The McMahon Services team constructed a new extension to the Ballera Camp for Santos, delivering 69 bedrooms in just 10 weeks at the remote south-west Queensland facility.
Santos supplied 11 buildings for the McMahon Services team to install at the camp, where Santos houses its Ballera Gas Plant workforce. The accommodation comprised two clusters of four buildings, two single storey modules and a separate laundry module.
Essential services including a water chiller plant, a sewer-pump station and two 500 KVA generators also had to be installed and connected, together with three fire tanks and a fire pump house, complete with fire pumps inside.
The project team completed the design elements of the works which incorporated, design of the civil works and hydraulic services, electrical services including fire detection equipment, and detailed work on service identification at the site.
McMahon Services mobilised a multi-skilled workforce which peaked at 40 staff and included in-house indigenous personnel from Intract Indigenous Contractors, as well as four Indigenous contractors from surrounding homelands.
The McMahon Services team deployed company equipment such as mini excavators, and bobcats to strip the site and stockpile materials. They then trimmed and compacted the subgrade before supplying and placing the rubble fill to create the building plateaus.
For the placement of building precast footings and other concrete items, the team worked closely with concrete construction experts, Ballestrin.
Ballestrin is a subsidiary of McMahon Services and was the key subcontractor for the concrete works during the camp extension. Precast and in-situ concrete required for the project included steps, ramps and slabs – in particular, a services slab for fire tanks and related fire safety equipment.
Working in tandem with Ballestrin, the team utilised a range of in-house equipment including 100 tonne and 250 tonne cranes, elevated work platforms and skid steer loader mounted concrete pumps.
McMahon Services efficiently installed the buildings and commissioned the essential services on time and within budget, with a focus on safety and environmental management throughout. The new Ballera Camp facilities are now operational, and enabled the removal of two smaller, temporary mobile camps, which were used to accommodate 40 personnel.
