On 27 September 1996 a landslide occurred at Cowaramup Bay near Gracetown, in the south-west of Western Australia. Approximately 30 tonnes of rock and sand fell from a limestone cliff onto people situated below who were spectators at a school surf carnival. Rainfall during the days preceding the landslide caused the limestone to absorb large amounts of water. Nine people were killed and a further three injured.
Landslide - Gracetown
Quick Statistics
9
Fatalities
3
Injured
Information Sources
Geoscience Australia, Natural Hazards in Australia, Chapter Eight, Landslide, website viewed 24 September 2012
Monument Australia, Landslide, website viewed 24 September 2012
Palmer M, 2001, ‘Doing it by the book: a paradox in disaster management’, The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Spring 2001, pp 40-44
State-wide Natural Hazard Risk Assessment, Report 1: ‘Significant historical natural hazards in Queensland: An overview’, prepared by Risk Frontiers for Queensland Department of Community Safety, February 2011, website viewed 24 September 2012