Contents (Part 2)

Contents (Part 2)

2.Existing conditions

2.1Land ownership and management

2.1.1Land ownership

2.1.2Land management

2.2Historical context

2.2.1Indigenous cultural heritage

2.2.2Non-indigenous history

2.3Geology and drainage

2.3.1Geology

2.3.2Flooding

2.3.3Geology and drainage issues and opportunities

2.4Environmental Values

2.4.1Flora

2.4.2Fauna

2.4.3Environmental issues and opportunities

2.5 Adjoining land use

2.5.1Barwon Valley Golf Course

2.5.2South Barwon Reserve

2.5.3Belmont Common South

2.5.4Adjoining land use issues and opportunities

2.6Access and circulation

2.6.1Vehicle access and circulation

2.6.2Car parking

2.6.3Pedestrian and bicycle access

2.6.4Access and circulation issues and opportunities

2.7Existing site infrastructure

2.7.1Former Geelong Junior Motocross Club Site

2.7.2Event Management Requirements

2.7.3Site infrastructure issues and opportunities

2.8Consultation

2.8.1Consultation at the Analysis Phase

2.8.2Consultation at the Draft Master Plan Phase

3.Plans

4.Implementation

4.1Summary of Indicative Costs and Priorities

Indicative Cost Details

Exclusions and Assumptions

Operational Costs

5.Conclusion

6.Bibliography

2.Existing conditions

2.1Land ownership and management

2.1.1Land ownership

The existing site is Crown Land owned and managed by DSE and CoGG as committee of management. The Barwon River Reserve on both sides is also Crown Land managed by the CCMA. VicRoads will own and manage the new Breakwater Road Bridge alignment, currently shown as Public Acquisition Overlay PAO3 and ownership of Old Breakwater Road will pass from VicRoads to Council. The Barwon Valley Golf Club and the Council Depot are Crown Land managed by CoGG.

FIGURE 8. MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES PLAN

2.1.2Land management

The site (including other areas of Belmont Common) is currently zoned Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) while CCMA managed land along the Barwon River is zoned Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ). The Council Depot is zoned as Public Use Zone 4.

The entire site area is subject to a Flood Overlay with Corangamite Catchment Management Authority as the responsible authority. Refer Figure 8. There is an Environmental Significance Overlay (ES02) over areas north of the new Breakwater Road Bridge including the Golf Course.

The breakwater is covered by a Heritage Overlay HO54 while the former Sunnyside Wool scour on the other side of the Barwon River is listed in both the Geelong Planning Scheme HO47 and on the Victorian Heritage Register.

2.2Historical context

2.2.1Indigenous cultural heritage

The Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation is the Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. The Wada wurrung is the Aboriginal language group that occupied the Geelong area at the time of contact. Their language boundary extended from the Otway Ranges in the west to the Werribee River in the east and incorporated the Bellarine Peninsula and Geelong.

The riverine and floodplain environment in the activity area would have provided an abundance of food and resources to Aboriginal people. The river and wetland environment supported the "greatest concentrations of Aboriginal people in Victoria", providing both fresh water and the "richest food environments" with Aboriginal people often camping close to the banks.

Cultural Heritage investigations completed for VicRoads as part of the new bridge by Dr. Vincent Clarke & Associates in 2010 confirmed results of the complex assessment indicates that the activity area is highly disturbed and modified both to the north and south of the Barwon River. The section south east of the Barwon River is currently occupied by the local Motocross Club and the Barwon Golf Club. Both uses have resulted in high modification of the land and constitute significant ground disturbance. The former Motocross Club has possibly both removed and imported soils, and the activity of the motorcycles has disturbed the land. Similarly, landscapes for golf clubs are by nature highly disturbed and modified, and this was evident in observations made in the field. Along the southern bank of the Barwon River, the land has been modified for recreation and beautification involving the construction of a shared use path, the importation of soils and gravel and the removal of River Red Gum trees. As a consequence of modifications and that the Barwon River is prone to flooding; the land on the southern side of the Barwon River was determined to be not sensitive for Aboriginal cultural heritage. Refer Section 1.5.3 for further details.

The CHMP report noted that all sites have significance to Aboriginal people, however onsite discussion with the Aboriginal group representatives during preparation of the CHMP indicated that they were satisfied this place has undergone significant previous disturbance and was subsequently of low significance.

2.2.2Non-indigenous history

In the 1830's when early European settlers arrived in Geelong they found the Barwon River to be brackish and subject to tidal influences downstream of Buckleys Falls. Using convict labour work began on the breakwater in 1839 and was completed in 1841 to prevent tidal salt flow continuing upstream. The original structure has been modified several times however the site is heritage listed in the Geelong Planning Scheme HO54.

The east and northern bank of the Barwon River have long been associated with the industrial development of Geelong. The former Sunnyside Wool Scour on the corner of Tucker Street and Currier Street (Breakwater Road) is listed in the Geelong Planning Scheme and on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Use of the site by the Geelong Junior Motocross Club finished in 2007 when they relocated from the site. The site has been vacant since this period.

PHOTO 1. CURRIER STREET /
PHOTO 2. FORMER SUNNYSIDE WOOLSCOUR

2.3Geology and drainage

2.3.1Geology

The site is located within the broad natural floodplain of the Barwon River. Geotechnical assessment completed by VicRoads for the Breakwater Road Bridge Project concluded that featuring River Alluvium comprising sand, gravel and clay deposits potentially overlaying Newer Volcanic basalt at depth. The proximity to the Barwon River results in a naturally high water table and potential salinity issues. Recommendations to address this include:

• Minimising migration of surface runoff to areas of impeded drainage
• Protection of remnant vegetation
• Dense planting of new vegetation to decrease any possible impacts in runoff prone areas
• Maintaining overland flow paths at existing watercourses and drainage lines
• Maintaining subsurface flow paths by provision of appropriate sub surface drainage.

The Former Geelong Junior Motocross Site has been filled 1 to 2m with spoil mounds containing imported fill of unknown provenance and hard rubbish. The site may be prone to contamination from oil spills and or other activities associated with former site use by the Motocross Club and recent site testing by VicRoads found elevated levels of arsenic (G.Gionis VicRoads pers comm) however details of this testing were not made available for review.

PHOTO 3. EXFILL MOUNDS ALONG RIVER /
PHOTO 4. VIEW SOUTH TO BREAKWATER ROAD

2.3.2Flooding

Belmont Common, including the study area, is part of the large open floodplain of the Barwon River and subject to relatively frequent and sometimes severe flooding. The existing (old) Breakwater Road crosses the Barwon River at an even lower level than the surrounding floodplain and is frequently closed due to flooding, a key reason for the current bridge replacement project.

In a major flood event the flood flows enter the Belmont Common area through the narrow opening under the Barwon Bridge and then spreads out across the broad Belmont Common Floodplain on the west side of the River.

The major hydraulic features in the area as summarized by Lawson and Trelor in their report for VicRoads are:

1)the historic breakwater (at old Breakwater Road), constructed in 1840 to prevent natural salt water intrusion upstream to Geelong. This structure also traps sediment leading to loss of capacity in the natural river channel further exacerbating flooding of the road.

2)the elevated Melbourne-Warnambool Railway embankment which has an open section as it crosses over (old) Breakwater Road and at Waurn Ponds Creek but traps floodwaters east of Barwon Heads Road causing significant head loss across the embankment during times of flood.

3)downstream there is another floodplain construction near Wilsons Road before the Barwon River flows in to the broad expanse of the Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve.

4)the bund walls of the Council Depot and Target Rifle Geelong in addition to the fill mounds of the former Geelong Junior Motocross Site also impact on flood flows.

100yr event raises flood levels to 3.6m AHD across the site and major floods have occurred in the area in 1952, 1978 and most recently in 1995 where levels reaches 3.2m AHD. Refer Photo 5. Typically Barwon River floods are of an extended duration and once overbank discharge occurs relatively low velocities are experienced in the study area.

Modeling completed by VicRoads concludes that construction of new Breakwater Road Bridge will have a minimal effect on local storage and the use of open space sections rather than culverts or embankments will retain transmission of flows. There were major works completed to install new culverts in the Melbourne-Warnambool Railway embankment south of the site however, there will be no alteration of major drainage lines within the site and areas which flood now will continue to be flooded at the same frequency and level.

Currently flood control gates on either side of the breakwater are used to restrict vehicle access across the Barwon River during floods. These controls will continue to be required for safety when Old Breakwater Road is flooded. At completion of works Old Breakwater Road will no longer connect through to Barwon Heads Road hence provision as been made for emergency access onto the new bridge so vehicles stuck on the west side (at the Dog Obedience Club or Target Rifle Geelong) can exit the area safely.

FIGURE 9. FLOOD OVERLAY DIAGRAM (Source: Geelong Planning Scheme) /
PHOTO 5. FLOOD MARKER

2.3.3Geology and drainage issues and opportunities

ISSUES

• The site will remain subject to flooding as will Old Breakwater Road.
• Potential arsenic and other contamination of fill and soil at the site may limit potential other public uses of the site.
• VicRoads current contract allows for removal of rubbish and use of up to a third of fill on the site in the road construction. The remaining fill will be flattened for use as a storage area and regrassed with a sterile rye grass. This will still leave the site filled above surrounding natural floodplain levels and will make establishment of large wetlands and floodplain reconnection more expensive and difficult.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Retention of some fill and grading will improve drainage and provide a surface slightly less prone to flooding. If this site was capped with top soil and regrassed with an appropriate turf mix it would be more useable for events, playing fields etc.
• The establishment of the new lake in the golf course and drainage swales and bioremediation swales for the new road if linked could be used to improve ephemeral wetland zones and habitat links from inland areas on Belmont Common to the Barwon River.
• There will be large earth moving machinery on site for the road and bridge construction. Minor drainage line works and areas of cut and fill balance to lower existing low lying areas and raise and grade other areas outside the current scope of works could be used cost effectively completed to extend floodplain habitat zones and links to the River and improve the flood protection, drainage and maintenance of retained mown grass areas.

PHOTO 7. EX OPEN DRAINAGE LINE /
PHOTO 6. BREAKWATER RD SIGNAGE

2.4Environmental Values

2.4.1Flora

Assessment completed by Ecology Partners P/L for the Barwon through Geelong Management Plan and the Breakwater Road Bridge NetGain analysis concluded that area would have originally supported several Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) commonly found along the Barwon River floodplain. These include Floodplain Riparian Woodland with areas of Aquatic Herbland and Lignum Swamp.

The site has however been extensively disturbed and there is little remnant indigenous vegetation aside from areas along the River where Common Reed Phragmites australis, Tangled Lignum Muehlenbeckia florulenta and Common Tussock-grass Poa labillardierei are present along with planted trees and shrubs including River Redgums Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The remaining site comprising areas of planted natives of unknown provenance, many of which will be removed during completion of the new bridge works. There is extensive infestation of exotic pasture grasses and weeds associated with imported fill and previous land use at the site.

PHOTO 8. EX PATH AT BARWON RIVER TRAIL /
PHOTO 9. RAIL BRIDGE OVER WAURN PONDS CREEK

PHOTO 10. APPROXIMATE BRIDGE CROSSING LOCATION

2.4.2Fauna

Assessment completed by Ecology Partners for VicRoads of the three habitat zones found on the site concluded the following.

The Barwon River is of moderate to high habitat value. It is home to several rare and threatened fish species including Australian Grayling, Yarra Pygmy Perch and Australian Mudfish. The dense cover of reeds and variable cover of floating and submerged aquatic vegetation provides moderate to high value habitat for frogs and water birds including White faced Heron, Pacific Black Duck and other common open country birds.

Existing drainage lines currently provide low to moderate habitat value supporting wetland dependant species such as Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamp hen and where unslashed and featuring dense vegetation potentially rare Crakes and Rails. There is habitat for frogs including Common Froglet and Spotted Marsh Frog as well as locally common reptiles such as Lowland Copperhead.

Planted vegetation including Australian natives and exotic trees and shrubs and exotic pasture grass as found on the golf course and inland areas of the study area provide low habit value. The trees provide foraging resource for Lorikeets, Honeyeaters and Wattlebirds and dense low shrubs can be used by smaller species such as wrens, thornbills and fantails. The few native species known to use exotic grass areas are adapted to modified habitats including Magpie-lark, Australian Magpie and Galah as well as introduced species such as Common Myna, Common Starling and House Sparrow.

2.4.3Environmental issues and opportunities

ISSUES

• Highly disturbed site where with a significant weed seed bank associated with imported fill and previous land use.
• New bridge works will result in removal of a large number of mature trees further reducing cover on an already denuded site.
• Proximity of the existing Barwon River Trail to the river limits opportunities improve habitat values by connecting areas of new and existing revegetation.
• There is no bioremediation (WSUD) in unsealed car parks along the river which also contribute to increased sediment transfer to the Barwon River after rainfall and floods.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Investigate opportunities to reshape and extend drainage lines and naturally wet areas with links to the Barwon River to expand potential habitat for rare and threatened frogs, birds and fish species.
• Implementation of a coordinated program of weed control and full EVC revegetation to link existing areas of revegetation along the river to new wetland areas and nodes within Belmont Common.
• Undertake additional indigenous parkland tree planting to screen built infrastructure from the new road bridge, improve landscape amenity at Belmont Common and South Barwon Reserve and assist VicRoads-CoGG's carbon offset/sequestration program.
• When upgrading/replacing the existing Barwon River Trail investigate realigning sections further away from the river to increase the width of the riparian revegetation zone to maximise habitat values especially where the river is already not visible.

2.5 Adjoining land use

2.5.1Barwon Valley Golf Course

The northern boundary of the site is formed by the Barwon Valley Golf Club. This 18 hole public access course is managed by CoGG. Three holes of the course will be slightly modified as part of the new bridge project. Refer 1.5.2. The golf course features an open woodland of established native trees with several lakes. The club is accessed from Barwon Heads Road through Jerringot Wetlands.

The CoGG Operations Depot forms the western boundary to the site. It features two compounds protected by earthen levee banks. The western compound abutting Barwon Heads Road includes the buildings, car parking and operational areas. The eastern compound accessed from Breakwater Road is used for storage of pipes, bluestone, gravel and other materials. The earthen bund is infested with weeds and this site will become highly visible from the new road and bridge following removal of trees along the 15th hole of the golf course and from Breakwater Road.

PHOTO 11. VIEW TO BARWON VALLEY GOLF COURSE FROM THE EXISTING 14TH TEE

PHOTO 12. CoGG DEPOT BUND /
PHOTO 13. CoGG DEPOT STORAGE AREA

2.5.2South Barwon Reserve

South of Breakwater Road South Barwon Reserve contains six ovals of varying standard used primarily for cricket and football. There are pavilions and public toilet facilities which are opened by tenant clubs on match and training days as required. There is mixed native perimeter planting some revegetation has occurred along the western boundary at Waurn Ponds Creek however ovals 4, 5 and 6 have limited tree cover. The eastern ovals have poor drainage.