50 families are now calling RAAF Base Tindal home after PTM Group designed and constructed 50 four bedroom, two bathroom dwellings for Defence Housing Australia (DHA).

Location

RAAF Base Tindal is located approximately 20 kilometres from Katherine and 320 kilometres from Darwin. Given the project’s remote location, recruiting a skilled and reliable workforce for the duration of the project was a challenge. In our aim to retain and support staff, we rented a number of houses to accommodate workers from Darwin.

Working on an operational defence base added another layer of complexity to the project. We needed to be meticulous with our planning and the coordination of material deliveries.

Deliveries

Successfully managing the transport and delivery of goods and materials was vital to the efficient running of this project. We built a strong working relationship with Nighthawk Transport, which ensured deliveries were scheduled early in the day. This contributed to PTM Group completing the project seven weeks ahead of schedule.

Environment

The Northern Territory’s iconic red dirt was a major issue during construction works. Significant dust can be created, which can cause discolouration to painted properties. Water carts were onsite to wet down all areas and minimise the dust while digging and driving on the dirt.

Hot temperatures during the day were managed through appropriate rest times and providing shaded areas, amenities and WHS rehydration policies. We ensured that a water bubbler was available at the site office for use by all contractors and staff onsite.

Challenges

Since other works were being completed within the subdivision, including parklands, playgrounds and walkways with bridges, we needed to carefully project manage schedules to ensure there were no clashes or disruptions.