A modelling study of combined storm-tide and riverine flooding was carried out for the Busselton area of Western Australia. The results suggest that, under current conditions, the combination of riverine flooding with storm-tide inundation has little effect on inundation extent compared to storm-tide only scenarios. However, under future sea-level rise of 0.9 m or more, the combined impact becomes more evident.

Understanding the reality of flood risk now and in the future is an important first step in coastal management under sea-level rise. The importance of this study is that it explored the combined effects of both marine inundation (resulting from tropical cyclone, storm-tide, sea-level rise), and riverine flooding (resulting from upper catchment rainfall) to understand the full extent of potential flooding on local infrastructure and communities.