Cars swept into ocean as massive rainbomb hits south-west Victoria

Australian Community Media

Areas around the Wye River and Lorne were hit by 180mm in just five hours on Thursday January 15, 2026. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

Transcript

00:00180mm of rain fell along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria within about five hours, causing

00:07historic flooding. The downpour hit Wye River and Lawn in Victoria's southwest, sweeping

00:14cars off the road and trapping holidaymakers as floodwaters surged through the coastal

00:19towns. The State Control Centre issued an emergency text to 10,000 people in the area

00:26on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

00:30Absolutely frightening experience for those that were down on the surf coast yesterday

00:34afternoon to experience a flash flooding event through three of our rivers through that system,

00:40the Erskine, Cumberland and Wye River. We immediately had around 400 people that were displaced.

00:47Fortunately, they were able to be taken care of and overnight we bedded down around 60 people

00:53throughout Apollo Bay and Lawn that needed to be looked after for the evening. Most other people

00:59were able to find alternative accommodation. You know, it's nothing short of a rain bomb with 180

01:05mills. It comes down very quickly through those river systems there and out into the ocean. It

01:11flushes very quickly through there. We were issuing warnings out from about 12.58 in the afternoon and

01:20continue those warnings throughout the afternoon. But it's a very fast-flowing river system there

01:25and the rain hit right at the top of Mount Kali there and did its work very quickly.

01:31Warnings for the Kennet River, Wye River and Lawn were downgraded following the worst of the rain bomb

01:38passing on Friday, January 16, 2026. But people have been warned that there remain many hazards on the

01:45landscape, with floodwaters still receding and potentially concealing damaged roads and fallen trees.

01:53There is also huge potential for mudslides and landslips as the clean-up effort begins.

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