McCrae landslide: Evacuees fear homes could be looted as they remain empty and unable to return
Residents evacuated from their homes on the Mornington Peninsula fear their properties could be burgled as they remain empty, with potentially months until they can return.
Property
Don't miss out on the headlines from Property. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Cameras are being installed around evacuated homes in McCrae as residents fear their empty properties have become prime targets for looters.
Evacuees were allowed to enter the exclusion site on Thursday for a maximum of 10 minutes where two homeowners became aware of broken locks to the doors and gates of their properties.
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Anthony Marsh said CCTV cameras would be installed in “strategic locations” on Friday, including some with licence plate recognition technology.
RELATED: ‘Diabolic’: Victoria loses more than 24,000 rental homes in a year
Australia’s housing shortfall: What’s gone wrong?
Australia’s growing first home buyer trend in crazy market
“These cameras will aid Victoria Police with their surveillance. Signs identifying the presence of CCTV and warning people to avoid the site will also be erected,” Mr Marsh said.
Residents from 19 homes in the Mornington Peninsula town remain evacuated after a landslide destroyed one house and left 60 more in limbo.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said officers would continue to actively patrol the area.
“This activity will continue for the foreseeable future. These police patrols consist of both overt and covert activity aimed at ensuring community safety.
“Victoria Police encourages members of the public who witness any suspicious activity or persons inside the exclusion zone at McCrae to ring triple-0 immediately.”
The section of Point Nepean Rd which had been closed after the landslide was set to reopen on Friday night, with a speed reduction of 40km/h.
Multiple agencies including the council and VicSES are working together to manage the site and “investigate the source and cause of the landslide”.
“We are focused on identifying the necessary rectification and remediation works to make the area safe again,” Mr Marsh said.
Council has written to the state government “seeking technical and financial assistance in responding to this complex and challenging situation”.
A VicSES spokesperson on Thursday said council was now best placed to liaise with affected residents and stakeholders about their ongoing needs, and to decide when residents would be able to access their properties.
Victorian Liberal Party deputy leader and Nepean MP Sam Groth said hadn’t yet received a response from Premier Jacinta Allan to a letter sent by him and party leader Brad Battin asking for support for residents.
“We can’t be holding our breath on receiving money for McCrae in a hurry,” Mr Groth said.
“We need the state government to step in, if it’s not financially at least to try and co-ordinate all the authorities that are currently working on the landslip.”
There are currently three geotechnical reports being conducted at the site by VicSES, South East Water and the council.
Concerns remain among evacuees about when they will be able to return home, and the state of their homes when they do.
McCrae residents vent their frustration
Bob, who did not want his surname used, and his wife have lived in their newly-built house located in the exclusion zone for just 18 months.
At the time of the sale they were assured their property had gone through rigorous inspections for anything like land slippage.
But about 11pm on January 17, two police officers, SES volunteers and council representatives handed them an eviction notice and told them they had an hour to leave.
“I’m pretty fit but I’m in my 80s. My wife’s not long out of hospital having had an ankle reconstruction and is on crutches,” he said.
While they were fortunate to find refuge at a neighbour’s house that evening, many others were not.
Bob believed what eventuated after their eviction was plagued with issues.
“There’s a number of problems. They turned off the electricity and water. Our security system went,” he said.
“We’ve got pumps that automatically move water if we get a lot coming down the driveway. “Of course, with no electricity, they are no longer operating.”
He added the council was trying to protect its own liability of personal injury by evacuating homes, but residents were upset.
“It’s very frustrating because there’s no insurance because of landslips, no compensation. There’s nothing, as far as I can see, short of going to court over it,” Bob said.
“It’s like being put in incarceration without any due process.”
Another McCrae evacuee, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was now living at his son’s house and was infuriated that there was no one governing body standing up and taking responsibility over the incident.
“In this house we alternate between lots of tears and lots of maniacal laughter,” he said.
“It’s the lack of knowledge and the uncertainty.”
He added that when he returned to the property Thursday, he noticed a lock had been broken to one of the gates leading into his home.
The resident said there didn’t seem to be anyone appointed to liaise with evacuees and that added to the frustration.
Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.
MORE: Buildings falling apart, hidden bayonets: couple saving Melb homes
Camberwell mansion with built-in organ has 1956 Olympics link
What surge in homes for sale means for Aussie buyers in 2025
sarah.petty@news.com.au
Originally published as McCrae landslide: Evacuees fear homes could be looted as they remain empty and unable to return
Glimmer of hope for Aussie renters
Australia’s rental crisis may have peaked as advertised rents growth slows, but tenants are likely still feeling the brunt of cost-of-living pressures.
‘Dirty little secret’: Inside Aussie fashion tycoon’s luxe home
We go inside the home of an Aussie fashion designer and discover not everything is as it seems. WATCH THE VIDEO.