Deep pothole at Pirron Yallock causes significant damage to vehicles

A Geelong woman driving home from Camperdown on Saturday night struck the large pothole located less than two kilometres from Pirron Yallock's Mamre Hotel.

The motorist, who wished to remain anonymous, said she drove that route frequently and was aware of "a few nasty little potholes but nothing as devastating as this one".

She said she hit the pothole while travelling at about 80km/h, causing damage to her Mazda2.

"I hit it with such force that even though I had slowed down, it has blown the tyre and bent the rim," the motorist said.

"When I hit it, the car just flew. It was very scary.

"There were no warning signs, it was completely dark and you can't see it because you're down in the crest before coming up over a little hill."

The motorist said her vehicle was undriveable and she was forced to leave it near the Mamre Hotel overnight and get a lift home.

She said when she returned to assess the damage the following day there was a Mercedes Benz also parked at the hotel after suffering significant damage from the same pothole.

"I was told that car was travelling at 100km/h when it hit the pothole and the damage is estimated to be about $10,000 with potential damage to the axle and brake disc," the woman said.

"When they hit it their wheel turned the opposite way to the steering wheel which caused quite a bit of damage to their custom-made aluminium rims. There was about a 10 centimetre split in the tyre."

The woman said another two cars were later seen stranded near the hotel.

"That's just four cars we know that were potentially impacted by the pothole in 24 hours," she said.

"It's really dangerous and not just in the dark because there is a shadow of trees during the day that it really blends in with.

"People are either hitting it or swerving when they spot it last minute and that in itself is a hazard."

The woman said she and her mother reported the incident to local police, VicRoads and RACV.

She believed the pothole had opened up as early as last Thursday.

Another witness who wished to remain anonymous said he drove the stretch of road regularly and while potholes were frequently patched up, they caved in almost immediately in inclement weather.

The Department of Transport was contacted for comment.

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