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National

AFL great Gavin Wanganeen grateful after Beachport ute rescue

Gavin Wanganeen was grateful after passers-by helped him salvage his bogged car. (Instagram: Gavin Wanganeen)

AFL great and former Australian Survivor contestant Gavin Wanganeen has praised the Beachport community for coming to his rescue after a ute he was driving was nearly washed into the ocean.

The Mount Gambier-born footballer was driving a ute with a friend from Robe towards Beachport when their car became bogged in the sand on Saturday.

Mr Wanganeen took to social media to make light of the situation before the weather quickly turned and a series of waves began to crash over the car, dragging it towards the ocean.

He said he jumped into the ute to try and counterbalance the vehicle's tilt.

"Silly me, I jumped onto the back of the car, because I am a young boy at heart, and the waves were hitting the side of the car," he said.

"Then as the water went back out, it was taking all the sand on the passenger side of the car out into the ocean, so the car started to tilt further, and it looked like it was going to tip over."

He said he thought his 90 kilograms could counterbalance the ute the other way "which unfortunately wouldn't have happened".

Speaking on ABC Breakfast radio, Mr Wanganeen thanked the "local heroes" for coming out to help.

A Beachport man with a four-wheel-drive had tried to tow Mr Wanganeen's ute before also becoming bogged.

Waves engulfed both vehicles until a front-end loader, from a nearby earthmoving business, arrived to rescue them from being washed away into the ocean.

"Unfortunately, (the Beachport man) lost his car because, as you can see from the social media video, the waves were going over it and it has ruined the car."

Mr Wanganeen's ute was battered by waves. (Instagram: Gavin Wanganeen)

The Brownlow Medal winner said it took about four hours to tow the cars to safety.

He said the moral of the story was to drive further away from the shoreline.

"If you ever do get bogged, you want to be bogged on higher ground, so you have enough time to get picked up," he said.

"But if anyone out there is looking for a cheap car, let us know."

Mr Wanganeen is a two-time premiership winner with Port Power and a frequent visitor to the Limestone Coast.

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