‘We’ve lost everything, you can see caravans floating away’: flash flooding hits Victoria’s Great Ocean Road

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 1 min read 100% complete by Caitlin Cassidy and AAPJanuary 15, 2026 at 07:19 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding at Wye River, along Victoria's Great Ocean Road, on Thursday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of hundreds from a major camping ground. The flooding, triggered by over 170mm of rain, impacted the Wye, Kennett, and Cumberland rivers in the Lorne area. An emergency warning was issued for the affected regions as the deluge washed cars into the sea and closed a major tourism road. The event has been described as "heartbreaking" by witnesses, with reports of caravans floating away. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Thunderstorm ×260% Kennett River 70% Cumberland River 70% Lorne 70% Great Ocean Road 70% Victoria 80% Flash Flooding ×290% Wye River ×290%

Keywords

flash flooding 100% wye river 90% great ocean road 80% severe thunderstorm 70% evacuation 60% emergency warning 50% camping ground 50% lorne 40% victoria 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

Geographic Perspective

Wye River

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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flash flooding wye river great ocean road severe thunderstorm evacuation emergency warning camping ground lorne victoria

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