Technical Tours

October 22 - 25, 2024, Fremantle, Perth, Australia

TT 1: Marine Operations Centre (MOC) at the Department of Transport (DoT)


Western Australia’s Department of Transport (DoT) plays an integral part in collecting and coordinating spatial data for effective management of Western Australia’s Coastal organisations.


Newman House is the main office of the Department of Transports Maritime division. The Maritime Division comprises 7 sections:

  • Maritime Planning
  • Coastal Information
  • Coastal Facilities Management
  • Project Delivery
  • Waterways Safety Management
  • MEERS & Ports
  • Maritime Business Services

The purpose of the Maritime Business Services Unit is to provide and enable safe, accessible, and sustainable use of navigable waters for the economic and social prosperity of Western Australia. The Marine Operations Centre (MOC) is part of the Maritime Business Services Unit. The MOC is the base for all our hydrographic Survey equipment, oceanographic measurement systems and maintenance of all maritime equipment and systems. From this location, DoT Hydrographers, Hydrographic Surveyors and Oceanographers use this base for Statewide operations from Wyndham to Esperance.


This tour will highlight the range of equipment necessary to provide valuable hydrographic and oceanographic data to Western Australian organisations. This will include such things as vessel operations, and oceanographic recording equipment, and give an insight into the day-to-day operations of this group.

Duration: 1 h
Date: 21 October 2024
Time: 9 - 10AM
Contact: Ralph Talbot-Smith, Department of Transport, 5 Newman Court, Fremantle, Australia – ralph.talbot-smith@transport.wa.gov.au

TT 3: Newman House – Home of the Department of Transport (DoT)’s Maritime division


Western Australia’s Department of Transport (DoT) plays an integral part in collecting and coordinating spatial data for effective management of Western Australia’s Coastal organisations.


Newman House is the main office of the Department of Transports Maritime division. The Maritime Division comprises 7 sections:

  •  Maritime Planning
  • Coastal Information
  • Coastal Facilities Management
  • Project Delivery
  • Waterways Safety Management
  • MEERS & Ports
  • Maritime Business Services

The purpose of the Maritime Business Services Unit is to provide and enable safe, accessible, and sustainable use of navigable waters for the economic and social prosperity of Western Australia.


This tour will encompass the new DoT Maritime offices and provide an insight into the operations of the coastal information branches' various functions. It will also provide an insight into how GIS plays a critical part in the management of marine emergency and environmental response operations.


We will also highlight the major projects that coastal information is engaged in which includes the Coastal Capture WA project which is mapping various sections of the WA coast and seabed for critical purposes such as climate change and erosions mitigation.

Duration: 1.5 h
Date: 21 October 2024
Time: 11 - 12:30PM
Contact: Ralph Talbot-Smith, Department of Transport, 5 Newman Court, Fremantle, Australia – ralph.talbot-smith@transport.wa.gov.au

TT 5: D Shed – Home of the Department of Transport (DoT)’s State Response Equipment and National Plan Equipment Stockpile


Western Australia’s Department of Transport (DoT) plays an integral part in collecting and coordinating spatial data for effective management of Western Australia’s Coastal organisations.


Newman House is the main office of the Department of Transports Maritime division. The Maritime Division comprises 7 sections:

  • Maritime Planning
  • Coastal Information
  • Coastal Facilities Management
  • Project Delivery
  • Waterways Safety Management
  • MEERS & Ports
  • Maritime Business Services

The purpose of the Maritime Business Services Unit is to provide and enable safe, accessible, and sustainable use of navigable waters for the economic and social prosperity of Western Australia.


Walk through DoT State Response Equipment Stockpiles that are collocated with AMSA National Plan Equipment Stockpile, in D Shed Fremantle Port. Oil spill response equipment and consumables are housed in Fremantle Port for the metropolitan and wider (if required) state response efforts. AMSA-specific vessels, dispersants, and equipment along with DoT first strike capabilities will both be on hand for participants to view.


DoT staff can provide a brief Q&A whilst on site.

Duration: 1 h
Date: 21 October 2024
Time: 2 - 3PM
Contact: Ralph Talbot-Smith, Department of Transport, 5 Newman Court, Fremantle, Australia – ralph.talbot-smith@transport.wa.gov.au

TT 2: WA Shipwrecks Museum, Fremantle


This morning site visit is designed for delegates to complement the afternoon site visit to Curtin University HIVE. The morning tour of WA Shipwrecks Museum will include a focus on the timber hull of the wrecked VOC ship Batavia (1629), excavated over four seasons in the 1970s, now conserved and on permanent display in the WA Shipwrecks Museum’s Batavia Gallery.


Maritime archaeologists recorded Batavia’s hull as it was excavated, using black and white overlapping photographs to create photomosaics, subsequently digitised and processed to create 3D models. In recent years Batavia’s reconstructed hull timbers in the Museum have been recorded by laser scanning. Also recently, the underwater site consisting of remaining cannon, anchors and excavated reef sand hole at Morning Reef in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands has been recorded by divers using digital photogrammetry to create 3D models. This combination of legacy data, underwater and above-water models has allowed the creation of digital reconstructions of Batavia’s hull following its voyage ‘from seabed to showcase’. These 3D models form a virtual archaeological site archive, which delegates will be able to experience immersively at the HIVE.


Duration: 60 mins

Date: 21 October 2024

Time: 10-11am

Contact: Dr Ross Anderson, Curator, Department of Maritime Heritage, WA Museum

TT 4: Shipwreck Visualisation at the Curtin University HIVE


In this technical tour you will visit the Curtin University HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch).

Now in its 11th year, the HIVE is Curtin University’s visualisation facility and is fitted with a range of high-technology immersive displays, both large and small.

The HIVE team supports and encourages the use of visualisation technologies in research projects right across the University.


One particular expertise area that the HIVE team have been working on is developing tools and techniques for creating detailed digital 3D models of shipwreck sites using photogrammetric 3D reconstruction methods.

The HIVE team have 3D modelled a wide range of shipwreck sites around Australia and overseas, including: HMAS AE1 submarine (1914), German battleship Bismarck (1941), HMAS Sydney (II) (1942), HSK Kormoran (1942), SS Bonnie Dundee (1877), B17 “Black Jack” aircraft (1943), Kyrenia wreck (300BC), and many more.


In this technical tour you will be taken on an amazing immersive shipwreck journey in our HIVE Cylinder 3D screen including technical descriptions of the photogrammetry techniques we are using, including supercomputing processing using the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre systems.

Like a red or white wine, this tour matches well with the technical tour to the WA Shipwreck Museum earlier in the day. Visit the Shipwreck Museum in the morning and see our shipwreck visualisations in the afternoon. The WA Museum and Curtin University are collaborating on some amazing shipwreck visualisation projects.


The HIVE is located at the main Curtin University campus in Bentley – about 30mins from Fremantle. A small fee is payable to attend this technical tour which will fund a bus which will pick you up at the conference hotel and return you there after the tour.


Duration: 90 mins

Date: 21 October 2024

Time: Pickup from Esplanade Hotel Fremantle at 1:30pm

           Event time at Curtin University HIVE ~2pm to 3:30pm

           Buffer: 3:30-4pm

           Return to Esplanade Hotel Fremantle 4:00 to 4:30pm.

Location: Curtin University HIVE, Building 200A (inside John Curtin Gallery), Kent Street, Bentley WA 6102.

Cost: AUD$15.