Getting the Science to the Site: How SESL Australia Delivers Regional Field Work

Soil, water and vegetation samples don't always arrive at our doorstep here at the lab. They come from national parks, floodplains and wetlands, remote highway corridors, cropping paddocks, rail corridors, mine sites, rehabilitation zones, the valleys and vineyards.

Regional and remote clients often have fewer options for independent, science-based environmental and soil advice close to home. We're there to help a client no matter how far away they are. At SESL Australia, regional work isn't a side note to what we do; it's a core part of our operations, and it has been since the start of SESL, back in 1983.

Our roots and our NATA-accredited laboratory are based in Thornleigh, NSW, and from there we service clients right across the south-east coast - through regional NSW, ACT, Victoria and beyond. That reach doesn't come from a chain of local offices. It comes from quite a simple approach: if a client needs help and is willing to have us out there, distance isn't the thing that stops us.

INDUSTRIES THAT LIVE OUTSIDE THE CBD:

A huge share of the work we do is inherently regional, due to the industries we serve:

·       Agriculture: soil testing, plant tissue analysis and land capability assessments.

·       Mining or other contaminated land rehabilitation: environmental monitoring, rehabilitation assessment and compliance testing on and around mine sites.

·       Civil construction and infrastructure: preliminary soil resource reuse assessments, soil and contamination assessment for roads, pipelines, bypasses, and developments that stretch well beyond metro boundaries.

·       Government: supporting local and state government with environmental and land management projects in their own regions.

·       Turf: from sports fields to premier racing tracks and turf farms.

·       Horticulture: in-depth nutrient analysis of floriculture farms to broadacre horticultural enterprises.

WHAT REGIONAL FIELDWORK ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE:

Regional projects bring a different set of demands to a typical urban site visit, and our approach reflects that:

Planning around distance and access: Our team scopes the site, access conditions, safety requirements and sampling plan so that a single trip captures everything needed.  In regional Australia, "just popping back next week" often isn't practical when your travel time is most of the day.

Rigorous sample handling in the field: Soil, water and plant samples collected hours from the lab still need to arrive in a condition that gives an accurate result. Our field team follows strict chain-of-custody and sample preservation protocols so that a sample taken in a paddock or the middle of the bush is just as reliable as one collected next door to our lab.

NATA-accredited testing back at base: Once samples make the trip back to Thornleigh, they go through the same accredited laboratory processes as any metro project, so regional clients get results they can rely on for compliance, planning and reporting.

Local knowledge, and ground truthing: Our consultants know the best way to understand a site, is to load up the Ute and head out. We come to know the soil types, climate variability, land use history, current operations, and practical realities of the regions, particularly with our repeat regional clients.

Tailored teams for the project, not a one-size-fits-all crew: Whether it's a straightforward soil fertility assessment for a farm or a complex contaminated site investigation tied to a major infrastructure project, we build the team around what the site and the Client actually need.

WHY IT MATTERS

More and more, we have found our clients who need that expertise would rather wait for the right team than settle for whoever's closest, so to put it simply, we get the field kit ready and go.

Combining that with rigorous field protocols and an in-house accredited lab means SESL Australia can bring the same standard of science to a project in regional Australia as we would to one in the middle of Sydney, without asking clients to compromise on accuracy, turnaround times or expertise just because of where they're located.

Contact SESL Australia via our website here and we would be happy to discuss your project needs.