Woodfordia’s legendary plumbing department has gone full NASA with the arrival of ‘Apoollo 13’, an underground camera that’s about to change how we deal with our site’s most unmentionable mysteries. The question ‘why’ has been uttered so many times by these plumbing legends, they’ve almost stopped asking.  

For years, Woodfordia has discovered its pipe problems the hard way: usually with a star-picket shaped hole and a collective groan after a dreaded incorrect picket placement. Obviously, someone hasn’t followed the 5 Ps Protocol – it’s imperative to get Prior Permission from Pete for Picket Placement! But now, thanks to our new camera, we’re spotting trouble before it finds us. Deployed by our intrepid plumbing crew, Apoollo 13 travels through what can only be described as a ‘poonami’ of pipes to scope out problems lurking beneath our feet. Hopefully, this means fewer surprise excavations to handle these unwanted star-picket shaped holes or brokens pipes due to tree root growth and less calls to expensive external contractors.  

The Challenge Employment trainees are nearing the end of their 20-week programme. They have been focusing on Wastebusters Hill Road, working to beautify the bus route entering the festival precinct for our patrons with some new planting, weeding and mulching. 

Meanwhile, the site team has been busy with their annual maintenance jobs. Overhead power line work has been completed after ageing infrastructure caused a loss of power between Pineapple and Coopers Bar. While we had the access equipment on site, we got some much-needed vegetation trimming sorted too. The trees are looking flash with their new ‘haircuts.’ 

The toilet stall doors have also been getting a makeover. Those trusty old MDF doors? They’ve finally overstayed their welcome, proving very unsuitable for a wet environment. They’re being replaced with form ply that should put an end to battles with door latches and last much longer. 

And oh, the wonders of a gurney! Coopers, Duck, Lake House and the Gkremlin have all been pressure washed within an inch of their lives and are looking schmicko once again. 

It’s great to be getting on top of managing the site and its infrastructure, keeping Woodfordia beautiful year-round. Hats off to the site team, the plumbers, and the Challenge folks!