Tag Archives: oceania

Flash flooding leaves trail of destruction in Victorian communities

Victoria's Great Ocean Road has reopened to traffic around the communities smashed by extreme flash flooding as residents and holidaymakers begin the huge clean up.

Melanie and Martin were arriving at their Separation Creek home when the water came screaming through on Thursday.

"We heard this cracking, roaring, cracking, and watched as our bed in our second bedroom just literally flew out under the bridge, fully made up, pillows, duvets out to sea," Melanie said.

READ MORE: NSW smashed by wild weather, as campers rescued, woman killed by falling branch

Melanie and Martin were arriving at their Separation Creek home when the water came screaming through on Thursday.

"Literally just watched this water torrenting down the creek and the land slipping away before our eyes."

The property once had rooms on both sides of the creek but it has been completely separated.  

The force of the water tore the bridge off its foundations and destroyed the area the couple had revegetated with thousands of native plants. 

READ MORE: Woman dies after car struck by falling tree branch as wild weather continues

The couple's property has been completely separated in the storm.

"It's almost surreal, like you're watching a movie, this thing torrenting down," Martin said.

"You could actually hear timber crashing, like absolutely thundering down, and it was just getting more and more intense."

Their neighbour Peter Jacobs has lived in the area for 36 years.

He and his wife were trying to save their chickens when they were forced to run for their lives.

"I looked up and there was a wall, a tsunami of trees, ferns, water, and just the noise was extraordinary, and I just looked in total dismay," he said.

"And I said, 'get out, we've got to get out'."

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Separation Creek resident Peter Jacobs and his wife were trying to save their chooks when they were forced to run for their lives.

The couple managed to leave and have since been left isolated without power and a huge clean-up ahead of them.

Jacobs is hoping the council will arrive soon to assist.

"I've never experienced anything like this," he said.

"We can recover, but we just need some help, I need some help."

A few kilometres away at Wye River the clean up began first thing this morning after water bulldozed its way through the town. 

A large group of Country Fire Authority volunteers arrived to help.

One of the biggest tasks was rescuing two stranded cars that had been washed away.

Crews used a winch and a four-wheel-drive to salvage what was left of a Mazda.

The Volkswagen, which was trapped at sea on a rock, was also moved with some heavy machinery.

Many residents in the town of Wye River put their hands up to help with the massive clean-up and brought their families along.

"We've been cleaning up the bridge at the park and there's been a lot of rubbish everywhere," one child said.

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Robert Irwin lookalike winner lives just down the road from star

Robert Irwin's return to Australia has been celebrated with a lookalike search in his home town.

Hundreds turned out as the Sunshine Coast community hosted a lookalike contest to find the wildlife warrior's unofficial doppelganger.

"To welcome Robert Irwin home after six months, we had a bit of fun," Visit Sunshine Coast chief executive Matt Stoeckel said.

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Hundreds turned out as the Sunshine Coast community hosted the lookalike contest.

"If Bindi Irwin had been here, she would have done a double take."

Thirty contestants battled it out on Kings Beach at Caloundra for the coveted title and bragging rights.

Robert lookalikes of all shapes and sizes strutted their stuff on a beachside catwalk in front of 300 people.

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Robert lookalikes of all shapes and sizes strutted their stuff on a beachside catwalk in front of 300 people.

Lookalike hopefuls tried to win over the judges with a range of props including toy crocodiles, blond wigs and the iconic khakis.

Stoeckel said the stakes were high with strict criteria to claim the crown.

"You had to own the crikey with confidence, you had to have that Robert Irwin physique and really be able to entertain the crowd with a bit of dance moves and some croc wrestling," he said.

READ MORE: Massive 4.9-metre crocodile found near popular swimming spot in the NT

Caloundra father Ben Marshall took out the coveted title.

His striking similarity helped him win $500 in cash but it was his dance moves that got him over the line.

"I was up all night practising, so yeah, I'm glad I took out the win," Marshall said.

The real Robert took to social media to describe the contest as "classic".

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Storms turn deadly as millions cop wild weather across NSW

Campers have had to be rescued, hundreds of others have called for help and a woman has died when a tree branch fell on a car as wild weather batters the NSW coast.

The woman was killed while driving on the Illawarra Highway at Macquarie Pass when the branch fell about 4pm today. A male passenger was also injured.

One of three rescued campers had hypothermia when police and the SES rescued them from Geehi in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains last night.

READ MORE: Sydney braces for wettest summer weekend so far as super storm moves north

Waves at some beaches are forecast to reach five metres in height.Weather. Mikey and Patch May check out the wild surf conditions from the Cronulla rock pool. Saturday 17th January 2026. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Across the state, SES volunteers have responded to hundreds of weather-related jobs, particularly in the South Coast, Illawarra, Sydney and Hunter regions over the last 48 hours.

Volunteers helped several people trapped in their cars as flash flooding hit Albion Park, Picton and Marulan in the Southern Highlands in the past 24 hours.

NSW SES Superintendent Matt Kirby reminded people to put safety first.

"This weather can produce heavy rainfall and strong winds, so we remind people not to drive through floodwaters and be wary of where you park your vehicles as tree branches can fall at any time," Kirby said.

"Download the Hazards Near Me app to stay up to date with any warnings that have been issued."

READ MORE: 'No idea what's left': Holidaymakers left in limbo as Wye River flood clean-up begins

Sunrise on Cronulla Beach as waves continue to rise throughout the day.People flock to a waterfront cafe as wild seas pound Cronulla esplanade on Saturday morning.

Heavy rain has already drenched parts of the state over the last two days, in the worst storm of the summer.

In Moruya, almost 200 millimetres of rain fell in the 48 hours to 9am today.

It was warned that the slow-moving pressure system could bring up to 120 millimetres of rain in some parts of the NSW coast over 24 hours.

Heavy rain and damaging winds were likely to continue in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.

Severe thunderstorms were also likely across the Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions.

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Woman dies after car struck by falling tree branch in NSW Southern Highlands

A woman has died after her car was struck by a falling tree branch near the NSW Southern Highlands.

The woman was travelling along the Illawarra Highway at Macquarie Pass near Clover Hill Road when the severe weather dislodged the branch about 4pm today.

A man believed to be travelling in the front seat of the car suffered minor injuries, while two people in the back seat were not physically injured.

READ MORE: NSW beaches shut as huge waves smash shore

The notorious road is expected to be closed for several hours while emergency services work at the scene.

The tragedy is one of hundreds of jobs emergency services have been called to over the past few days as wild weather lashes communities near the NSW coast.

As heavy rain poured down over the past 24 hours, State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers helped several people trapped in their cars as flash flooding hit Albion Park, Picton and Marulan.

NSW SES Superintendent Matt Kirby warned residents to heed the warnings from authorities.

"This weather can produce heavy rainfall and strong winds, so we remind people not to drive through floodwaters and be wary of where you park your vehicles as tree branches can fall at any time," Kirby said.

"Download the Hazards Near Me app to stay up to date with any warnings that have been issued."

READ MORE: Holidaymakers left in limbo as Wye River flood clean-up begins

Wild seas surprise a person walking along the Cronulla esplanade on Saturday morning.

Heavy rain has already drenched parts of the state over the last two days in the worst storm of the summer.

In Moruya, almost 200 millimetres of rain fell in the 48 hours to 9am today.

A slow-moving pressure system was predicted to bring up to 120 millimetres of rain in some parts of the NSW coast over the following 24 hours.

Heavy rain and damaging winds were likely to continue in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and Shoalhaven over the next 48 hours.

Severe thunderstorms are also likely across the Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions, which could cause isolated rainfall of up to 120 millimetres in the next 24 hours, along with strong winds and hail.

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