Tambo Valley volunteers battle landslides on Great Alpine

Tambo Valley volunteers battle landslides on Great Alpine

13/12/2021, 5:09 PM

Over the weekend, volunteers from our Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Tambo Valley Unit, worked with Victoria Police and VicRoads members to manage a landslide event along the Great Alpine Road.

The landslide was reported at two points of the road, blocking access to the road’s only entry and exit points. This resulted in the closure of the road on Friday, with one lane already closed due to a previous landslide. 

Not uncommon to the area however, with calls for assistance in relation to landslide events quite frequent to the area and surrounds, especially in the last twelve months.

This is particularly evident during periods of heavy rain, with this latest landslide causing long delays from early in the morning.

While the road was reopened Saturday morning, there were significant delays as the clean-up and assessment of the rock face continued. However together in this multi-agency effort, our VICSES volunteers were able to support in reopening the road.

Along with landslides, volunteers from the VICSES Tambo Valley Unit have responded to over thirty calls for help in the last twelve months.

If you are local, and interested in joining the VICSES Tambo Valley Unit, or would like more information, visit our website www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us, or call us on 1300 842 737 or email: east@ses.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to VICSES Tambo Valley Unit Controller Shane Peach:

“You don’t need to have any of the needed skills to start with, because the training is so good. As a 54 year-old I’ve only been in the service four years; I actually finished my training on my 50th birthday.”

“I’ve done my Swift Water Rescue; Road Crash Rescue; Chainsaw; Working at Heights; Land Search; Storm and Water and Fire Safety.”

“At 5.05am, locals started ringing me to find out if they could get through or get down. I just hope no one ever comes through while something’s coming down.”