Culvert collapse cuts direct access to RACV Inverloch Resort

A MAJOR infrastructure failure has severed the direct coastal link between Inverloch and Cape Paterson blocking access from Inverloch to one of the region’s premier tourism destinations the popular RACV Resort.

The Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road (C435) was shut down in both directions following the sudden collapse of a double culvert near Flat Rocks. The structural failure occurred at the critical intersection of Toorak Road and Surf Parade, forcing authorities to lock down the immediate area while emergency repair crews and engineers flooded the site.

Crews have worked towards reopening a single lane of the Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road by Thursday evening with single-lane traffic management in place by the weekend.

The road is scheduled to close again from Monday 17 August for works to resume throughout the week, subject to weather and site conditions.

To manage the fallout Regional Roads Victoria and the Bass Coast Shire Council have established a sweeping detour. Travellers journeying from Melbourne or the Inverloch town centre face a significant diversion.

Motorists must now head inland via the Bass Highway toward Wonthaggi, before tracking south through Cape Paterson to approach the RACV Resort from the western side adding an extra 18 kilometres to the journey.

Emergency services and local authorities have issued a strict advisory urging all motorists to avoid non-essential travel to the immediate Surf Parade area.

Engineers from both the Bass Coast Shire and Regional Roads Victoria are on-site, conducting urgent structural assessments to determine the full extent of the underground damage and map out a timeline for repairs.

Early reports suggested a flood of ground water surging under the culvert was forced back by king tides and a storm surge undermining the sealed road surface.

Management of the RACV Inverloch Resort confirmed the resort remains fully operational. Guests staying at the venue or those holding upcoming bookings can still access the property provided they utilise the Cape Paterson approach.

However, RACV Resort management strongly advises all incoming visitors to closely monitor live road conditions and closures via the VicTraffic platform before setting out.

The sudden culvert collapse adds fuel to an ongoing political and environmental firestorm surrounding Inverloch’s fragile coastline. State Liberal Leader Jess Wilson, who inspected the Inverloch surf beach during her first week at the helm of the opposition used the opportunity to demand stronger action for the area.

Standing near the erosion-threatened coastline, Ms Wilson declared that the precinct surrounding the RACV Resort was a vital economic and environmental asset that must be saved and preserved at all costs.

The infrastructure failure at Inverloch has highlighted the compounding vulnerability of the local coastline. The region is still reeling from the severe environmental degradation caused by devastating storm tides at the same time last year in July and August.

During that catastrophic five-day weather event, approximately 100,000 cubic metres of sand was aggressively eroded from the surf beach, drastically weakening the natural buffer between the ocean and vital public infrastructure like Surf Parade.

As climate pressures and coastal erosion continue to batter the Bass Coast, local residents and business owners are watching the emergency works with growing anxiety