Nick Talbot from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said taking beach sand for this purpose was not illegal if it was done with a shovel or spade. "If machinery is being used then a permit is required," he said. "We need the sand on our beaches to protect them from coastal erosion." Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed late on Friday afternoon that the State Emergency Service had received more than 800 calls for help, with most relating to trees down, homes, garages and roads flooding. More than 200 calls for assistance were for flooded homes in Melbourne.

There was significant landslide on the Great Ocean Road, six kilometres south of Wye River, and traffic was brought to a standstill outbound on the Eastern Freeway. Flooding closed several lanes on the Monash Freeway and Ring Road in the early afternoon, while trains were suspended on the Frankston and Hurstbridge lines for several hours as flood water drenched the tracks. Train services between Clifton Hill and Heidelberg were closed in both directions, leaving crowds of people are stranded on trains held at Westgarth station. Nearby, commuters climbed rails and fell into water as they attempted to cross a flooded underpass at Northcote Station. An SES spokesman said the state's north west had been hit hardest, with more than 40 millimetres of rain falling in Stawell in 24 hours while about 30 millimetres had fallen in Melbourne by early Friday afternoon.

Commuters were told to brace for delays during the evening peak hour as heavy rain threw the state's transport system into chaos. Train commuters faced a double whammy, with a major $42 million around-the-clock operation to upgrade ageing signalling infrastructure beginning on Friday morning. Some stood in a one-kilometre line at Camberwell Station during the Friday morning peak hour rush as they waited to get onto a bus to replace their usual ride to work on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines. Others took to Twitter to complain about the lack of buses running from Camberwell Station with one saying it is "a total mess". Metro Trains urged passengers not to travel on the city's train system if they could avoid it, or allow up to an extra 70 minutes travel time.

On Friday evening, the state's emergency services warned more was to come. A flash flood warning was issued for Elwood, with Vic Emergency warning that the Elwood Canal is at risk of breaching its banks.

