Fairhaven locals say authorities warned of landslip

FAIRHAVEN residents fear a large landslip that is forcing pedestrians onto the Great Ocean Road is putting people’s lives at risk, and say authorities were warned that it could happen.

The 100-metre long embankment west of Painkalac Creek has incurred several collapses in recent months, spilling over a retaining wall and blocking several sections of footpath, leaving mobility scooter user Hector Moore with no option but to drive along the road.

“There’s no choice but to do what I do… and it’s very scary, because people don’t always do the right thing along here, the speed I mean, some go like hell… it’s frightening.”

He said if tried to avoid cars on the road by returning to the footpath between the landslips he was likely to roll his scooter on the curved gutter and it’s also possible he could be caught beneath another landslip.

“I find it very, very useful, this footpath here, but when I’ve got to get off that I could tip this over in the gutter,” he said

Locals have spent weeks trying to contact the Surf Coast Shire council, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Vic Roads and the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA), to get the issue addressed.

“Everyone’s handballing it,” resident Nick Jane said.

“I understand they’re all nervous because ultimately someone is going to have to be responsible and there is millions of dollars’ worth of reparations here, no question about it.”

He said he and other residents believe the embankment collapsed because DELWP stripped it of vegetation about 12 months ago.

“They cleared all this as a fire safety precaution and we all said if you cut everything down up there you’ll destabilise the land, and look what we’ve got,” Mr Jane said.

“They put up a sign, it’s two months now since the first load ended up on the footpath and no one has done a thing… this could collapse completely, and then houses are at risk.”

Surf Coast general manager of place making and environment Chris Pike said the shire was working with DELWP, Parks Victoria and the Department of Transport to understand the depth of the landslip and what remediation works are needed.

“This work is taking time, and the embankment needs to be assessed by geo-technical specialists as the first priority to establish any risks and to inform the best way forward.”

Mr Pike and a DELWP spokesperson both said the landslip was the result of many contributing factors “including recent extreme rainfall.”

The DELWP spokesperson also said that “the vegetation management undertaken as part of the fuel break program, left all the roots systems in place including the larger weedy tree roots and shrubs, mulching to ground level only”.

“This was a deliberate act to retain soil binding matter across this embankment.”