A large pothole on the Princes Highway near Bunyip, 75 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, has reportedly damaged dozens of cars in wet weather.
The scene of destruction has prompted renewed concern about the condition of Victorian roads.
Motorists were left stranded along the highway after striking the pothole and pulling over to inspect the damage.
3AW reported at least 23 cars had hit the pothole, with many motorists forced to change tyres.
Footage shared by Melbourne journalist Jacqui Felgate showed a line of vehicles stopped on the side of the road.
A caption accompanying the footage estimated as many as 35 vehicles may have been affected, with another 15 reportedly hitting a separate pothole further along the road.
Those figures have not been independently confirmed.
One motorist, identified by 3AW as Matthew, told 3AW Breakfast the scene was a “disaster”.
“It needs something; it’s just atrocious,” he said.
The same social media post claimed road crews were repairing potholes about two kilometres away but had missed the larger hazard.
The incident drew an angry reaction online, with motorists complaining about deteriorating roads and the difficulty of spotting potholes in wet weather and low light.
It is the latest in a series of serious pothole incidents on Victorian roads.
In November 2025, more than 20 vehicles were reportedly damaged by a pothole near Nar Nar Goon on the Princes Highway.
Motorists in Victoria’s south-west also reported hundreds of dollars in repair bills in June after striking potholes on the highway near Warrnambool.
At the time, the RACV warned deteriorating road surfaces posed a safety risk, including because drivers could be forced to swerve to avoid potholes.
Motorists whose vehicles are damaged by road defects may be able to seek compensation from the responsible road authority under Victoria’s Road Management Act, although previous figures show successful claims have been rare.
The ABC reported the Department of Transport and Planning received 1532 compensation claims involving pavement and surface defects across Victoria in the 2022-23 financial year.
Just one was assessed as payable.
The Victorian government said in June it was investing $1.04 billion in roads, with 70 per cent of the funding directed towards regional Victoria.