General News
26 September, 2025
Caution urged for pothole
DRIVERS are being urged to take care on the Princes Highway after a number of residents reported hitting a large pothole.
The pothole has formed within the single open lane of the roadworks, which Western District Newspapers reported commenced last Monday.
Among those who have hit the pothole is Sally Mahony, who said it was a scary experience.
“We were just driving out of Camperdown on Friday night – we were doing around 55-60km/h, and we just hit it,” she said.
“I thought our car broke in half, to be honest.
“My husband asked what it was and when we stopped we realised we’d hit a massive pothole we didn’t even see until we were in it.
“My concern is what would happen if a young, inexperienced driver hit that pothole – they could come off the road.
“Luckily my husband was driving – he has lots of experience – but if an inexperienced driver hit it, it would have caused a terrible accident.”
Joan Mahony has also expressed concerns about the issue, describing the moment she and fellow artist Jan Barnes hit the pothole as a “hell of a bang”.
“You couldn’t see it because it as raining and it was dark, so you had no way of avoiding it,” she said.
“I don’t know whether a truck has pushed the road material out of the hole or what happened, but it wasn’t just us who hit it.
“If your car’s damaged, where do you go to get it fixed.
The government’s not going to put their hand in their pocket and give you some money if you’ve wrecked your car.”
Corangamite Shire Council deputy mayor Laurie Hickey said he has had people contact him regarding the issue but is reminding residents to report highway issues to VicRoads as the Princes Highway is maintained by the State Government.
“There was roadworks done on that road – the crews knocked off over the weekend and it rained, which made a pothole develop,” he said.
“A lot of people have hit it.
“It’s very unfortunate – wheels going through them all the time just expanded it.
“It’s got to be repaired – it’s pretty horrible driving into Camperdown. It’s a bit of an embarrassment, really.
“The repairs need to take place.”
Sally Mahony shared Cr Hickey’s sentiment, saying drivers needed to take extra caution when works pause overnight.
“Even though the roads are being worked on, at the end of the day of work they’re still leaving massive holes where they were working,” she said.
“It’s not safe.
“The money needs to come to the country more, rather than spending it all in the city.”
Western District Newspapers contacted the Department of Transport and Planning with questions regarding whether the pothole would be fixed – the Department reiterated the works would improve road condition, including potholes.