A brief scoping exercise was undertaken during the initial phase of the project to identify issues and areas of concern to enable the prioritisation of the assessment. The original methodology was refined to ensure the most appropriate methods were undertaken to deliver the desired project outcomes.
Table 4-1 shows the key features which have distinguished the location and sub-locations for each compartment. Where there is no significant difference in geomorphology the compartment locations are differentiated by the dominant coastal processes in the vicinity, e.g. the shoreline may be orientated so that the dominant wave direction is different from the adjacent; therefore the boundary or forcing conditions would be different. Table 4-1 notes the likely hazards in the area, as well as some of the key assets near the shoreline that may be impacted in future. These include public and private property, infrastructure e.g. roads, water, sewerage and services such as power and telephone lines.
Generally, the priority is based on the proximity of assets and information received from stakeholders. The high-priority areas are often where numerous assets are located near the shoreline, or areas of low-lying land. Areas of moderate priority may also have assets, however fewer in number, or may be areas of habitat or cultural significance. The low-priority areas are generally low-use areas with little development or assets, and/or which are unlikely to be impacted significantly.
Note, the priority descriptions do not translate to the risk for nearby assets. The scope of this project is to identify hazards, especially in the vicinity of assets that may potentially be affected, rather than determine the risk. This will carried out in subsequent projects.
Figure 4-1 Study Compartments and inundation hydrodynamic model (SOBEK) grid boundaries
Table 4-1 Study compartments, issues, assets and priority (Note: SW - Stormwater; PW - Potable Water)
| Compartment | Location | Sub-location | Features for division | Key issues | Nearby Assets | Priority | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public | Private | |||||||
1. Breamlea to Blue Rocks |
Thompson Creek |
Thompson Creek and Entrance |
Estuarine creek area to be flood modelled |
Inundation Erosion |
Saline habitat, dunes (open coast) Infrastructure - roads, Stormwater (SW) , Potable water (PW), beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Agricultural land
|
High |
|
Breamlea Beach |
Open coast sandy beach |
Erosion |
Dunes Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Agricultural land
|
Medium |
|||
Surf Club Lane |
Buckleys Bay |
Could be considered a pocket beach as located between two rocky outcrops – potentially limiting longshore drift. Foreshore is combination of sand and cobble / boulder sized volcanic rocks. |
Erosion |
Dunes Caravan park Services - Electricity, Gas |
|
Medium |
||
Bancoora Beach |
Sandy beach located between two rocky outcrops, with sandy shore. |
Inundation (potential breach) Erosion |
Dunes SLSC and tower Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Agricultural land
|
High |
|||
Black Rock Road |
Rocky shoreline, no sandy beach |
|
Sewerage outfall |
|
Low |
|||
2. Blue Rocks to Barwon Heads |
13th Beach |
Long stretch of sandy beach, some calcarenite outcrops |
Erosion Potential future breach |
Dunes SLSC Infrastructure - road (in very close proximity to dune scarp), car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Golf course Residential properties
|
High |
||
3. Barwon Heads, Barwon Estuary and Lake Connewarre |
West Bank (Barwon Heads township) |
Heavily populated western shoreline of the lower estuary, with multitude of differing shoreline protection methods.
|
Overwashing Overtopping (outer channel only) Inundation |
Saline habitat Shore protection structures Foreshore reserve Caravan park & football oval Village Park Infrastructure - roads, bridge, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses, boat ramps Services - Electricity, Gas |
Golf course Wildlife Sanctuary Residential properties Commercial properties
|
High |
||
East Bank (Ocean Grove) |
Heavily populated eastern shoreline of the lower estuary, with some differing shoreline protection methods and natural shoreline
|
Overwashing Inundation |
Saline habitat Shore protection structures Caravan park, camping area Infrastructure - roads, bridge, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses, boat ramps, sewerage Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial properties Equestrian centre
|
||||
Lower Barwon |
Similar to the east and west bank, however modelled in combination at a coarser resolution. |
as above |
as above |
as above |
|
|||
Lake Connewarre |
- Natural river / estuary shoreline - Less tidal influence
|
Riverine flooding |
Saline habitat Weir structure Infrastructure - roads, SW, PW Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial properties Agricultural land
|
|
|||
4. Ocean Grove to Point Lonsdale |
Ocean Grove |
Long sandy beach – note section of vertical seawall at SLSC that will result in different rates of erosion from the adjacent beaches, particularly related to scour (toe and terminal). Grants lookout - some cliff erosion and possibly runoff issues. Rock revetment near 13W |
Erosion + scour Overtopping
|
Dunes - steep scarps in some areas Shore protection structure Foreshore reserves SLSC Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial properties
|
High |
||
Barwon Coast / Buckley Park |
Long stretch of sandy beach – however dune area consists of aeolian sediments, calcarenite outcrops and some cemented sections of sand dune. |
Erosion Cliff instability |
Dunes Shore protection structures Foreshore reserves – Buckley Park Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial properties
|
Medium |
|||
5. Point Lonsdale to Point Edwards |
Lonsdale Bight |
Cliffs |
More significant as a geotechnical hazard area |
Erosion Cliff instability |
Lighthouse Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Pier |
Toc H Camp
|
Medium |
|
Vertical Wall + groynes |
Similar processes, however differing shoreline protection methods likely to have a marked difference in cross and longshore sediment transport processes and rates. |
Overtopping |
Shore protection structures Cemetery Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Caravan parks Sports Ground Primary School |
Residential properties Commercial properties |
Medium |
|||
Rock Revetment |
Overtopping |
Medium |
||||||
Dog beach |
Natural sandy beach – high dunes Terminal scour at end of revetment. |
Erosion |
Dunes Foreshore reserve |
|
Medium |
|||
Queenscliff (Port Phillip Bay coast side) |
Natural sandy beach with pier structures |
Inundation Erosion |
Caravan parks Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Pier Foreshore reserve & park |
Residential properties Commercial properties Sports Club |
Medium |
|||
Swan Island (Port Phillip Bay coast side) |
Natural sandy beach – renourished with dredge spoil from Queenscliff |
Inundation Erosion |
Dunes |
Defence site |
Medium |
|||
|
Queenscliff (Fisherman’s Flats) |
Low-energy frontage with quay and seawalls |
Inundation |
Infrastructure - roads, car parks, rail line, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Shore protection structures Quay walls Ferry terminal Boat ramps |
Residential properties Commercial properties
|
High |
|||
Swan Bay |
Mostly natural low-energy shoreline. |
Inundation |
Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, access ways Services - Electricity, Gas Boat ramps Holiday Park Ramsar Wetland |
Residential properties Commercial properties Agricultural land Golf Course |
Medium |
|||
Lakers Cutting – Lonsdale Lakes Estate |
Low-lying land area with flood route fed through series of channels. |
Inundation |
Infrastructure - roads, SW, PW, access ways Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial properties |
High |
|||
6. Point Edwards to Portarlington |
St Leonards |
Section of sandy coast oriented north to south, some short defended sections, and some timber groynes. |
The scope of studies have been reduced for these areas due to a number of existing contemporary studies.
|
Inundation Erosion |
St Leonards Faunal Reserve Caravan park Holiday park Pier / Harbour Hypersaline habitat (Salt Lagoon) Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Shore protection structures |
Residential properties Commercial properties |
Medium |
|
Portarlington |
Very narrow beach and low-lying land |
Inundation Erosion |
Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Shore protection structures |
Residential properties Commercial properties |
Medium |
|||
Bellarine Bayside Shore |
Artificially renourished beach |
Inundation Erosion |
Holiday park Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Renourished beach |
Residential properties Commercial properties
|
High |
|||
7. Portarlington to Point Henry |
Ramblers Road |
Very low-lying section of beach that alternates between a low and moderate energy regime dependent on wind direction. |
Inundation Erosion |
Foreshore reserve Saline and freshwater habitat Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Boat ramp / harbour |
Residential properties
|
High |
||
Clifton Springs |
Low to medium energy environment |
Inundation Erosion Cliff instability |
Shore protection structures Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW, beach accesses Services - Electricity, Gas Boat ramps Heritage sites |
Residential properties Commercial properties
|
Medium |
|||
Point Henry |
Very narrow beach and low-lying land, low-energy environment |
Inundation Erosion |
Saline habitat Foreshore reserve Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW Caravan Park Services - Electricity, Gas |
Smelter works Commercial properties
|
Medium |
|||
8. Stingaree Bay to Geelong (South Corio Bay) |
Newcomb and Moolap |
Low-lying low-energy environment, hinterland landward of a series of levees potentially at risk.
|
Inundation
|
Saline and freshwater habitat Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW. Services - Electricity, Gas Public reserves Cemetery |
Residential properties Commercial / industrial properties
|
High |
||
|
Geelong
|
Eastern Beach |
Renourished section of beach amongst walled coastline. |
Inundation Erosion |
Foreshore reserve Marina Heritage sites Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW. Services - Electricity, Gas
|
Commercial properties
|
Medium |
||
Western Beach |
Seawalls, revetments, piers etc. |
Overtopping Inundation |
||||||
9. Geelong to Point Wilson (North Corio Bay) |
North Geelong
|
North Shore |
Some high cliffs, industrial port areas – quays, seawalls etc. |
Overtopping Inundation Cliff instability |
Foreshore reserve Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial / industrial properties |
Medium |
|
Shell Foreshore |
Some natural coast, Shell pier and number of outfalls. Areas of saline habitat. |
Inundation
|
Commercial / industrial properties |
|||||
Limeburners Lagoon |
Low-lying floodplain area, with creek and shallow lagoon. |
Inundation
|
Saline habitat Foreshore reserve Infrastructure - roads, car parks, SW, PW Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial / industrial properties |
Medium
|
|||
Avalon Beach |
Former saltpan site area, very low-lying, little dune protection. Row of properties. Significant habitat area. |
Inundation Erosion |
Saline habitat Infrastructure - roads, SW, PW Services - Electricity, Gas |
Residential properties Commercial / industrial properties |
Medium |
|||
Point Wilson |
Mostly natural rocky foreshore with low‑lying hinterland. |
Inundation
|
Saline habitat Infrastructure - roads, SW, PW Services - Electricity, Gas |
Commercial / industrial properties |
Medium
|
|||
Compartments
Modelling Approaches
