January 2026 Great Ocean Road Flash Flooding
After weeks of devastating bushfires across much of Victoria, an intense thunderstorm brought record-breaking rainfall to the Otways region along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road. In about 6 hours, more than 180 mm of rain was recorded in areas near Lorne, smashing previous rainfall records for the area. The extreme downpour caused rapid rises in river levels and flash flooding in low-lying coastal communities.
Weather
Extreme rainfall totals on Thursday 15 January 2026 were recorded during a period of widespread thunderstorm activity, driven by exceptionally humid atmospheric conditions. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued a severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rain and flash flooding at 11:47 am; within an hour this was upgraded to warn of potentially intense rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding. The storms formed in an environment that had only days earlier been under catastrophic bushfire warnings, highlighting how rapidly weather conditions changed across the region.
Several interacting factors contributed to the severity of the event. Moisture associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji had moved southwards over inland New South Wales as a broad trough, significantly increasing atmospheric humidity. At the same time, a surface-level low pressure system with southeast winds combined with an upper-level trough, creating strong upward motion that intensifies thunderstorms. As moisture moved inland from the coast, rainfall was further enhanced by orographic uplift over the low coastal mountains of the Otway Ranges. The landscape was also highly vulnerable: dry soils from the preceding hot and fire-prone period absorbed little water, leading to rapid runoff into creeks and rivers. Events like this are becoming more likely as the climate warms, because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the risk of short-duration, high-intensity rainfall and flash flooding.
Areas affected
On the 15th of January 2026, record rainfall totals were recorded at Mt Cowley (west of Lorne). More than 180 mm of rain was recorded in about a six-hour period. During the storm’s peak around 115 mm fell in just one hour. This smashed the Mt Cowley gauge’s previous 24-hour record of 123 mm since records began in 2000. In total, 188 mm of rain was recorded at Mt Cowley in the 24-hour period from 10:00 am.
The average January rainfall along the Great Ocean Road region is relatively low, with total monthly averages of approximately 40–50 mm. A single event delivering about 180 mm in one afternoon far exceeds what the region typically receives in an entire month.
This record deluge resulted in flash flooding in the nearby towns of Wye River, Kennett River, Cumberland River and Lorne. Surrounding caravan parks and holiday spots along the Great Ocean Road were specifically affected.
Figure 1. Daily and cumulative rainfall from January 15th to 17th at 9AM from BoM. The blue to yellow raster was sourced from AWAP with an underperforming modelled peak of 50mm. The triangular icons are AWS data measuring the daily rainfall up to 9AM, which exceeds 180mm for Mt Cowley. White labels show the catchment names with the eastern towns of the Otway Coast being worst affected. The Great Ocean Road follows the coast from Lorne to Apollo Bay.
Impacts
The flash flooding resulted in cars, caravans, tents, and camping gear being swept into the ocean or washed onto beaches. The Great Ocean Road was closed in both directions between key points due to the dangerous conditions, debris, and landslide risks. It also resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of residents and holidaymakers who were moved to higher ground or to emergency shelters.
Wye River experienced severe flooding. The only store in town, the Wye River General Store was flooded, and locals also reported water entering homes and properties in low-lying areas. The Big4 Wye River Holiday Park was most notably affected, being significantly inundated. Torrents of water washed through low-lying areas, submerging tents, caravans and vehicles, with multiple cars and caravans being swept straight into the ocean. Locals, and up to around 500 people at the caravan park alone were evacuated to higher ground, with the Wye River pub acting as a refuge for evacuees.
Kennett River was impacted by rapid flash flooding, with caravan parks and roads inundated. Holidaymakers and residents were evacuated to higher ground, and roads were closed isolating Kennett River with local V/Line buses being rerouted.
Cumberland River saw its low-lying areas inundated. The Cumberland River Holiday Park was flooded, with mud, debris and floodwater swamping sites and vehicles. A man in his 60’s was rescued from a shed roof by a Victoria Police Air Wing helicopter after becoming trapped by rising water. Bridges and access roads near the river also suffered damage, resulting in lane closures. The bridges will require structural assessments before reopening.
Lorne saw the Erskine River and surrounding waterways experiencing surges, inundating caravan parks and low-lying areas. Most notably, the Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park saw waist-deep water, with campsites, vehicles, caravans and personal possessions being inundated. The park experienced infrastructure damage, including the electrical supply, resulting in portions of the park being unable to operate normally. It has been announced that the park will remain closed for several weeks while clean-up, repairs and utility restoration take place. The town center was also impacted, with the local Foodworks grocery store having to close temporarily after floodwater entered the premises. The SES received dozens of calls for flood assistance across Lorne and nearby communities.
Separation Creek and smaller localities between Lorne and Wye River were also impacted.
Despite the rapid onset and severity of the event and the multiple rescues by the emergency services, it is remarkable that there have been no confirmed deaths or major injuries reported.
Response
Around 2:30pm emergency warnings were issued by authorities for multiple rivers and communities, urging residents and holidaymakers to shelter and avoid floodwaters. Relief centres were established in Lorne and Apollo Bay to support displaced people. It is estimated hundreds of people were evacuated in total. By 3pm State Emergency Service (SES) and other agencies intensified rescue operations. The Victorian SES received more than 160 calls for assistance overall related to the flooding and storm impacts in the Barwon Southwest region, and 4 of these were rescue-type jobs directly responding to people potentially trapped by floodwater.
The next day, the 16th of January, though the storm threat had passed, the hazards remained, and the continued bad weather limited clean-up efforts. On January 17th clean-up and infrastructure assessment began as the heavy rain event receded entirely.
Many locals and community leaders have complained about the timing and adequacy of the warnings during the flash flooding, saying the alerts came too late or didn’t give enough time to prepare before the flooding hit. However, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a severe thunderstorm warning before 12pm, then upgraded it to include life-threatening flash flood risk by around 12:40 pm, and included a “Watch and Act” warning at around 1 pm, all before major flooding was observed. Officials also sent emergency alerts to more than 10,000 mobile phones in the region. The flash flooding also occurred rapidly with the extreme rainfall totals. Staff and holidaymakers reported water flooded through the Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park within just 10 minutes after water began to rise. The manager of the Wye River General Store gave a similar account.
In response to the flash flooding event, Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV) has offered support services including: recovery information and referral, wellbeing and psychosocial support, financial and housing assistance guidance, support for families and communities, and business and consumer support. To assist with debris removal, the Surf Coast Shire has waived fees for residents bringing flood-related debris to waste transfer stations. The State and Federal Governments activated disaster assistance under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) for the Surf Coast and Colac Otway shires. DRFA covers emergency relief centre support and operations, emergency accommodation costs for displaced people, restoration of essential public assets (roads, public infrastructure), and counter-disaster operations such as debris removal. The federally managed Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) is available for individuals directly affected by the event. The Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) is also available for people who’ve lost income due to the disaster.
The local community response has also been praised, with many locals and holidaymakers assisting with the cleanup. Some locals offered their own homes or accommodation to displaced neighbours and visitors who lost camping gear or places to stay, and others have provided food, transport, and tools. The manager of the Wye River General Store was complimentary of the support from more than 100 people who helped remove the mud left throughout the store.
