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Case studies
How we have worked with clients on a particular problem, what we did, and what changed as a result.
Arts House runs multiple venues in the heritage listed building complexes of the North Melbourne Town Hall and Metropolitan Meat Markets. Arts House presents a curated program of contemporary art featuring performances, exhibitions, live art, installations,and cultural events. They program three 440-850 seat plus venues, provide office and rehearsal space for a wide variety of artists, and run a box office and various food venues. Arts House also commissions new works.
The Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour Regional Water Supply Scheme is a major shared water infrastructure system linking the Nymboida River, Shannon Creek Dam and the bulk supply networks serving both council areas. As a long-life regional asset designed to secure water supply for a growing population, it required a structured risk assessment to identify operational, governance and system risks and support better joint decision-making across the scheme.
The City Recital Hall (Angel Place, Sydney) has a capacity of 1,238 seats and was designed for sound quality. The quality of sound enhances enjoyment by audiences of soloists, chamber musicians, popular musicians and spoken word. While the primary income of the City Recital Hall is providing a venue for concerts, it has important additional income streams through corporate hire, community events, box office and catering.
Cobalt59, with Clearwater and economist Rod McInnes, was commissioned by Eurobodalla Shire Council to do a cost benefit analysis for the new off stream southern water storage, drawing on storm flows from the Tuross River.
The Murray–Darling Basin Plan created a Northern Basin “toolkit” of non‑flow measures to complement water recovery and improve ecological outcomes, particularly for native fish. NSW Fisheries needed a feasibility proposal fora Fish for the Future Integrated Works Program that could secure Commonwealth investment by clearly demonstrating how a coordinated package of works would meet the Basin Plan’s environmental objectives and Northern Basin Review criteria.
The Green Living Centre was established in 2002 as ‘The Watershed’ and funded through the NSW Government’s Stormwater Trust Program. Its initial focus was on stormwater and local business environmental issues. Over the years this focus broadened to becoming a sustainability 'hub'.
Following the Basin Plan’s commencement, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) needed a coherent evaluation framework to assess whether the Plan was achieving its environmental, social and economic objectives under the Water Act 2007. The task was to translate the Plan’s Chapters, Schedule 12 “Matters for evaluation and reporting”, and statutory Key Evaluation Questions into a practical, Basin‑wide system of program logic, indicators, data and methods that could guide annual, five‑yearly and ten‑yearly evaluations.
Cobalt59, with ARTD, were commissioned by The Department of Planning and Environment, Environment, Energy and Science to evaluate the NSW Government’s Environmental Water Management Program from 2014-2019.
The NSW Water for the Environment (WftE) Program manages environmental water across multiple river, wetland and floodplain systems to improve ecological condition, support regional livelihoods and uphold cultural values. After a decade of significant reform and two prior evaluations, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water needed an independent evaluation of the 2019–2024 period that could credibly assess efficiency, equity and outcomes in a complex social–ecological system, and provide clear recommendations for the next phase.
Parramasala is an arts and cultural festival in Parramatta that aspires to be the first nationally significant arts and cultural festival based in Western Sydney.
An industrial paper mill near Albury needed a lessee for its Maryvale and Rosevale farms who could safely and productively use treated wastewater for irrigation. After treatment, this wastewater is high in nitrogen and phosphorous. It cannot be disposed in the Murray River because it accelerates algal growth, leading to oxygen crashes and fish kills. Irrigation use with a strict and supervised program of growth and crash feeding is very successful in the right hands.
Cobalt59 evaluated the WaterFix Residential Program for Sydney Water and the NSW Climate Change Fund. The fund gave money to Sydney Water to dramatically boost the program during a serious downturn in water inflows into the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment.
The independent catchment audit report is direct to the responsible minister. It is designed to protect the health of the Sydney catchment to ensure reliable, quality drinking water for five million people of Sydney and the Illawarrra, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Goulburn and Shoalhaven regions. The audit seeks to understand land use, businesses, industries, community groups, and public authorities within the catchment – all of whose actions can affect water quality.
Downstream of Albury, Wonga Wetlands were developed to receive treated effluent from the city’s wastewater treatment plant, polishing the water and providing habitat, education and recreation opportunities. The challenge was to manage this system so that wastewater reuse, agricultural production and wetland values all reinforced rather than undermined each other, and to demonstrate that a working agricultural landscape could sit comfortably beside a high‑value wetland complex.
