Briefs

Cliff fatality

A woman has died after the car she was driving veered off a cliff on the Great Ocean Road near Lorne about 1.20pm on Wednesday.

Victorian SES crews assisted police with a high-angle rescue attempt shortly after the crash.

But 59-year-old Altona woman, the only occupant of the car, was deceased when they recovered her body, a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

Graffiti charges

A 19-year-old Point Lonsdale man faces 133 criminal damage and graffiti charges following his arrest on Wednesday night.

Local officers arrested the man after an extensive investigation into graffiti on the Bellarine Peninsula.

He was bailed to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court on September 30, police said.

Students’ Lifeline

With a recent spike in mental health issues, 10 Deakin University psychology and nursing students have joined Lifeline Geelong to answer more than 70,000 calls for help this financial year.

The paid and trained students provided the additional expertise as Lifeline reported a 50 per cent increase nationally in call volume amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Deakin said.