On Monday the 7th of October, well rested from the long day of travelling we gathered to leave at 7:15 AM. We arrived at South Cross station for our train to Geelong. In Geelong a bus with employees of DEECA, or more accurately the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action was waiting for us. DEECA is a government agency that protects and preserves the landscape of the state of Victoria in Australia. The government agency can decide their coastal protection measures state independently, as is usual in Australia. In Australia is a state responsibility opposed to a national responsibility in the Netherlands. DEECA executes maintenance and plans necessary projects. The execution of the project depends on if the state can allocate or retrieve funds for it.
On this particular trip DEECA brought along their coastal protection experts. The main topic of this excursion was related to this micro study as this is a great issue they face at the cities and along the Great Ocean Road. Next to coastal protection, nature-based solutions were often a topic, as the state of Victoria is pro-active in adopting nature-based solutions for their challenges. An example is the use of vegetation to reduce erosion of the shoreline.
With our bus driver Dave, who was not scared of taking sharp corners with high speed, the adventure was about to unfold. Our first stop was in Geelong itself. Here one of the excursion leaders told us that basalt (blue stones) is mainly used around the coastline as protection against waves. These are very old protective walls and therefore also of cultural value. The stones used for the seawall were retrieved from a former prison and is a great example of the use of reusable materials. The builders of the seawall built the seawall with the carved-out markings by the inmates facing the sea. This together with the fact that the carving of blue stone is a dying craft makes it difficult for a restoration project to be agreed upon by all parties. However, an agreement must be made soon. Sea level rise is a threat that Geelong and Melbourne are facing. Plans must be made to deal with SLR and with the preserving of the sea wall.
After the interesting stories about the protection of Melbourne and Geelong against the waves, the tour guides explained the erosion issues they face at these coasts. Due to the construction of the port at the coastal area, the natural equilibrium of sand accumulation and erosion was intervened. Due to the port, the sand that would naturally accrete at the beach did not reach this place. At the mean time the erosion rate was the same, as a consequence the beach was eroding. Groynes had to be installed to prevent erosion at this location.
Having finished the lecture regarding Melbourne and Geelong, it was time to hop on the bus and drive on the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is a 240 km long road
that runs along the south coast of Victoria. The road was by Australian soldiers who came back from fighting in the First World War. The road was built by soldiers for soldiers and serves as the largest war memorial. The funding for the road was gathered by private subscriptions and borrowing and was to be regained by toll. This was the case until the debt was cleaned and the road was gifted to the state. Along the Great Ocean Road, a lot of erosion is present, and the road is damaged at several locations. Currently concrete groynes are used to reduce erosion. For us Dutch civil engineers it was a shock that they did not use groynes earlier, when erosion was already storting to cause issues. The use of groynes is however seen as a last resort solution for erosion, since it will create a less beautifull view. Therefore, nature-based solutions are the preferred solutions to handle the challenges. After the Twelve Apostles as a last stop along this beautiful bus tour, the bus took us back to Geelong and therefore the excursion came to an end.
When looking at the Macro study, whereby a PESTLE analysis was conducted, it could be mentioned that DEECA is part of the ‘Political’ ,‘Economical’, and ‘Technical’ part of the Pestle analysis. It is related to the politica part, since DEECA is a governmental firm. It is related to the economical aspect since DEECA is selecting the construction firm that will win the ‘Tender’ of a project. The business plan the construction firm made for a project will then be used to apply for governmental fundings. Furthermore, the excursion is linked to the technical part of the PESTLE analysis, since DEECA is responsible for the protection and maintenance of the shore. To do so technical measures have to be taken and lots of modelling has to be done.
The excursion could be linked to the meso studie ‘Digital Technologies’, since modelling and monitoring is applied to design of technical structues to prevent erosion and damage caused by the waves. It could also be linked to the meso study ‘Climate Mitigation and Adaptation’, since the challenges and projects shown are used to adapt to sea level rise. Sea level rise is of course related to climate change. DEECA also mentioned that climate changes is also causing heavier storms and also bigger waves that will impact the erosion and water safety in Victoria. Furthermore, the excursion could be linked to the meso study ‘Resilience’, since the projects shown are conducted to withstand the heavier impacts to the shore due to climate change.
All-in-all it was interesting for us to see how engineers try to maintain the shore by using different techniques throughout its history. It could also be mentioned that the excursion was usefull for the following micro studies: coastal protection and nature-based solutions. During the excursion it was well explained that for example erosion is a big challenge around the Victorian Coastline. It was also explained what techniques where used to overcome this challenge. It was furthermore explained how nature based solutions, as mentioned earlier, where used around the Victorian Coast. We also think that questions asked and the information given will thus be useful as reference material
to confirm or substantiate findings in these micro study topics. Even when it is not used for your micro study , it would probably have given useful insights which you could use later on in your civil engineering career. It is however still interesting to know that the use of concrete groynes is still new in this part of Australia. Last but not least we would like to mention that this excursion was also showing the students a beautiful view of the Victorian Coast, which many students would have missed when this excursion was not part of the study tour.