The Wallamba River flows in a generally easterly direction from the foothills of the Great Dividing Range to Wallis Lake near the twin towns of Forster and Tuncurry. The total catchment area of the Wallamba River is 495 square kilometres. The catchment upstream of the Pacific Highway lies within the local government area of Greater Taree City Council, while the catchment downstream of the highway lies within the local government area of Great Lakes Council. The largest urban centre in the catchment is the township of Nabiac which is located to the north of the Wallamba River just downstream of the Pacific Highway. The smaller community of Failford is located on the north side of the Wallamba River between Nabiac and Tuncurry. The study is being carried out in three stages:

• Review of previous flood studies, to determine up-to-date flood profiles along the Wallamba River for the 1% AEP, 2% AEP and 5% AEP floods as well as for an extreme flood event.
• Floodplain Management Study, including assessment of structural and non-structural options for management of the Wallamba River floodplain at Nabiac and at Failford.
• Preparation of Floodplain Management Plan for Nabiac and Failford.

This report summarises progress on the first two stages of the study.