Wack it down

The sand needs to be well compacted by a vibrating plate "wacker". The under slab level is checked and the sand finished 310mm below finished floor level (FFL).

 Bodie on the wacker gets the good vibrations.

Mark finishes off around the waste pipes.

Boxing Day

 Waste pipes in and sand spread out across the site. The boxing (formwork) is 300 mm high because we are building a waffle pod slab. The slab will be poured in one continuos pour at the two different levels incorporating a 600mm step.

 Boxing partly in place

 The 600mm break in level is lifted into place.

Strip footings poured, boxing finished and sand raked out.

Poo pipes and dishwater

Before the concrete slab can be layed we needed to put in the various waste pipes and other services such as power, phone, gas and water. We are working with local plumber and dairy farmer Scott Coultson.

The little digger spreads sand across the site

Rectangles and Pythagoras

Time to "set out" the buildings. Hurdles are placed so we can construct a string outline of the concrete slabs. Lots of measuring and double checking of dimensions before the project is set in concrete. True right angles are created using the 3-4-5 rule, a simple adaption of the Pythagorean equation.

Hurdles for the string lines

The rock wall

At the deepest point, our cut is about 2.0m deep, so we decided to use local "bush rocks" salvaged from nearby farmland to create our retaining walls. Skilled at laying rock walls on a grand scale, we contracted Jack Cottrell to carefully place the rocks to create a natural looking wall that blended in with the existing rock work in the adjacent home garden. Each rock is selected, turned, lifted and placed with a impressively nimble grab on the end of Jack's excavator.The end result incorporated pathways and plenty of planting nooks for local rock loving indigenous plants.

First rocks are placed

Kath admires Jack's work

The TONKA TOYS arrive

We contracted Ross Wilkinson to cut out the site and create the foundation for the buildings.
Big holes need big machines and Ross spent a few days benching in to the hill side so we could sit the buildings on close coupled concrete slabs.

Ross working on the lower pad

TQUAL Funding

Mid winter 2011 we became aware of a co-funding grant program offered by The Australian Government. The TQUAL Grants program recognises the importance of the tourism industry to the Australian economy and is committed to the long term growth and sustainability of the industry.

The Government's TQUAL Grants program will contribute to achieving this goal by making funding available for tourism projects that enhance and refresh Australia's tourism offering and it's competitiveness as a destination.

The TQUAL Program aims to encourage investment in regional and rural tourism infrastructure projects that will enhance the tourism experiences on offer in regional Australia.

Bogong Horseback Adventures were successful in attracting a grant, and we look forward to working in Partnership with the Australian Government to achieve our vision.