Introduction The Dora Creek Flood Risk Management Plan has been prepared for Lake Macquarie City Council (Council) in accordance with the NSW Floodplain Development Manual (April 2005 - Reference 1) and the August 2010 Flood Risk Management Guide – Incorporating sea level rise benchmarks in flood risk assessment (Reference 4) and: Is based on a comprehensive and detailed evaluation of factors that affect and are affected by the use of flood prone land; Represents the considered opinion of the local community on how to best manage its flood risk and its flood prone land; and Provides a long-term path for the future development of the community. The Dora Creek catchment is located on the western side of Lake Macquarie waterway, 30 km south-west of Newcastle and 120 km north of Sydney. Dora Creek has a catchment area of approximately 238 km2 and is the largest catchment flowing into the Lake Macquarie waterway which has a total catchment of 648 km2 (Figure 1). The study area focuses on the existing township of Dora Creek and includes the townships of Cooranbong and Avondale, where new and planned rural and urban developments are proposed within the floodplain. The upper limit of the study area extends above Freemans Drive to Cooranbong and downstream to the confluence of Dora Creek with the Lake Macquarie waterway. There are three main tributaries within the catchment with Dora Creek being joined by Jigadee Creek at Cooranbong and then Stockton Creek before draining into Lake Macquarie waterway at Bonnells Bay and Lake Eraring. Watercourses within the catchment area and above the tidal limit are narrow; Dora Creek is typically less than 15 m wide upstream of Freemans Drive. Below the tidal limit, the creeks become broader with Dora Creek varying from a width of 50m at the Sydney to Newcastle Freeway to 100m where it forms a delta into Lake Macquarie waterway. Upstream of the delta the Eraring Power station draws cooling water for steam condensation from Bonnells Bay, which passes under Dora Creek through a concrete tunnel and open canal.

This study updates the previous Wrights Creek Flood Study (Patterson Britton & Partners, 2007) and provides Council with a suitable platform for undertaking the next steps in the Floodplain Risk Management Process. The XP-RAFTS hydrologic model developed in the 2007 Flood Study has been adopted for this study. A TUFLOW hydraulic model of the catchment has been established using up to date survey of the ground levels and culvert and bridge structures. The TUFLOW hydraulic model has been used to reproduce the historical flood behaviour from events in 1995 and 2002 and to define flood behaviour for a range of design events. Actions undertaken as part of this flood study include: • collection of additional survey, • development of a TUFLOW hydraulic model, • definition of the design flood behaviour, • assessment of provisional hydraulic hazard, • assessment of hydraulic categorization, • assessment of the model sensitivity to parameter changes, • assessment of climate change impacts on model results, • assessment of sensitivity of model results to the new ARR 2016 design inputs, • community consultation.

Zip file includes Lake Macquarie Flood Study Part 1 – Design Lake Water Levels and Wave Climate Report MHL682 January 1998 Lake Macquarie Flood Study Part 2 – Foreshore Flooding Report MHL715 April 1998.

Flood study report prepared by Engeny for Lake Macquarie City Council - Final report data 11 November 2025 - PDF format

This report documents the Burrill Lake Catchment Flood Study which defines existing flood behaviour and establishes the basis for floodplain management activities in the future.

Final Report - PDF

Flood Risk Management Study & Plan - Main report (Part 1 of 4) This Lake Macquarie Waterway Flood Risk Management Study and Plan constitutes a review of the second and third stage of the management process, namely the August 2000 Lake Macquarie Floodplain Management Study and the July 2001 Lake Macquarie Floodplain Management Plan. This review has been prepared by consultant WMAwater for Lake Macquarie City Council and was undertaken following a review of the 1998 Lake Macquarie Flood Study, to include the June 2007 long weekend storm/flood event and incorporation of the implications of climate change. The results of this Waterway Flood Risk Management Study and Plan Review will provide the basis for the future management of flood liable foreshores areas surrounding the Lake Macquarie waterway. The study concentrates on those areas of the foreshore within the boundaries of Lake Macquarie City Council, with no investigation of land within the Wyong local government area.

Middle Creek Flood Study 2021 by BMT

Contains data for: * ARR2016 & ARR1987; * 20y and 100yr AEP events * IFD * Data hub

This Floodplain Risk Management Study investigates what can be done to reduce or manage the effects of flooding in the catchment. The Floodplain Risk Management Plan recommends a mix of strategies to manage the risks of flooding. Using the merits-based approach advocated in the NSW State Government’s Floodplain Development Manual (2005) and in consultation with the community, Council and state agency stakeholders, a number of potential options for the management of flooding were identified. These options included: • flood modification measures; • property modification measures; and • emergency response measures. An extensive list of options was assessed against a range of criteria (technical, economic, environmental and social). Hydraulic modelling of some of the flood modification options was undertaken to provide a comprehensive analysis of those options that would involve significant capital expenditure.