Page "Launceston, Tasmania" Paragraph 19

Since the 1960s, parts of Launceston have been protected by a series of flood levees that reach up to in height.

The reason for this is because large portions of Invermay and Newstead sit within a flood plain.

The last major flood occurred in 1929, when Invermay was completely devastated.

More than 4, 000 people were left homeless after just one night of flooding.

Since then, there have been minor floods but nothing as severe.

Work is underway on a $ 59 million flood levee upgrade that should protect the city from 1-in-200 year events, that is expected to take five to six years to construct.

The council has acquired land used by eighteen businesses on the south side of Lindsay Street in Invermay, with businesses having until July 2009 to leave.