Delivering Cultural Heritage Management Plan Approvals at Scale Across a 2,200 Kilometre Pipeline Corridor
Cape Dunstans is a Joint Venture formed by civil and underground infrastructure contractors, Cape and Dunstans Construction Group. They specialize in large-scale utility installation, civil earthworks, and complex horizontal directional drilling (HDD) / trenchless pipe laying. They were the lead construction contractor responsible for installing the pipeline infrastructure.
Grampians Wimmera Water is a state-owned Victorian water corporation responsible for managing urban, rural, and stock water supplies, as well as sewerage systems, across the Grampians, Wimmera, and Mallee regions. They were the regional asset owner driving major water security initiatives like the East Grampians Rural Pipeline.
The East Grampians Rural Pipeline replaces open channel supply with piped water across a very large area of western Victoria, improving reliability and water security for farming communities throughout the region.
Linear projects of this scale present a distinctive heritage challenge. The alignment crosses multiple Registered Aboriginal Party areas, hundreds of private landholdings and a wide range of landforms, each with its own archaeological potential. Assessing that consistently, and at pace, is a logistical undertaking as much as a technical one.
Australian Cultural Heritage Management was engaged by Cape Dunstans and Grampians Wimmera Water to deliver the heritage approvals for the project, undertaking archaeological survey and excavation along almost 2,200 kilometres of proposed alignment. ACHM has completed six Complex Cultural Heritage Management Plans and numerous amendments in collaboration with the Wadawurrung, Barengi Gadjin and Eastern Maar Registered Aboriginal Parties, with complex assessment resulting in the excavation of approximately 1,000 1m x 1m test pits.
Alongside the technical program, ACHM managed access across dozens of individual farms safely and respectfully, so that landholder relationships were maintained while the assessment program kept moving.
Client
Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water
Location
Western Victoria
Sectors
Infrastructure
Public Sector
Services
Project Snapshot
Results Delivered
Managing Complex CHMP Approvals Across the East Grampians Rural Pipeline
Australian Cultural Heritage Management delivered the heritage approvals for the East Grampians Rural Pipeline, undertaking archaeological survey and excavation along almost 2,200 kilometres of proposed alignment. Working in collaboration with three Registered Aboriginal Parties, ACHM completed six Complex Cultural Heritage Management Plans and managed safe landholder access across dozens of farms, keeping construction moving on an approved footing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is cultural heritage assessed for a long linear pipeline project?
Linear projects are assessed corridor by corridor, combining desktop review, landform-based survey and, where warranted, systematic subsurface testing, so that constraints can inform alignment decisions while the design remains flexible. For the East Grampians Rural Pipeline, this approach was applied across almost 2,200 kilometres of proposed alignment. Australian Cultural Heritage Management delivered the archaeological survey and excavation program for this project.
Can one Cultural Heritage Management Plan cover an entire pipeline route?
Rarely. Alignments crossing multiple Registered Aboriginal Party areas generally require separate Cultural Heritage Management Plans, and long projects often need amendments as design evolves. For the East Grampians Rural Pipeline, Australian Cultural Heritage Management completed six Complex CHMPs and numerous amendments in collaboration with the Wadawurrung, Barengi Gadjin and Eastern Maar Registered Aboriginal Parties. See our CHMP services.
What does subsurface testing involve on a large infrastructure project?
Subsurface testing typically involves excavating small, systematically placed test pits along the activity area to determine whether archaeological deposits are present and, if so, their extent and significance. On the East Grampians Rural Pipeline, this program resulted in the excavation of more than 1,000 1m by 1m test pits across the alignment. Australian Cultural Heritage Management manages this kind of assessment at scale for linear infrastructure projects nationally.
How is landholder access managed on a pipeline crossing private farmland?
Landholder access is managed through coordinated liaison, agreed access arrangements and clear communication about timing, so that assessment can proceed without damaging relationships with individual property owners. Australian Cultural Heritage Management safely managed access across dozens of farms along the East Grampians Rural Pipeline alignment while the assessment program continued on schedule.
