Member Spotlight

AJ’S Plumbing, Gas and Earthwork’s director and owner, Andrew Spalding, and partner and office manager Shaina, travelled to the great Carnarvon Gorge in Central Queensland during mid-February to early March 2021, to scope proposed works on campground toilet facilities for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services.

Carnarvon Gorge is a deep gorge system, which has evolved over millions of years, with water carving the layers of white sandstone, creating monstrous cliffs and large chasms. Carnarvon Gorge is home to several Aboriginal sites, showcasing an abundance of cultural and natural heritage through the Aboriginal Ochre stencils, rock art, and rare native flora and fauna.

A seven hour drive from Toowoomba QLD (our base depot), and 19.4km return walk into the depths of the gorge, as you would imagine, wildlife rangers find it near impossible to source plumbers in such a remote area.

As a result of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, international travel has become scarce, and travelers are opting to explore their own piece of the world, right here in Australia. Increased travel to areas like Carnarvon Gorge meant the current facilities became overwhelmed, with the usage rate tripling.

With the Carnarvon Gorge becoming a popular travel destination, the park’s authorities contacted us to complete a range of upgrades to their existing toilet blocks to ensure their visitors have access to comfortable facilities. With the scope of works consisting of flying materials and tanks in via helicopter, Andrew hastily began organising the works!

AJ’S PLUMBING CHOPPER DEEP INTO THE GORGE FOR PLUMBING WORKS

The AJ’S Plumbing team

Helicopter delivering excavator to remote site ‘Big Bend’ within the Gorge

Plumbing Work

Works began mid-February and early March 2021, at site one, called the ‘Taj’, located at the main information centre and camping ground toilet. The plumbing work involved the removal of existing Rota-Loo systems and replacing them with Polymaster Septic Tanks, as well as the upgrade of multiple existing urinals and toilets.

Following the completion of the Taj, works commenced at site two, ‘Big Bend’, the final toilet block of the walking track. The Big Bend camping area toilet is a 19.4km return trip from the Carnarvon Gorge visitors Centre and can only be accessed by foot or helicopter. The increase in visitation due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, has meant that the current setup (fly-out pods) was no longer a viable long term option. Therefore, work commenced to remove the existing flyout pods and install a Gough Hybrid system.

The project duration was roughly two and a half weeks, including three trips from Toowoomba out to Carnarvon Gorge for return on weekends to ensure the depot was running on track, and stocking up on supplies from our trusty friends at Reece. Usually working in our local region, Andrew

found the remoteness of the location a challenge but prospered on, with the job becoming a success. After a few days of working in the blistering sun, Andrew earnt a welldeserved helicopter trip back to the main Visitor Centre, via the great gorges of Andrew and Justin Carnarvon’s landscape. making their way to site To our disappointment, the inclusion of helicopters is not a typical day in the office for us; however, the job was not possible without them. Our business is very versatile, which allows us to go beyond the traditional workplace locations of everyday plumbing, gas, and earthworks, seeing ourselves travel to several National Parks upgrading toilet systems. Andrew enjoyed working alongside the knowledgeable wildlife park rangers and completing project works in one of Australia’s most renowned landscapes. Whilst trekking between job sites, Andrew and a ranger came across a Death Adder snake, a rare experience, as the Wildlife Ranger explained one had not been sighted for over a decade at Carnarvon Gorge. Learning not only about the rich heritage and vast ranges of flora and fauna in the area, but also learning a few tips and tricks working in the remote bush. Working beside Carnarvon Creek, with towering sandstone cliffs all around you, we don’t think there’s another picturesque job site quite like it. Andrew and Shaina recommend visiting this hidden gem: the Amphitheater and Cathedral Cave are two of their favourite locations along the walk, you won’t be disappointed! Article written by Shaina Fletcher, AJ’S Plumbing and Gas.

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