Tour 1: Not just another DAM tour
8:00am Depart Newcastle (pick-up point yet to be confirmed)
Travel to Tillegra Dam site via Seaham Weir
10:00am Morning Tea and Tillegra Dam design talk at Munni House
10:45am Inspection of proposed Tillegra Dam Spillway location
11:30am Inspection of Chichester Dam
12:30pm Lavish lunch at Barringtons Country Retreat
(lunch included, drinks available for purchase)
2:00pm Depart Barringtons Country Retreat
Travel to Newcastle Airport via Grahamstown Dam
3:30pm Drop-off at Newcastle Airport (Williamtown)
(save $s on taxi fare!)
4:15pm Drop-off in Newcastle
Cost: $110 per head
The scenic Williams Valley has long provided a vital source of water for the urban areas of the Lower Hunter, including the town centres of Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens. The Williams River, and its major tributary the Chichester River, capture water from the high rainfall southern flanks of the 1500m high Barrington Tops.
Departing at 8am, this tour will explore the full length of the Williams Valley right up to the foothills of the Barrington Tops. The focus of the tour will be on the infrastructure along the river that is used to harvest water for town water supply. Highlights of the tour will include an inspection of the proposed Tillegra Dam site, an inspection of the historic Chichester Dam, and a sumptuous lunch at the Barringtons Country Retreat.
Subject to receiving the necessary approvals, the proposed 450GL Tillegra Dam is to be built in the upper Williams Valley at an estimated cost of $406 million. The new dam is to be owned and operated by Hunter Water Corporation and will secure the water supply to the Lower Hunter region for at least the next 60 years. There will be a brief presentation on the design and planning for the new dam and an inspection of the dam wall location.
Chichester dam has a fascinating history of modification since it was built in 1927 and could be described as a dam chasing hydrology for the past 80 years as flood design standards have changed.
The schedule for this tour includes a drop off at Williamtown airport at 3:30pm, which will provide delegates with adequate time to catch jet services to Brisbane or Melbourne on Friday afternoon (based on the preliminary flight schedule for December 2009).
Tour 2: Rivers of Wine Tour
8:30am Depart Newcastle (pick-up point yet to be confirmed)
9:00am Hunter Region SES Headquarters, Metford
Followed by morning tea
9:45am Wallis Creek floodgates, Central Maitland riverbank works
10:45am Bolwarra floodway – spillway, diversion bank and controls
11:30am Inspection of Oakhampton floodway and Penstock Tower
12:00noon Depart for vineyards
12:45pm Lunch at Audrey Wilkinson Winery
(lunch, glass of wine or soft drink and wine tasting included)
3:15pm Depart Audrey Wilkinson Winery
4:45pm Drop-off at Newcastle Airport (Williamtown)
(save $s on taxi fare!)
5:30pm Drop-off in Newcastle
Cost: $120 per head
After the devastating Hunter Valley flood of 1955, the Hunter Valley Conservation Trust (forerunner to the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority) began working with the state government, local councils and landholders to coordinate flood mitigation activities across the Hunter's floodplain. Works were carried out under the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Act 1956.
Today, the Lower Hunter Flood Mitigation Scheme is the most extensive coordinated flood mitigation scheme in NSW. It is valued at over $250 million - jointly funded by the Australian, NSW and local governments, and community through catchment rates. The scheme requires on-going funding to maintain 160km of levees, 4km of spillways, 245 floodgate structures, 120km of flood drains, and 270km of streambank stabilisation works and extensive riparian vegetation plantings. Although these works cannot prevent flooding, they can help reduce the impact of floods on the lives and livelihood of people living on the Hunter's floodplain.
The scheme has come into operation in 3 major flood events in 1971, 1977 and more recently in June 2007. In each event, the scheme effectively diverted floodwater away from the Maitland city centre thereby reducing the peak height and potential damage in residential areas of Lorn and Maitland. The scheme is jointly managed by the Department of Environment and Climate Change and the CMA.
During this tour you will see key components of the flood mitigation scheme, hear commentary about how it has performed during past floods and visit the Hunter Region SES Head Quarters. Following the tour of the Lower Hunter Flood Mitigation Scheme, delegates will head to the Hunter Wine Region for lunch and wine tasting.
The schedule for this tour includes a drop off at Williamtown airport at 4:45pm, which will provide delegates with adequate time to catch a jet service to Melbourne on Friday afternoon (based on the preliminary flight schedule for December 2009).