The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority is taking a partnership approach to plan for and manage coastal hazards along the Great Ocean Road coastline, now and into the future.

Our approach is following the direction of the Marine and Coastal Policy 2020 and Victoria’s Resilient Coast – Adapting for 2100+ framework and guidelines.

The Victorian Resilient Coast – Adapting for 2100+ (shown below) provides a strategic approach to coastal hazard risk management and adaptation. It includes a framework, guidelines and support for Local Government, coastal land managers and communities to enable place-based, best practice and long-term coastal hazard risk management and adaptation; and build on the directions in the Marine and Coastal Policy 2020.

The Marine and Coastal policy (also shown below) states that we need to plan for sea level rise of “not less than 0.8 metres by 2100” as a statewide planning benchmark. It also states that we need to “allow for the combined effects of tides, storm surges, flooding, coastal processes and local conditions such as topography and geology, when assessing risks and coastal impacts associated with climate change”. There is also a commitment to review and update this policy to reflect the current research.

In some locations along the Great Ocean Road, erosion and storm inundation is increasing in frequency due to climate change and it’s impacting important community coastal values. With a changing climate, we must continue to prepare for and adapt to increased wave action, storm activity and sea level rise.

We are committed to a strategic approach in planning for long-term coastal hazard resilience and adaptation for this region, reflected in our commitment to working in a partnership approach to create a Regional Coastal Adaptation Plan.

A crucial step in considering the use or development of coastal Crown land, is understanding and planning for coastal hazard risk and climate change impacts. The Marine and Coastal Policy sets out a ‘pathway approach’ for this that is stepped out over time to allow decision makers to plan for, prioritise, and stagger investment in adaptation options.

When identifying strategic adaptation options, they are to be considered in the order shown below.