Joel Beattie

4.30 AM

The alarm goes off. First thought - this is really early for a Monday morning…

5.15 AM

A taxi arrives at home. Destination, Adelaide Airport.

6.10 AM

Arrive at Adelaide Airport on time despite several detours due to road works in the CBD. The City of Churches? More like the City of Roadworks!

Now to check in for a Rural Exchange flight to Ceduna.

One of my primary roles as a Graduate Project Engineer at SA Power Networks is to prepare and develop the scopes for infrastructure projects. The following work trip involves the site assessment of several substations in the Eyre Peninsula, attempting to assess the proposed work whilst extracting as much detail as possible to sharpen the scope, preventing any future variations/additions.

6.30 AM

Bags and equipment checked in - perfect opportunity for a quick bite to eat and takeaway coffee!

7.10 AM

Boarding our flight to Ceduna – cloudy skies and not a breath of wind as the sun slowly begins to rise. Beautiful.

9.00 AM

Touchdown Ceduna! Armed with a trustee Toyota Prado, we set off. First stops before lunch - Tarlton and Streaky Bay.

10.30 AM

Arrive at Tarlton Substation. As a part of an ongoing maintenance program in the Eyre Peninsula, the existing fences at Tarlton have been identified for repair and upgrades works, with these works including the reconditioning of fence posts and footings, replacement of barb wire and the addition of tiger loops.

Further to proposed repair and upgrade works, the site is also scoped for any environmental matters that will have to dealt with prior to and in conjunction with construction works, including the presence and handling of native fauna and plant life, in addition to overhanging trees which maybe hinder standard operational clearances.

Next stop, Streaky Bay.

11.35 AM

Arrive at Streaky Bay Substation. Alike Tarlton, the fences at Streaky Bay has been identified for repair and upgrade works, with an environmental review of the site also undertaken.

12.30 PM

Time for lunch and a chance to soak up the beauty that is Streaky Bay!

Destinations for the afternoon - Lock and Cleve.

3.30 PM

Arrive at the Lock Substation after a 200km trip, featuring a coffee stop in Wudinna.

Further to scheduled repair and upgrade works to the existing fences, the transformer at Lock Substation requires the construction of an oil containment and waste water management system. This involves the construction of a concrete bund surrounding the transformer, designed to house any oil spillage and prevent soil contamination in the event of a critical failure.

4.45 PM

Arrive at the Cleve Substation. Smaller scope of works for this site, as only the existing fences along the Southern and Eastern boundaries require attention. A quick review of any potential environmental matters wraps up the day.

6.10 PM

Arrive in Cowell for the evening, with the assessments of the Whyalla Stuart, Stirling North and Peterborough Substations to follow over the next two days before returning home.

6.30 PM

Dinner at the Commercial Hotel in Cowell. I’m famished! T-Bone it is.

7.15 PM

Return to evenings accommodation to summarise notes made on the substations assessed so far.

8.00 PM

Fit in a quick walk in Cowell before the sun goes down, managing to capture this beautiful photo in the process.

9.30 PM

Bed. Easier start tomorrow with a very productive day putting us well ahead of schedule.