Heavy rains wreaked havoc on the Surf Coast this morning, with fallen trees and eight landslides forcing police to close the Great Ocean Road.
Police closed the road from View Road, Eastern View (the archway to the Great Ocean Road near Fairhaven) to Deans-Marsh Road in Lorne.
Emergency services and VicRoads deployed crews to a number of sites to clear the road.
Other areas affected included Wye River and Separation Creek.
A VicRoads spokesperson advised motorists to delay travel to the area.
“We ask people to be patient and advise them to follow directional signage and to drive safely,” the spokesperson said.
“Motorists should drive to the conditions and not drive through flood waters.”
The spokesperson said VicRoads could not advise when the road would re-open and that police were controlling the closure.
“We are out assessing the roads, signing and managing as quickly as we can,” they said.
The spokesperson said Princes Highway could be an alternative route for some.
However police partially closed the highway near Conns Lane at Birregurra, due to flooding.
Drivers were able to get through under the direction of traffic controllers, the spokesperson said.
Emergency Management Victoria established a control centre in Colac to help manage the flooding issues across south western Victoria.
The spokesperson said to refer to the VicRoads website or the VicTraffic App for updates.
