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Home > Managing Our Natural Resources > Geoconservation > Wave Wake and Erosion - Lower Gordon River

Wave Wake and Erosion - Lower Gordon River

**Measuring cruise boat wave wake and impact, Tuan Gaby Flats**

Since at least the mid 1980s, the wake from tourist cruise boats has caused erosion of the formerly stable to depositional banks of the lower Gordon River within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Speed and access restrictions on the operation of commercial cruise vessels have considerably slowed, but not halted erosion of the now destabilised banks.

Two forms of monitoring are being undertaken - see the following PDFs:

Lower Gordon River Erosion Monitoring Report
(PDF: 48 KB / 4 pages. Contains diagrams)

This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is easy to download and is free of charge.

Lower Gordon River Turbidity Monitoring Report
(PDF: 155 KB / 8 pages. Contains images.)

This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is easy to download and is free of charge.

Monitoring results suggest that visitors in smaller recreational vessels are now causing almost as much erosion as commercial cruises.

Download a brief history of the Gordon River erosion problem.

Further description of the area, the problem and management prescriptions is available in the Lower Gordon River Recreation Zone Plan. (This plan is due for revision.)

Some major suggested changes to the Lower Gordon River Recreation Zone Plan include:

A 5 knot speed limit for all non-commercial traffic
Revised criteria and testing guidelines for commercial operations
Minor adjustments to some zone boundaries
Annual reporting of monitoring results.

An empirical rationale for the proposed plan changes is presented in The revised wave wake criteria for vessel operation on the lower Gordon River.

For further information

Contact: Wave Wake Enquiries

Jason Bradbury
Geoscientific Officer
134 Macquarie Street HOBART TAS 7000
Phone: 03 6233 5058
Fax: 03 6233 3477
Email: Jason.Bradbury@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Department switchboard: 1300 368 550 (local call cost within Australia)

Wave Wake and Erosion

Tasmania Online | Service Tasmania

This page - http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/LJEM-6J289T?open - was last published on 17 February 2009 by the Department of Primary Industries and Water. Questions concerning its content can be sent to NatureConservation Enquiries by using the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001, or by telephone to 03 6233 6556.

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