By Stephen Barrett
On Wednesday 22nd May, students from the Year 11 VCE Geography class went on a fieldtrip to investigate flooding risk in Boroondara. We focused our attention on the area surrounding Glenferrie Road which, although is far from any major rivers or streams, is at relatively higher risk of flash flooding. Indeed, major floods have occurred in and around Glenferrie Road on multiple occasions in the past 100 years. Students took measurements of road slope, drainage infrastructure, parks and other flood retarding infrastructure, as well as learning about the responses the local council has implemented to minimise damage. Most interestingly, we noted that some houses were actually built below street level, which greatly increases their likelihood of flood damage were a flash flood to occur. Finally, students interviewed local residents and were surprised to find that across the board, flood risk is not something that most homeowners had considered, despite living in a published flash flood zone. Overall, the students had a great day out and represented Kew High School very well.
