Several towns in Victoria's high country are no longer mobile blackspots thanks to an upgrade of the Mt Terrible communications and bushfire watchtower. 

The upgrade has changed the lives of people in Jamieson, Kevington, Enochs Point, Gaffneys Creek and Woods Point. Because they are now better connected with each other, they are more able to access services, run businesses, and receive emergency support.

The project was so successful that we were named as a Service Champion for the project at the 2020 Australian Customer Service Awards, in the category of 'Customer Impact'.

Supporting the community 

The upgrade prepared the site for new 4G network equipment. It included the installation of an extra higher-capacity generator and an additional fuel reserve system, improved software system and higher-capacity solar panels. 

The team supported the local community throughout the 18 months of design and implementation. This included local contractors being employed to upgrade the access road so the new equipment and fuel system could be transported in and ensuring that funds on accommodation and everyday needs were spent in the local towns.

By upgrading the power systems and installing solar paneling, sustainability was achieved through a reduction in emissions previously recorded from this site.

Fast communication makes communities safer

With vastly improved mobile coverage, the communities could access reliable and fast mobile voice and data services for the first time. Radio signals were also boosted for clarity and range, meaning frequent users such as police, ambulance, emergency services and fire agencies could communicate more reliably and deal with emergencies faster. 

Scott McKenzie, a local tow-truck driver, said that while patchy mobile service came with risk, "4G has now made it safer in those remote areas, not just for my own safety, but for the people that call on me to help them".

Sue Malins, a representative of the Jamieson Community Group, also wrote to thank us:

We have a lot of older people living in our town, and to have a reliable mobile telephone service is extremely important to us for so many reasons, especially if we have to call for help."

An incident-free project 

As well as improving the safety and quality of lives in the area, the team completed the project with no safety incidents during the 18 months on site. Considering the remoteness, challenging road and weather conditions, and requirements to work at height, the team can be immensely proud of what they have achieved. 

Sustainability 

Working in the picturesque high country of Victoria, our team also ensured a sustainable approach to their work throughout the project. This included resource efficiency and waste minimisation, flora and fauna management as well as the broader positive social and local community impacts. 

Deploying the latest in drone technology 

The project was supported by one of our experienced drone pilots, Thomas Gerdei, who captured aerial imagery via a fleet of drones, payloads and in-house generated data sets post flight. 

These flights were extremely challenging due to high winds generated around the peak at 1325m. Thomas and his support crew capture high quality data of the project area, outlying areas and the 22m high communications tower. Much of this data was used within the completion documentation to our client to ensure all aspects of the project were delivered against the required deliverables. This detailed aerial imaging captured from our drones provided our client with enhanced visual aids of the project they commissioned us to deliver.

Awards

The project was so successful that we were named as a Service Champion for the project at the 2020 Australian Customer Service Awards, in the category of 'Customer Impact'.