Sureside was engaged by gorcpa to assess post-storm damage to the port campbell seawall. sureside staff had previously assessed storm damage to the port campbell seawall which at that time led to upgrade of timber seawall to a concrete seawall constructed around 10 years prior.

damage to the asset was primarily associated with detailing of the existing wall. an aperture was retained in the new wall for unknown reasons which had led to the formation of concentrated hydraulic gradients leading to scour of backfill behind the seawall. this was exacerbated by a poor arrangment of stairways which permited wave energy unabated to penetrate behind the seawall and locally flood the seawall. flooding led to scour of the foreshore and contributed to the scouring which extended to undermining a stairway.

further, coastal protection elements of the system stopped at the seawall itself. seawalls need to be backed by overtopping resilient finishes in order to minimise ongoing maintenance but also to protect the seawall itself which partially relies upon the presence of its backfill for its stability and robustness.

sureside provided recommendations for short term repair and provided commentary on the causal factors for damage that was sustained for longer term consideration.

project client: great ocean road coast & parks authority (‘gorcpa’)

sureside client: gorcpa

services: Condition Assessment, diagnostic analysis & technical advisory

location: port campbell, south-western victoria, southern ocean, victoria, australia

time period: 2025