Muswellbrook is located in the Hunter Valley, approximately 280 km north of Sydney. The town is located on the Hunter River and is protected from flooding by a levee system located on the north western edge of town. The levee extends from the end of Lower Hill Street in the west to Aberdeen Street in the north-west. The location of the Muswellbrook Levee is shown on the survey plan included at Appendix A to this audit report. The survey was undertaken by the NSW Department of Commerce in 2002. The levee system forms an “L” shape and is approximately 1200 metres long. It ranges in height from 2 metres to 4 metres as measured on the riverside. On the town side the levee ranges in height from 1.5 metres to 4 metres. It consists of an earthfill embankment type levee for the majority of its length. A short section of levee (approximately 100 metres) consists of a concrete wall which is, on average, 2.5 metres high.