Delivering Approved Cultural Heritage Management Across Complex Energy Infrastructure in Victoria
Beach Energy is an ASX listed Australian-based oil and gas exploration and production company founded in 1961, headquartered in Adelaide. As a key domestic supplier, it operates assets across five basins in Australia and New Zealand, providing natural gas, oil, and liquids. The company focuses on East and West Coast Australian hubs, including the Cooper and Perth Basins.
Beach Energy’s Enterprise Pipeline Project required a 12-kilometre pipeline connection between the Enterprise well site near Port Campbell and the Otway Gas Plant, a corridor that passed through areas of cultural heritage sensitivity, demanding a rigorous and legislatively compliant approach from the outset.
Australian Cultural Heritage Management (ACHM) was engaged to lead all heritage investigations, manage Traditional Owner consultation and deliver the approved Cultural Heritage Management Plan. Working directly alongside the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC), our team ensured that Eastern Maar cultural values shaped the heritage assessment process at every stage, and that all statutory requirements under Victorian heritage legislation were fully satisfied.
The result was a clear, defensible approvals framework that gave Beach Energy confidence to proceed with construction efficiently and without heritage-related delay, an outcome built on methodical fieldwork, transparent engagement and a deep understanding of both the regulatory environment and the cultural landscape.”
Client
Beach Energy
Location
Otways, Victoria
Sectors
Energy and Mining
Services
Results Delivered
Managing Cultural Heritage In the Energy Sector in Victoria
Despite a pipeline corridor spanning numerous private landowners across a relatively remote section of Victoria’s Otways, Australian Cultural Heritage Management delivered an Approved Cultural Heritage Management Plan, managing all access logistics, archaeological survey, excavation and Traditional Owner consultation with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation without disruption to Beach Energy’s project schedule. The outcome gave Beach Energy a clear and legislatively compliant framework to progress construction with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a gas pipeline project in Victoria require a Cultural Heritage Management Plan?
Yes, in most cases. Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, pipeline construction is classified as a high-impact activity and therefore requires an approved Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) where the pipeline corridor passes through an area of cultural heritage sensitivity. For Beach Energy’s Enterprise Pipeline, a 12-kilometre corridor in Victoria’s Otways, a CHMP was required due to the presence of Eastern Maar cultural heritage values in the project area. Australian Cultural Heritage Management delivered the approved CHMP and managed all heritage investigations and Traditional Owner consultation required to satisfy Victorian heritage legislation.
How does cultural heritage risk affect the planning and design of pipeline corridors?
Cultural heritage risk assessment is an important input into pipeline corridor selection and design. Identifying areas of high heritage sensitivity early, such as proximity to watercourses, elevated landforms, or registered sites, allows a project team to select alignments that avoid or minimise impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage before detailed design is committed. This reduces the likelihood of costly redesign, construction delays or regulatory complications later in the project. Australian Cultural Heritage Management provides heritage risk advisory services at the early scoping and feasibility stage, helping energy and infrastructure proponents identify and manage cultural heritage risk before it becomes a programme or budget issue.
What is the role of Traditional Owner consultation in a pipeline CHMP?
Traditional Owner consultation is a legislative requirement under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and a critical component of any CHMP process. The relevant Registered Aboriginal Party must be notified of the intent to prepare a CHMP, consulted during the assessment, and given the opportunity to participate in fieldwork and evaluate the final plan. Meaningful consultation, beyond the minimum legislative threshold, builds trust, surfaces cultural knowledge that improves the quality of the heritage assessment, and reduces the risk of objections or delays during the evaluation process. Australian Cultural Heritage Management places Traditional Owner engagement at the centre of all our CHMP programs, as demonstrated through our long-standing relationships with groups including Eastern Maar, Wadawurrung and Banjima.
What does a complex CHMP assessment involve for a linear infrastructure project?
A complex CHMP assessment for a linear infrastructure project such as a pipeline involves both standard surface survey and subsurface testing, known as a complex or excavation assessment, along the proposed corridor. Archaeologists excavate test pits at regular intervals and in targeted locations to determine the nature, extent and significance of any subsurface Aboriginal cultural heritage. The results inform the management conditions included in the approved CHMP, which may include avoidance buffers, monitoring requirements or salvage excavation programs during construction. Australian Cultural Heritage Management has delivered complex CHMP assessments for pipeline, road, rail and transmission line projects across Australia. Learn more about our archaeological assessment services.
