Moira Shire Council’s $1.2 million Yarrawonga Foreshore Reclamation Project was short listed for the Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards 2003. The project saw 1.2 hectares of land reclaimed along the southern shore of Lake Mulwala creating a 420 metre wall and path along the shore, a pool enclosure and new parklands.
The project was delivered on time and on budget just before the busy Christmas tourist season. The foreshore is now used by hundreds of families each weekend, has hosted a number of large events and continues to receive praise from the Yarrawonga community.
Construction of the new foreshore was due to be completed by contractors when Goulburn-Murray Water drained the 118 gigalitre capacity Lake Mulwala to repair the Yarrawonga weir.
Prevailing drought conditions saw the timeframe for the construction reduced from three months to just six weeks with the possibility that water levels would rise at any time without notice.
Moira Shire Council Chief Executive Officer, Gavin Cator said the tight timeframes, sheer scale of the work and the risk management involved posed a major hurdle to the completion of the project.
“Council’s capital works team acted quickly and decisively to develop an innovative design and construction schedule including direct management of the project to provide maximum control of risk, design, construction, timelines and budget,” Gavin Cator said. “The results speak for themselves and Moira Shire and the Yarrawonga community now boast a top facility that caters for tourism and community needs.”
