More than 200 trees were impacted across Barwon Coast’s coastal reserves during the recent storms, forcing Barwon Heads Caravan Park to close for the Melbourne Cup weekend.
Manager of Barwon Coast Coastal Operations Paul Gangell said 60 trees were also significantly impacted within Barwon Heads Caravan Park, Riverview Family Caravan Park in Ocean Grove and the Riverside Campground along the Ocean Grove Spit.
The wild weather wreaked havoc across Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast on Friday, October 29.
Thunderstorms and severe winds with gusts of more than 100km/h brought down trees and branches onto powerlines and other infrastructure.
It resulted in building damage, fallen trees and power outages across caravan parks and coastal reserves managed by Barwon Coast in Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and along 13th Beach.
“Barwon Coast staff worked incredibly hard under extremely difficult conditions to communicate with campers while at the same time safely respond to the storm damage,” Mr Gangell said.
“As a result of the quick response to the damage, there were no resulting injuries and Barwon Coast were able to reopen our coastal trails and access ways on the day of the storm.
“Riverview Family Caravan Park was quickly made safe and was able to open to visitors from Saturday for the long awaited Melbourne Cup Weekend.”
An independent arborist has provided detailed reports and assessments on trees in all caravan park areas. Barwon Heads Caravan Park is expected to re-open on Friday November 12.
Barwon Coast CEO Gary McPike noted the impact these storms had on caravan park customers.
“With Melbournians finally allowed to visit regional Victoria for the first time in months, we understand the closure was disappointing for many of our customers,” he said.
“We thank all those affected for their patience as we work to repair the damage and restore safety to the caravan park.
“Barwon Coast Staff and contractors have been working nonstop to ensure our public areas and camping sites are safe once opened.
“While the major works have been done to make our coastal reserves safe, the clean-up continues to be a big job. We will be working over the coming weeks to continue removing fallen trees and debris. We thank the public for their patience during this time.”
