Barwon Coast — Coastal Erosion Baseline Survey | Case Study

Aerial view of the Barwon Coast coastal precinct at dusk, showing the river mouth, coastal spit and surrounding waterways — Aerial overview — Barwon Coast coastal precinct.

Baseline monitoring for coastal management

Coastal erosion monitoring requires accurate, repeatable spatial data. A drone survey can capture elevation and imagery across an entire coastal precinct in a single mobilisation — producing outputs that support hazard assessment, coastal zone management planning and infrastructure decisions.

This engagement was commissioned by Barwon Coast to establish a georeferenced baseline across the coastal precinct, with cross-sectional profiles at defined transect locations for future comparison.

ClientBarwon Coast

Coastal management authority

LocationBarwon Heads

Surf Coast / Bellarine, VIC

MethodDrone survey

Aerial mapping & profiling

OutputsDSM · DOM · Transects

Elevation model, imagery & 8 profiles

Survey deliverables

Georeferenced digital orthomosaic of the Barwon Coast survey area — Digital orthomosaic — georeferenced aerial imagery of the survey area.

Digital surface model showing coastal elevation across the Barwon Coast survey area — Digital surface model — elevation data across the coastal spit and dune system.

Cross-sectional beach profiles at 8 transect locations along the Barwon Coast survey area — Beach profiles — cross-sections at 8 transect locations showing beach face geometry, dune elevation and shoreline position (m AHD).

Surface elevation model

The digital surface model maps elevation across the coastal spit and dune system, identifying dune crest heights, low points and beach face gradient. This spatial picture supports assessment of storm inundation risk, sand movement patterns and the condition of the dune as a natural coastal buffer.

Cross-sectional beach profiles

Eight transects were surveyed across the precinct, each delivering a cross-sectional profile of the beach face and dune from the subtidal zone to the backshore. Profile data is referenced to Australian Height Datum (AHD), making future surveys directly comparable. Shoreline position and backshore extent are captured at each transect — the primary metrics for detecting erosion or accretion between survey intervals.

Repeatable baseline

All outputs are georeferenced and archived. Repeat surveys at defined intervals — seasonal, annual or event-triggered — can be directly compared against this baseline to quantify volumetric change, shoreline migration and dune condition over time. The transect network is fixed and replicable.

Barwon Coast — coastal erosion baseline survey.

Baseline monitoring for coastal management

Survey deliverables

Surface elevation model

Cross-sectional beach profiles

Repeatable baseline

Coastal monitoring built for repeat survey.