Overview
- Sections of the Great Ocean Road remain shut between Lorne and Skenes Creek as authorities clear debris and assess damaged bridges and beaches, with relief centres operating in Lorne and Apollo Bay.
- Officials report no deaths; at least six people were rescued, including an aerial winch of a man from a roof, and one child was airlifted to hospital.
- Caravan parks at Lorne, Cumberland and Wye River are closed under exclusion zones, with warnings about electrocution, contamination, fallen trees and unstable infrastructure.
- Mt Cowley near Lorne recorded roughly 178–186 mm in about 4–6 hours, breaking local daily records; meteorologists cite unusually high atmospheric moisture and the rapid response of small catchments.
- The immediate flash‑flood threat has eased, but heavy rain and hazardous surf are forecast for NSW’s south coast through the weekend, with a risk of severe thunderstorms returning to western Victoria early next week.