Otway Storm
January 23, 2026Record-breaking rain fell along Great Ocean Road in the space of a few hours on Thursday 15th January 2026, triggering flash flooding that swept away cars, caravans and tents. The raging torrents hit Lorne, Wye River, Separation Creek and Cumberland River on Thursday afternoon, sweeping several cars out to sea at Wye River.
The strong storm developed over the ocean south of Lorne. Forceful winds from the south-east pushed the storm onshore to the Otway Ranges. The storm then combined with a low-pressure trough from a tropical cyclone. Because the Otways had experienced unusually low levels of rainfall, the dry soil didn’t readily absorb the rainfall, and so the rain quickly ran off into the rivers creating a flash flood.
