1st Australian Conference on Engineering Geology
The AGS and IAEG are delighted to invite you to attend the inaugural AGS Australian Conference on Engineering Geology. The conference will bring together geopractitioners from around the country who work on engineering and geohazard projects. The aim is to showcase the valuable work being carried out by engineering geologists to support Australia’s economic and social development.
Conference Photos
Photos from the conference are now online. Use the password AGS2025 to access.
The event
The conference will provide an important forum to make new contacts in the profession and to discuss with colleagues the challenges facing the engineering geological profession and its individual practitioners.
The conference will comprise internationally recognised keynote speakers, engineering geologically themed technical sessions and workshops, geological field trips and a social program.
Program
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 — Pre-Conference
| 16:00 – 19:30 | Check-in & registration |
| 17:30 – 19:30 | Welcome Drinks — hosted by AGS Queensland Chapter and sponsored by Scopegeo |
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 — Day 1
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Registration & Coffee |
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Welcome to Country & Opening Address Christopher Bennett & Megan Packer |
| 9:00 – 9:45 | KEYNOTE ADDRESS Paul Marinos Lecture: Towards the Next Generation of Engineering Geology Xuanmei Fan, Director of SKLGP at Chengdu University of Technology, China |
9:45 – 10:30 — Session 1: General Engineering Geology; Session Chairs: Tim Thompson & Sally Roberts Kelly
| 9:45 – 10:00 | Slope Stability in Weathered Basalts Stephen Fityus, Douglas Partners |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Coal Mine Engineering Geology as a Trans-Tasman Learning Experience in a University Postgraduate Course Martin Brook, University of Auckland |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Engineering Geology Model as a Tool for the Effective Management of Open Pit Slopes Felicia Weir, PSM |
| 10:30 – 10:35 | GOLD SPONSOR PRESENTATION Geobrugg |
| 10:35 – 11:00 | Morning Tea |
10:55 – 12:30 — Session 2: Civil Infrastructure (Stream 1); Session Chairs: Joanna Sylvester & James Cox
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Understanding Critical Stability Factors: Integrating Old and New Data to Improve Foundation Stability Assessments Ben Speakman, Entura |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | The Specification of Unprocessed Rockfill for Highway Applications – A Case Study from the Coffs Harbour Bypass Andrew Tait, Ferrovial Construction |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Rockfall hazard assessments and remediation for the major cliff precincts of Brisbane Tharindu Abeykoon, SMEC |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Management of Complex Geological Structures using Engineering Geological Models during Tunnel Construction: The Luna Park Fault Zone, Sydney Richard Brehaut, PSM |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Case Study On Snowy 2.0, Australia: Use of Lidar and Endoscopy for Assessing and Modelling Geological Features in Underground Caverns Ben Potter, Snowy Hydro |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Session Questions |
11:00 – 12:30 — Session 2: Geohazards (Stream 2); Session Chairs: Andrew Hunter & Sam Webber
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Application of a Copula Approach to Quantify Rainfall-Induced Rockfall Farshad Bahootoroody, University of Newcastle |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Susceptibility and Mitigation of Debris Floods and Flows in the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, NSW, Australia: Bushfire And La Niña Impacts Adam Irvine, PSM |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | The use of Empirical Methods to Predict Landslide Runout for use in Rapid Landslide Risk Asssessments Following Cyclone Gabrielle, New Zealand Ryan Hayes, GHD |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Engineering Geological Models in Remote and Difficult Access Terrain: A Case Study from Bogong High Plains Road Davide Casagrande, PSM |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Slope Hazard Management on the Toowoomba Range Rail Corridor Bruce Cheesman, SMEC Australia |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Session Questions |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch – Coffee Cart sponsored by GHD |
13:30 – 15:00 — Session 3: Geohazards (Stream 1); Session Chairs: Helen Baxter Crawford & Ross Roberts
| 13:30 – 13:45 | Experiences Communicating Landslide Risk to Non Technical Stakeholders Chris Coulson, AECOM |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Risk Management Of Coastal Cliff Hazards – A Case Study From The Surf Coast, Southwest Victoria Kris Jelly-Butterworth, GHD |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Slope Risk Management of Glasshouse Mountain Summit Routes: Balancing Safety, Accessibility, and Tolerable Risk Sally Roberts-Kelly, EDG Consulting |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Rockfall Risk Assessment at North Head, Sydney Harbour National Park, NSW Paul Roberts, JK Geotechnics |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Landslide Risk Assessment in Coastal Settings – Recognizing the Challenges and Uncertainty Andrew Hunter, GHD |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Session Questions |
13:30 – 15:00 — Session 3: Geohazards (Stream 2); Session Chairs: Julia Bota & Simon Foley
| 13:30 – 13:45 | GIS Mapping Of Landslide Susceptibility And Life Risk In Blue Mountains National Park Zack Tuckey, Jacobs |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Engineering Geology Consideration for Development on Bringelly Shale in Western Sydney Minly So, Arup |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Neotectonic Fault Significance Tim Mote, GHD |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Importance of Detailed Geomorphic Interpretation in the Landslide Characterisation Component of Risk Assessment Nick Roberts, State Growth Tasmania |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Analysis of the Mechanism of Landsliding, Garie Road, Royal National Park, NSW Tim Donovan, Aurecon |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Session Questions |
| 15:00 – 15:25 | Afternoon Tea – Coffee Cart sponsored by GHD |
15:25 – 17:30 — Session 4: Defining the next challenges for Engineering Geology; Session Chairs: Ann Williams & Martin Brook
| 15:25 – 15:30 | GOLD SPONSOR PRESENTATION Scopegeo |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | What is the Future of Engineering Geology as a Discipline in Western Australia and Australia? Julia Bota, HATS Consulting |
| 15:45 – 16:15 | GUEST SPEAKER The Impact of Industry Supported Field Courses on the Education and Professional Training of Geological Engineers at Queen’s University, Canada Jean Hutchinson, Professor Emerita at Queen’s University, Canada |
| 16:15 – 17:30 | PANEL DISCUSSION Improving the Development and Recognition of Engineering Geology in Australia Facilitator: Mark Eggers; Panellists: Anthony Bowden, Jean Hutchinson, Joanna Sylvester, Megan Packer |
| Break | |
| 6.30pm for 7pm | Conference Dinner — sponsored by Geobrugg |
Thursday, July 24, 2025 — Day 2
| 8:30 – 8:45 | Day 2 Welcome Address Christopher Bennett & Megan Packer |
| 8:45 – 9:30 | KEYNOTE ADDRESS Engineering Geologists – A Call to Arms Fred Baynes, Past President IAEG (2007-10) |
9:30 – 10:30 — Session 1: Geohazards; Session Chairs: Bari Thomas & Ranjan Dahal
| 9:30 – 9:45 | The Bogong Landslide, A Case Study Into An Australian Landslide In Unsaturated Soils Darren Paul, WSP |
| 9:45 – 10:00 | Landslide Vulnerability: Learnings From The Impacts Of Debris Flows On Buildings To Inform Quantitative Loss Of Life Risk Assessments Luke Agnew, GHD |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Effect of Discontinuities on the Survival Probability of Spherical Block upon Impact Davide Guccione, University of Newcastle |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Scoping for Geohazards – Environmental Contrasts Comparing the Engineering Geologist’s Role between Mining, Civil Road Tunnels, Dam Design and Pumped Hydro Helen Baxter-Crawford, SMEC Australia |
| 10:30 – 10:55 | Morning Tea — Coffee cart sponsored by PSM |
10:55 – 12:30 — Session 2: Mining & Energy; Session Chairs: Felicia Weir & Davide Guccione
| 10:55 – 11:00 | GOLD SPONSOR PRESENTATION GHD |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Assessing the Geotechnical Susceptibility of Caves in Pilbara Iron Formations to Instability Duncan Noble, PSM |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Project Phoenix Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project – Successful Implementation of the Engineering Geological Model Approach in support of the Energy Transition Alistair Schofield, GHD |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Development of a Geotechnical Rock Mass Model using Geochemical Data and Machine Learning Megan Baker & Sue Chan, PSM |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Finite Element Check of GSI Adjustment Equation Reconciling Hoek-Brown and Step-Path Strengths Norbert Baczynski, Prime Geotechnics |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Engineering Terrain Evaluations – Opportunities and Challenges of the Energy Transition Tom Casey, Arup |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Session Questions |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch — Coffee cart sponsored by PSM |
13:25 – 15:00 — Session 3: Civil Infrastructure; Session Chairs: Tom Casey & Peter Elson
| 13:25 – 13:30 | GOLD SPONSOR PRESENTATION Ischebeck Titan |
| 13:30 – 14:15 | GUEST SPEAKER Landslides and Reservoirs, The Clyde Dam Experience Don Macfarlane, Engineering New Zealand Fellow |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Engineering Geological Mapping for Dam Foundations – Examples from Recent Work Jo Darby, GHD |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Geological Challenges of Brisbane’s Cross River Rail Project Ralph Cammack, PSM |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Site Investigation and Geological Challenges for a Rail Level Crossing Project in SEQ Craig Brock & Pramod Thakur, WSP |
| 15:00 – 15:25 | Afternoon Tea — Coffee cart sponsored by PSM |
15:25 – 17:00 — Session 4: General Engineering Geology; Session Chairs: Andrew Doe & Elyssa de Carli
| 15:25 – 15:30 | GOLD SPONSOR PRESENTATION PSM |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | SPECIAL REPORT Update to the AGS 2007 Landslide Guidelines Review Darren Paul & Tony Miner, AGS-NZGS Steering Committee Representatives |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | GUEST SPEAKER Uncovering Geohazards Impacting Infrastructure in the Himalayas Ranjan Kumar Dahal, IAEG Regional Vice President for Asia |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Closing Remarks |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Networking Drinks — hosted by Women in Engineering Geology and sponsored by Ischebeck Titan |
Friday, July 25, 2025 — Day 3 (optional)
Option 1
| 8:00 – 16:30 | Full Day Field Trip Landslide prone environments on basalt terrains in Glasshouse Mountains, Maleny |
Option 2
| 8:00 – 13:00 | Half Day Field Trip Walking tour of Brisbane Geology |
Keynote Speakers
Xuanmei Fan Director, State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (SKLGP), Chengdu University, China
Paul Marinos Lecture: Towards the Next Generation of Engineering Geology
This lecture explores advancements in engineering geology, including China’s extensive experience in disaster risk reduction and innovative technologies such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, advanced remote sensing, and numerical and physical modelling. It emphasizes how these developments can address multi-hazard risks and support sustainable development in an era of rapid climate change.
Biography
Professor Dr. Xuanmei Fan is the Paul Marinos Distinguished World Lecturer and is the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (SKLGP) at Chengdu University of Technology, China. She obtained her PhD in Engineering Geology from the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observations (ITC) at the University of Twente, Netherlands. Her research focuses on earthquake- and climate change-induced geological hazard chains, long-term landscape evolution, and disaster risk reduction. Her work has been extensively applied in emergency response and rescue operations following major earthquakes. Prof. Fan has served as the Principal Investigator for more than 20 national and international research projects, including a UK-China collaboration project, European initiatives, and multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). As the founding chair of the Global Partnership for Smart Informatics and Multi-hazard Reduction (SIMR), she seeks to address global challenges associated with increasing multi-hazard risks and climate change in a rapidly evolving world.
Fred Baynes
Engineering Geologists – A Call to Arms!
The implementation progress of the IAEG C25 Guidelines on Engineering Geological Models will be reviewed and lessons learnt during the roll out will be discussed. Some outstanding issues facing engineering geologists within Australia that require further effort will be suggested along with a global perspective of key issues that engineering geologists will face and their potential future contributions.
Biography
Fred Baynes was educated in the UK, obtaining a BSc in geology from Bristol University, an MSc in engineering geology from Imperial College and a PhD from Newcastle University relating to research on weathered rocks. After working for a site investigation contractor in the UK for a couple of years, he immigrated to Australia in 1980, where he has worked as an engineering geologist for contractors, consultants and utilities. Since 1996, Fred has been an independent consultant-engineering geologist with a continuing love of fieldwork and is now based in Central Victoria, Australia. He provides advice to major projects in the civil, mining and oil and gas sectors throughout the world. The advice provided invariably centres around “getting the geology right” and developing effective engineering geological models of all sorts to facilitate project delivery. He regularly teaches engineering geology and geology for engineers to both undergraduates and practitioners and has developed and delivered a variety of professional development courses. He has been actively involved in the IAEG since 2002 and had the honour of serving as President between 2006 and 2010.
Invited Speakers
Dr Ranjan Kumar Dahal
Uncovering geohazards impacting infrastructure in the Himalayas
This presentation will illustrate and discuss the broad range of geohazards affecting Himalayan infrastructure and society. It will discuss the part that engineering geologists are playing to address these problems and will review the impact that they and other ground engineering professionals are having on a range of projects.
Biography
Dr Dahal is Vice President for Asia of the IAEG and is an associate Professor of engineering geology at Tribhuvan University and a visiting professor at the Universities of Ehime and Kagawa in Japan. He has consulted extensively on projects in the Himalayas and in particular in his home nation of Nepal.
Prof D Jean Hutchinson
The impact of industry supported field courses on educational and professional outcomes
This presentation will reflect on a field school that Prof. Hutchinson taught during her career, and which covered the mining cycle and all the ways that Geological Engineers could have an impact. This course was a significant contributor to the engagement of Geological Engineers in the mining industry in Canada and on the way that mine closure planning is done.
Biography
Jean Hutchinson is Professor Emerita at Queens University Canada. President of Innovative Geomechanics Inc. past Vice-President for North America of the IAEG and currently a member of the IAEG Advisory Committee. During her years as Professor in Geological Engineering at Queen’s University, she conducted research into slope stability (open pit and natural) and landslide hazards and risks, risk-based decision-making using monitoring techniques, applications utilizing LiDAR surveys, with applications to landslides adjacent to hydro reservoirs, and ground hazards affecting railway corridors.
Don Macfarlane
Landslides and reservoirs, the Clyde dam experience
This presentation will outline the role of engineering geology in the scoping and management of the investigations, design and construction of remedial works undertaken on 10 large landslides flanking the Clyde Dam reservoir prior to lake filling in 1992-93. It will outline the ongoing management and performance of the landslides and the role of engineering geology in that work.
Biography
Don Macfarlane is an applied engineering geologist with more than 45 years of experience as consultant, manager and reviewer in investigation, construction and monitoring aspects of dam and other infrastructure projects, slope stability assessments and groundwater investigations in a range of geological environments, mostly in Australia and New Zealand.
Field Trip & Walking Tour
Conference attendees are invited to register for either a one-day field trip to the Glasshouse Mountains, or a half-day walking tour exploring the geology of Brisbane.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship opportunies for the conference are now available. Details can be found in the sponsorship flyer. For more information, please contact [email protected]
Sponsorship can be purchased directly through the website.
Organising Committee
Planning & Coordination: Megan Packer and Christopher Bennett
Technical Program: Mark Eggers and Anthony Bowden
Accommodation
Sofitel Brisbane Central, the conference venue, offers a special rate to conference attendees. You can book your accommdation via the Sofitel conference link.
Registration
Members are required to log in to access the AGS member price, which is not transferable.
More information about logging in to this website can be found here.
Payment via credit card is available and processed by Stripe. The Australian Geomechanics Society will not store or have access to your credit card information, and Stripe adhere to strict security and PCI compliance for processing online transactions.
Upon purchase, an email and a tax invoice will be sent to the buyer. Attendees will also receive an email with their tickets attached, as well as a link to download the tickets if they are misplaced.
Tickets to the conference include a ticket to the conference dinner. You can buy additional conference dinner tickets for people not attending the conference or day-rate ticket holders.
Please note, the field trip and walking tour are intended for conference attendees. The organisers reserve the right to refund purchases made by non-attendees.
Walking Tour, Friday 25 July
A half day walking tour of Brisbane City will explore the two principle geological units within which much of the Brisbane is constructed.
Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.