Ventia pulled out all the stops to deliver a new accommodation precinct for Department of Defence in Darwin.  

The accommodation precinct was needed to support accommodation surge requirements in Northern Australia, with the first being the commencement of Talisman Sabre, a military exercise that sees participation from 30,000 military personnel.  

The original facility was built to house fly-in, fly-out workers, then it was workers accommodation for INPEX"operated Ichthys LNG. During the Covid-19 pandemic it was the Centre of National Resilience, used as a quarantine facility.  

Defence has now leased the facility for 5 years and with our history and ability to rapidly mobilise, we set up the facility in time for the commencement of Talisman Sabre on July 21.    

Our team in the Northern Territory, along with service line experts that flew in from sites across Australia, reimagined the accommodation precinct, ensuring it was a modern, fit for purpose service that was a home away from home for the ~1300 residents that can be housed there at any one time.

Hayley French, National Service Delivery Manager flew in from Victoria to support the set-up. "This was an all-hands-on deck project. We had staff work alongside managers at all levels, rolling up their sleeves to ensure this project was delivered on time and to the standard of excellence that we work to at Ventia. Our GM of Defence Base Services even removed palm fronds and debris from the garden, cleaned rooms and made beds. It was truly a team effort!"  

^{Ventia's Northern Territory team}

With a swimming pool, gymnasium, cricket/baseball pitch, beach volleyball, oval, tennis courts, dining hall, shuttle buses, recreation area and bar, onsite shop and café with barista coffee - the facility has everything our visitors need to feel at home.  

^{Residents can feel right at home with a wide range of facilities available on site}

Pauline Fitzgerald, Project Director says, "We wanted to show how Defence Life can be like Community Life. We really tried to elevate this precinct to a hotel level with welcome packs, pillow menus, a general store and 24/7 reception.'

We wanted guests to feel looked after and to know that we have all their needs covered.

Dean Banks, Ventia CEO, visited the DAP-D facility on 24 July. He was taken on a tour and experienced the in-house dining. "I am so impressed with how great it looks given the short amount of time we had to deliver this project. This is testament to our people who came from north, south, east and west, all bringing their expertise to make this the best it could be. It's a showcase of the talents of our people and the capability that Ventia can bring. It is also testament to our trusted industry partners, who never let us down."  

Pauline says "Our trusted network of partners is crucial to delivering projects like this. One such example was ARA, an Indigenous owned business, who we work with in Victoria. They provided staff to dress and clean over 500 rooms as well as domestic cleaners for the facility. We knew they could deliver what we needed and they were keen to have an opportunity to expand their business into the NT. This has provided them with NT experience and valuable contacts - everyone wins."  

Well done to the team and our partners for delivering a successful accommodation precinct.