Melbourne weather: Thousands without power, debris across suburbs after storms

A boatshed has been destroyed and thousands are without power, including a major shopping centre, after storms lashed Melbourne.

The clean-up has begun across Melbourne’s suburbs and parts of Victoria following ferocious storms on Thursday night and into Friday morning.

Thousands of Mornington Peninsula, Berwick, Yarra Ranges and Hurstbridge residents are without power and the SES is swamped with calls for help, with 1670 calls received across Victoria in the 24 hours to 9am.

A boatshed at Anthony’s Nose has been destroyed and at least one other has lost its roof.

More that 40 trees are down across Dromana, Mt Martha and Mornington while bin collections have been postponed by Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Fallen trees have blocked streets in Mt Eliza following overnight storms. Picture: Simon McEvoy.

A Dromana beach box has been flattened and another has lost its roof.

Mooruduc Highway was among several local roads closed after a tree fell across both lanes near Craigie Rd.

In the east, trees were uprooted and branches and rubbish bins blown across streets in suburbs including Burwood East and Vermont South.

James Giannakakis spotted firefighters in Benwerrin Drive, Burwood East and a huge tree uprooted at the nearby reserve while travelling on the Route 76 tram at about 8am.

Mr Giannakakis told Leader plenty of garbage bins had been knocked over on roads and lights were out at the intersection of Burwood Hwy and Middleborough Rd.

“Absolute treacherous weather overnight. Severe storm, huge winds and gusts and loads and loads of rain. Trees uprooted and branches/limbs everywhere!” he wrote.

Maroondah Council has also been inundated with requests and advised residents to stay at home due to the wild weather.

The council advised on social media it had closed many of its facilities due to power outages and storm damage, including its golf courses in Ringwood and Croydon, and its maternal and child health centres “to ensure the safety of our families”.

It also reported “many” trees and powerlines down across the area and traffic lights not operating.

Meanwhile power outages have also hit Greensborough Plaza in Melbourne's north east, with sections of the centre currently closed including Level 1 and supermarkets.

There are more than 900 homes currently without power in Hurstbridge while 291 homes are without power in Eltham North.

There are also 1652 homes without power in Berwick.

The Yarra Ranges have also been hit with power outages, with 394 homes without power in Silvan, and 163 in Mt Evelyn.

Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said the unit had received 37 calls for help since midnight, with trees down on roads, cars and houses.

Mr Caulfield said Montrose, Kilsyth and Mt Evelyn copped the brunt of the damage.

He urged people who needed help to continue ringing the SES line on 132 500 – he said the line was busy, but not down.