Located off the mainland of South Australia, Kangaroo Island boasts a variety of nature reserves and is home to native wildlife, such as kangaroos, koalas, sea lions and a diverse range of birds. With a principally agricultural focus, its beautiful coastline also attracts a large amount of tourism throughout the year. With the increased level of tourism to the island, ENGEO was engaged to assist in the development of an exclusive golf course, aimed at being one of the top 10 in the world.
Within a 7-day timeframe, an ENGEO team was mobilised from Christchurch to head to the site. A collaborative effort between our New Zealand and Australian staff began with their task to provide recommendations on how close the proposed new golf course development could safely extend toward the impressive cliff face.
Using innovative drone technology, ENGEO produced oblique aerial imagery of a 3km long section of coastline and a topographical survey of the same coastline extending at least 50m inland, overlaid with geomorphological mapping, to identify elevation points, evaluate terrain, assess slope stability, and provide technical recommendations.
One of the challenges ENGEO faced was unforeseen extreme weather. Kangaroo Island sits in a Mediterranean climate, 100 km downwind from Adelaide. During the project time, Adelaide became newsworthy for their intense heat, being named the hottest city in the southern hemisphere. With temperatures reaching up to 45°C, our team had to utilise their strong organisation skills, manage and overcome technological malfunctions, and work through the challenges of being in an unforgiving, offshore landscape. ENGEO’s preparation and collaboration allowed for all fieldwork to be completed within 7 days, followed by extensive data processing, and the creation of thorough reports within 3 weeks of returning from the site.
Thanks to the ENGEO team involved: Lauren Foote, Reuben Williams, Dan Kaminski, Catherine Loye, Richard Justice and Guy Cassidy.
