Gunlom Falls Road Reconstruction and Repairs

Client

Federal Government – Director of National Parks

Location

Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

Value

Confidential

Duration

November 2014 to May 2015

Type

Lump Sum Construct Only

Project Overview

Following on from the successful delivery of the Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls four wheel drive access track upgrades, Intract Australia were engaged to complete this project at Gunlom Falls. Gunlom is located on Waterfall Creek in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and also located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory.

The project involved the road reconstruction and re-sheet of approximately 10km of gravel road to improve road access for tourism leading into the Kakadu National Park, which covers an area of 19,804km².

The project scope included clean-out and reform existing cut off drains, clean-out and reform existing floodway inlets and outlets, supply and deliver 18,200t of imported fill and road base gravel from Shoal Bay Quarry, Darwin (350km away) to mix and stockpile at the nominated area, haul, install and compact fill material to wash-out areas and to re-establish original road sub-grade level, and haul, install and compact gravel road base to complete. Earthworks totalled 100,000m³.

 

This project was undertaken around the wet season, which saw pre-planning of deliveries split between the dry season and post wet season to minimise works during tourist peak periods. The Kakadu National Park has restricted access during the wet season, as well as strict environmental working conditions around the flora and fauna and native wildlife that needed to be adhered too.

The cultural and natural values of Kakadu National Park were recognized internationally when the park was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is an international register of properties that are recognized as having outstanding cultural or natural values of international significance. Approximately half of the land in Kakadu is Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, and most of the remaining land is currently under claim by Aboriginal people. The areas of the park that are owned by Aboriginal people are leases by the traditional owners to the Director of National Parks to be managed as a national park.

Intract Australia completed these works with 90% Indigenous employment for the entire project.