”

Premier Jacinta Allan summed up the mood of the state in labelling the footage from Wye River terrifying. “I’m thinking of the community and campers along the Great Ocean Road tonight. I am keeping across any emerging updates,” she said.

“At this stage, we’re estimating there are maybe 400 people that won’t have access to vehicles. The cars have been pushed up against each other or been parked on the grass and it’s too boggy to drive out.

“This deluge that’s come down the [Wye River] goes through the effluent field of the treatment plant, so there might some hazardous material in the water, so we’ve got to be careful about managing that situation so it’s safe [for people to return to the caravan park].”

No one in vehicles swept out to sea, police say

On Thursday afternoon, police said officers and the Air Wing responded to several incidents in the area.

“We believe no one was inside any of the vehicles at the time,” police said.

”No one was sighted in the vehicles, and we currently don’t have any reports of missing people.

“The Air Wing winched a man, aged in his 60s, from a roof in Cumberland River and we’re aware of reports a number of people sought refuge on the roof of the general store in Wye River; however, as water has now receded, they’ve been able to make their way off the roof.”

Police also co-ordinated evacuations from caravan parks in Cumberland River and Erskine River.

The flash flooding occurred as Victoria continues to battle major 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 her partner 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 then moved again because we already had Wye River booked,” she said. “Lots of our friends are impacted in Harcourt.

“I’m feeling very angry. And what I’m feeling most angry about is we’re not putting an end to the fossil fuel industry.”

The flash flooding has also come just a few weeks after Wye River commemorated 10 years since the bushfire that destroyed 116 houses.

Wye River witnesses describe frantic scenes

Rebecca Scott was camping at the Wye River Big4 park with her daughter when the river broke its banks about 1pm.

“Suddenly, the water was just coming up,” Scott said. “You know that feeling, that moment when you’re like, ‘This is a flood’. This is dangerous waters.”

Scott described a frantic scene as campers attempted to unplug electrical equipment and save essentials. She was forced to abandon her tent, bedding, and camp kitchen to flee in her car as the park’s playground became a “reservoir”.

“We’re driving past campsites submerged, people running towards their campsites in shock,” she said.

Scott’s exit was eventually blocked by rising water, forcing her to abandon her vehicle and evacuate on foot to the Wye River pub.

Michelle Mackenzie was at the ye River pub for lunch when the flooding became serious. She described seeing eskies and chairs washed away as the pub swelled with evacuees from the campgrounds.

Mackenzie said there were multiple fire trucks stationed in the town and the main bridge crossing the river had been closed.

One resident, Kath, told the ABC that after a morning of heavy rain, conditions became “scary” about 1.40pm.

“It really was like a tsunami of water going out from the river,” she said.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it’

Lorne was effectively been cleaved in two by the flooding, which closed the Great Ocean Road bridge over the Erskine River.

3AW breakfast host Ross Stevenson, who is holidaying in Lorne, reported that the bridge at the entrance to the town near the FoodWorks was shut due to debris and rising water.

“The main street of Lorne is now a complete traffic jam because no one can get across this bridge,” Stevenson told 3AW.

“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Stevenson described “rampaging” water pouring through the local caravan park and camping site. “It’s really, really moving,” he said. “I’m seeing on the ... northern side of that bridge... that water’s got up really significantly.”

Local MP Richard Riordan, speaking from Lorne, urged people not to automatically cancel their bookings in the affected towns, given the areas impacted by the floods were largely limited to the riverbanks.

“If the roads are open, it’s safe to come down,” he said. “The December to January period is crucial for the whole Otways region, and when you lose whole weekends at this time of year, it’s a real kick in the guts.”

This is not the first time this has happened in the area. In April 1985, thunderstorms and heavy rain caused Wye River to rise one metre in half an hour, destroying the caravan park and washing away 50 caravans.

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