Black Hawks Lift 13 Cars From Ocean After Aussie Floods

When flash floods swept more than a dozen vehicles into the ocean last week, emergency crews faced an unusual rescue mission: save the Great Ocean Road from becoming a car graveyard.

Victoria's State Emergency Service deployed Black Hawk helicopters Thursday to winch 13 vehicles from the ocean near Lorne and Wye River. The cars had been swept out to sea during an unprecedented storm that dumped 180 millimeters of rain in just a few hours.

"Some vehicles came up really simply and were really being held down by water," said Chris Longmore from Victoria's State Emergency Service. "Others had some quite large boulders, sand and other debris that had built up over the last week."

The recovery became a race against time as tides buried the wrecks deeper in sand each day. But this wasn't just about removing eyesores from Australia's iconic coastal route.

The team worked closely with the Eastern Marr people, the traditional owners of the land, to protect both environmental and cultural heritage values. The Great Ocean Road draws visitors from around the globe for its pristine beaches and dramatic cliffs.

Crews initially debated whether to remove the vehicles by land or sea before choosing the aerial approach. Marine salvage teams dove down to secure each wreck to the helicopter hovering overhead.

The operation shut down a five-hour stretch of the Great Ocean Road, but authorities managed to recover all but one vehicle: a caravan chassis buried too deep beneath the sand at Cumberland River.

The Bright Side

While the floods themselves caused destruction, the swift response prevented long-term environmental damage to one of Australia's natural treasures. The coordinated effort between emergency services, environmental managers, and Indigenous traditional owners showed how communities can work together to protect what matters most.

The recovered vehicles will be stored securely before owners are contacted. Meanwhile, the pristine waters of the Surf Coast remain clear for the thousands who visit each year.