Site Tours

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Monday 29 April 2024
Time: 1.00pm – 5.30pm
Duration: 4.5 Hours
Capacity: 20 people

Participate in a special walking tour of the Bolin Bolin billabong with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Melbourne Water and learn details of current ecological and cultural management practices and challenges. 

On this two-hour walking tour, you’ll learn about the significance of this site, the challenges facing Bolin Bolin and the collaborative approach taken to restore and safeguard the billabong’s ecological integrity whilst protecting and maintaining vital cultural values. Balancing the many current and past values of Bolin Bolin has provided a multi-benefit management focus. Melbourne Water is partnering with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Parks Victoria, and Manningham Council to restore and monitor the impact of influencing watering regimes. An ongoing focus on ecological integrity also provides improved habitat for wildlife and enhanced community amenity. 

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung 
The Bolin Bolin tour focuses on western science knowledge supporting cultural landscape management and decision making, environmental water delivery and monitoring. Traditional Owners, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water as waterway managers, work together to enhance environmental water delivery for ecological, liveability and cultural outcomes. 

Walk on Country 
Bolin Bolin is a significant billabong wetland site located on the lower Yarra.  

The tour will highlight the significant ecological and Cultural values of the site and works undertaken to rehabilitate the site. Key themes will include: Introduction to MW environmental water and billabongs program, discussion and viewing of site rehabilitation works and monitoring and viewing Bolin Bolin site.

Schedule
12.45pm - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC) 
1.00pm - Bus departs from MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 
4.45pm - Bus departs for MCEC
5.30pm - Bus arrives at MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 

PPE Requirements

Closed sturdy shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and sun protection. Safety glasses and/or hard hats will be supplied where required. 

Catering

Afternoon tea provided

Cost

Member $128
Non-Member $179

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Monday 29, April 2024 
Time: 12.00pm – 5.30pm 
Duration: 5.0 Hours 
Capacity: 20 people 

The Future Water Story of Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant 

A tour focused on cultural management of grasslands and circular economy. 

Wadawurrung will host delegates for a Welcome to Country and Smoking ceremony on Wadawurrung Country and provide an introduction into how cultural fire management supports both cultural and ecological outcomes in the grasslands of the western treatment plant. This showcases the many roles Traditional Owners play to support Melbourne Water to manage cultural landscapes. 

The Future Water Story – Circular Economy Tour transports you to the historic Western Treatment Plant (WTP) in Werribee - a world-leader in environmentally-conscious sewage treatment, and one of Victoria’s most unlikely hidden treasures. Participants will board a bus and be taken to some key sites across WTP to give a flavour of its values and complexity! 

Roughly the size of Phillip Island, WTP is home to more than just sewage treatment facilities – doubling as a working farm and internationally recognised bird habitat. Here, agriculture and biodiversity meet resource recovery, education, and ecotourism, supporting Melbourne’s renowned liveability.

The tour will explore the idea of circular systems and the use of alternative water sources to meet our future challenges, to ensure water security now and for future generations. It will end with a preview and project progress on WTP’s Digital Education Centre and some of its new features. 
 

The Future Water Story Experience  

 
Part 1 - Travel to Lake Borrie Wetlands and safety briefing, including a Welcome to Country, Smoking ceremony and introduction into cultural fire management by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.    

Part 2 – Systems Innovation Tour 

The tour will include viewing and discussion of key assets and locations which demonstrate WTP’s contribution to a circular economy.    
Locations will include;  

• Pots, lagoons, covers and biogas energy generation.  
• Pond 10 and outlet to Port Phillip Bay 
• Sludge drying pans and biosolids stockpiles. 
• Recycled water irrigated agriculture.  
• Biodiversity conservation areas 

Part 3 – Visit to Cocoroc Cultural Precinct  

Guided Education Centre Experience, including heritage and cultural aspects. 

Schedule  

11.45am - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC).  

12.00pm - Bus departs from MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 

4.30pm - Bus departs for MCEC  

5.30pm - Bus arrives at MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance 

PPE Requirements 

Closed sturdy shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and sun protection. 

Cost 

Member $132 

Non-Member $185 

Catering 

Lunch and afternoon tea provided.

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Friday 3, May 2024 
Time: 9:00am to 2.30pm 
Duration: 5.5 Hours 
Capacity: 20 people

Tour of the Western Treatment Plant with a focus on the 5 West Nutrient Removal Plant (NRP) Project, with a visit to the construction site.

The tour will include bus travel and walking components starting at the Melbourne Water Education & Cultural Centre, followed by a bus trip to the NRP paddock. Visitors will explore and visit NRP Tanks and Buildings, walking along various NRP tanks to witness different stages of work in the NRP area.  

The itinerary also includes visits to the Blower Building, Electrical Building, and RAS Pump Station. Subsequently, the tour continues with a bus expedition to observe the Feed Pump Station, Feed Pipeline, and Effluent Pipeline. 

Visitors will also learn about the background of the project and how it ties into the rest of Western Treatment Plant, hear about the progress of works since site works started and get an insight into how the construction of 5West NRP progressed.  

Education & Cultural Centre /Cocoroc 

The tour will include Introduction to Western Treatment Plant, its heritage and traditional owner cultural significance. 

Nutrient Removal Plant (NRP) Project  

The tour will highlight project scope and benefit, its significance to Melbourne Water’s long term plan. It will also present examples of any high risks works, specific technologies or methodologies being employed to achieve the projects objectives, environmental considerations or sustainability goals and tour 160S 

Schedule  

8.45am - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC).  

9.00am - Bus departs from MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 

1.30pm - Bus departs for MCEC  

2.30pm - Bus arrives at MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance

PPE Requirements  

Safety boots (laced up), long sleeve shirts, long pants, hard hats, hi-vis vests and safety glasses. 

Steel capped boots can be provided on site if requested based on pre-request. 

Cost 

Member $132 

Non-Member $185 

Catering 

Morning tea and lunch provided. 

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Monday 29, April 2024 
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm 
Duration: 3 Hours 
Capacity: 20 people 

Heart of Science works Museum Project site 

Following a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, participants will embark on a journey through the heart of the Scienceworks museum with an exclusive industry based tour of the Hobsons Bay Main Sewer project, which is testament to a seamless integration of infrastructure and education. The experience begins with a cinematic exploration (popcorn provided) which includes footage of the construction of the 670 metre sewer under the Yarra River at a depth of 35 metres and underneath the open spaces of the museum, transformed into a transparent building site with educational hoarding tailored to its family audience. 

Whilst exploring the historic grounds, discover how the project is seamlessly interwoven with aging sewer assets, including the iconic Spotswood Pumping Station, learn about its sustainability initiatives and the intersection of progress and preservation.  

Part 1 - Pumping Station Scienceworks at event space 

• Partnership optimisation resulting from project agreement > Scienceworks/ Melbourne Water/ John Holland
• Presentation by all partners on project and promotional/ water literacy opportunities optimisation > including video presentation 
• Play Flushback AR game – including water cycle components

Part 2 - Heart of Scienceworks museum at the project site 

• $206M critical sewer infrastructure project
• 670m tunnelling work under the Yarra River in the heart of a museum
• Solar energy system (220 removable panels) to power the construction site
• Sustainability and recycling initiatives
• Award-winning hoarding > water literacy focus on the importance of the project related to the museum audience

Schedule 

8.45am - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC).  

9.00am - Bus departs from MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 

11.30am - Bus departs for MCEC  

12.00pm - Bus arrives at MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance

PPE Requirements  

Steel Capped boots, long sleeves, long pants, and sun protection. Safety glasses and/or hard hats will be supplied where required. 

Cost  

Member $128 

Non-member $179 

Catering 

Morning tea provided 

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Friday 3rd, May 2024 
Time: 9.00am to 11.00am 
Duration: 2 hours 
Capacity: 20 people

The Reimagining Moonee Ponds Creek Project is transforming a section of one of Melbourne’s most popular waterways into a more natural, enjoyable community space.

The Moonee Ponds Creek catchment is one of Melbourne’s most urbanised and modified creek systems. Between the 1940s and 1980s – like many urban waterways – the Moonee Ponds Creek from Strathmore to Flemington Road was highly modified, realigned and concreted by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), to carry flood water away from properties in the most efficient manner possible, which was considered best practice at the time.

Waterway management and drainage approaches have evolved over time to better recognise the environmental and social value of natural waterways, and for these values to be managed in harmony with the drainage services they also provide. Current thinking now better recognises the value that restoring previously engineered stormwater channels to more natural systems (creek naturalisation) contributes to liveable communities and waterway health.
An ambitious partnership called the Chain of Ponds Collaboration was established in 2017, which unites more than a dozen organisations committed to achieving a common goal to transform the Moonee Ponds Creek into an iconic waterway for Melbourne that provides high social, cultural and environmental benefits. The collaboration includes four local councils, state government agencies, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, water authorities and research organisations. A shared vision with clear roles and responsibilities were considered as key steps forward to revitalise the creek and its surrounds.

Through community feedback that informed the Chain of Ponds Strategic Plan in 2018, a particular section of the concrete-lined creek in Strathmore and Oak Park was identified as a priority to revitalise and naturalise; chosen because it was the last section of the creek to be concreted, and represents the most upstream section of concrete channel.

The transformation of Moonee Ponds Creek is being achieved by:

• Removing concrete and replacing this with rockwork to create a meandering creek, to slow down flows and give it a more natural look and feel
• Planting trees and shrubs for increased shading and cooling
• Constructing new shared paths and a new bridge for better active transport connections
• Activating open space for better community use and recreation by creating gathering spaces like a natural amphitheatre.  
  
  

Melbourne Water is leading the delivery of the project through the Reimagining Your Creek Program on behalf of the Chain of Ponds Collaboration Group and in partnership with Merri-bek City Council, Moonee Valley City Council, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Greater Western Water, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

Discover how the project came to be, its collaborative design with the community, and the challenges of giving the creek a more natural look and feel. 

Schedule 

8.45am - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC).  

9.00am - Bus departs from MCEC – Convention Centre Place entrance 

10.30am - Bus departs for MCEC         

11.00am - Bus arrives at MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance - Convention Centre Place entrance

PPE Requirements   

Sturdy and comfortable walking shoes and sun protection 

Cost  

AWA Member $131 

Non-member $183  

Catering 

Morning tea provided

LIMITED SPOTS

Date: Friday 3, May 2024 
Time: 9:00am to 2:30pm 
Duration: 5.5 Hours 
Capacity: 20 people 

Floating Wetlands Project 

Westernport water has embarked on an innovative two year study to assess the effectiveness of wetland plants in removing nutrients and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from treated wastewater. The study is the first of its kind to measure the performance of a floating wetland on both water quality and greenhouse gas emissions and aims to provide evidence to support and encourage more nature-based solutions in the water sector.  

A floating wetland system planted with 1,800 native plants has been installed in a wastewater lagoon at Cowes Wastewater Treatment Plant. Together with scientists from Deakin University and CSIRO, Westernport Water monitors the plants to determine how effective they are at absorbing nutrients, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations of emerging contaminants from wastewater. The researchers’ findings will be shared with the broader water sector and the local community throughout the project, with workshops and a community open day planned.

What are Floating Wetlands? 

Floating wetlands use wetland plant species that are suspended on the water column with roots submersed in the water. The plants are expected to take up nutrients and various contaminants from the water column, sequestering them in planttissues. Every six months the plant shoots are harvested, allowing for new growth so the cycle can continue. The harvested plants have the potential to be re-used, composted or turned into biochar.

Join the site tour where Westernport Water will discuss the Floating Wetland project and outline its benefits, the construction/installation process, and monitoring. This project will help to inform planning for a permanent constructed wetland at the King Road Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Schedule 

8.45am - Meet at Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre (MCEC).  

9.00am - Bus departs from MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance 

12.30pm - Bus departs for MCEC  

2.30pm - Bus arrives at MCEC - Convention Centre Place entrance 

PPE Requirements  

Closed sturdy shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and sun protection

Cost  

Member $185 

Non-member $259 

Catering 

Morning tea and lunch provided