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.

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.

Preliminary technical themes

Technical themes will include:

• Engineering geology in mining
• Engineering geology in energy (renewables, oil and gas, storage)
• Engineering geology in civil infrastructure
• Engineering geology in planning for geohazards
• Preliminary workshop themes
  1. AGS landslide risk management guideline revision – an update
  2. Education, training and registration
  3. Engineering geological models

Important dates

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 (Provisional)

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 (Provisional)

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 (Provisional)

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.  

Program

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. Details and registration can be found at the links below:

Glasshouse Mountains Field Trip

Walking Tour of Brisbane Geology

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.

AGS Members

IAEG Overseas Members

You will be required to provide information about your IAEG membership during the checkout process. We reserve the right to validate membership and charge the full-price where membership is not current.

Non-Members

Field Trip, Friday 25 July

This full day field trip is to the volcanic Glasshouse Mountains in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.

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.

Additional tickets to the conference dinner

For purchasers of the day rate, or those who wish to purchase a “plus one” ticket to the dinner.

Day rates

Day rate tickets will be made available for sale from 1st July 2025.

Day rate tickets will be $495 for AGS and IAEG Overseas Members and $595 for non-members. Day rates do not include attendance to any evening activities.

We have secured a conference rate for attendees staying at the venue, the Sofitel Brisbane Central. Accommodation arrangements should be made through the hotel and are subject to availability.

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.