Terra Drilling
Terra Drilling is a family-owned Australian surface diamond drilling contractor founded in 2008, operating 8 rigs from Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, and serving major mining houses, mid-tier resource groups, and junior explorers nationwide on a project basis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBoulder, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Terra Drilling does
Terra Drilling is an Australian surface diamond drilling services contractor founded in 2008 and headquartered in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia. The company operates a fleet of 8 surface diamond drill rigs and serves major mining houses, mid-tier resource groups, and junior explorers across Australia. Over a 15-plus-year operating history, the family-owned company has scaled from a single rig at founding to a national operator with field deployments spanning multiple Australian jurisdictions.
The company's core offering is contract diamond drilling for mineral exploration and resource definition, typically delivered on a project-by-project basis through FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) field deployments. Revenue is generated on a project basis through drilling contract fees tied to rig-days, program scope, and mobilization logistics. Operational administration is supported by CorePlan SaaS, adopted in 2024 to manage drilling programs, consumables, and field data across the rig fleet. The company is family-owned, and its revenue mechanics are tied directly to Australian mining capex cycles and rig utilization rates.
The customer base spans the mining value chain. Named clients include Odyssey Gold, Black Cat, Future Metals, Maximus, St George Mining, and Duketon Mining — the last of which has been a recurring customer since 2014, indicating multi-year revenue stickiness. Terra Drilling joined the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) in 2024 and added two senior operational and commercial roles during the same year: Mat Scarlett (previously of DDH1 Drilling) as Business Development Manager and Matt Hamilton as Operations Manager. The combination of regional WA roots, a multi-cycle operating history, and recent leadership additions suggests a contractor positioning itself to scale into larger mining house accounts while retaining its junior and mid-tier base.
Terra Drilling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Terra Drilling
- Legal name
- Terra Drilling Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://terradrilling.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Terra Drilling is a family-owned Australian surface diamond drilling contractor founded in 2008, operating 8 rigs from Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, and serving major mining houses, mid-tier resource groups, and junior explorers nationwide on a project basis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Terra Drilling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Diamond Drilling Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114), Support Activities for Mining (2131)
- SIC
- Metal Mining (1000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger) (IMAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA), Mine Site Support Services (Camp/Catering, Security, Fuel & Lubricants, Water, Waste, Roads) (IMAKAKAE)
Keywords
Where Terra Drilling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Terra Drilling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Diamond Drilling Services: Project-based drilling services contracts for mineral exploration, mining, and geotechnical clients. Services include exploration drilling, core directional drilling, metallurgical drilling, and geotechnical drilling services. Revenue is generated through drilling contracts with competitive hourly rates, superannuation, and bonus systems for field staff.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Offsider positions with no prior experience required |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Experienced Diamond Drillers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Terra Drilling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Terra Drilling provides surface diamond drilling services for mineral exploration, mining, and geotechnical clients throughout Australia. The company operates a fleet of 8 drill rigs — 4 Boart Longyear KWL 1600 truck-mounted rigs and 4 Hanjin 35 Multi track-mounted rigs — delivering exploration drilling, core directional drilling, metallurgical drilling, and geotechnical drilling services from its base in Kalgoorlie-Boulder across Western Australia's Goldfields, Yilgarn, and Pilbara mining regions.
Product overview
Terra Drilling is a surface diamond drilling services company offering a unified portfolio of drilling services powered by a fleet of 8 specialized drill rigs. The core offering encompasses exploration drilling, core directional drilling, metallurgical drilling services, and geotechnical drilling services across Australia. The equipment fleet consists of four Boart Longyear KWL 1600 truck-mounted rigs (for deeper drilling applications up to 2240m NQ) and four Hanjin 35 Multi track-mounted rigs (for low environmental footprint drilling up to 1200m NQ), supported by dedicated vehicles including MAN water trucks, track rod carriers, supervisor vehicles, and Explorex Drill Vans. The company operates from Kalgoorlie-Boulder serving the West Australian Goldfields, Yilgarn, and Pilbara mining regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Surface Diamond Drilling Services Surface diamond drilling services for mineral exploration, mining, and geotechnical clients throughout Australia. Includes exploration drilling, core directional drilling, metallurgical drilling, and geotechnical drilling, delivered with a fleet of 8 drill rigs (4 Boart Longyear KWL 1600 truck-mounted and 4 Hanjin 35 Multi track-mounted) and dedicated support equipment.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5km drill programme completed within expected timeframe and budget, incident-free
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Terra Drilling
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Terra Drilling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Terra Drilling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Terra Drilling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ore Drilling Services: Australian drilling services provider offering surface diamond drilling and RC drilling to the mining and exploration sector. Comparable in size and customer profile to Terra, competing for similar mid-tier and junior explorer programs.
- Aquadrill: Australian drilling contractor with presence in WA's goldfields. Jeremy Dowdall worked at Aquadrill as a Senior Driller before founding Terra, and the two firms compete for similar surface diamond drilling programs in the region.
- DDH1 Drilling: Australian surface diamond drilling contractor with a multi-rig fleet serving gold, nickel, and base-metal explorers across WA and nationally. Terra's recent BDM hire, Mat Scarlett, joined from DDH1 where he was General Manager of Operations, indicating direct overlap in service offering and customer base.
- GFWA Drilling: WA-based drilling contractor where Jeremy Dowdall previously worked as a Driller. Provides competitive surface and underground drilling services in the same Goldfields and Pilbara geographies that Terra serves.
Broad incumbents
- Boart Longyear: Global drilling services and equipment manufacturer whose KWL 1600 rigs (four of which Terra operates) form the backbone of much of the diamond drilling industry. Competes with Terra on drilling services while also supplying Terra's equipment.
- Major Drilling Group International: One of the world's largest mineral drilling contractors, with operations across Australia including surface and underground diamond drilling. Competes with Terra for major mining house contracts and offers the scale that Terra cannot.
- Capital Drilling: Asia-Pacific and African-focused mineral drilling contractor with Australian operations. Provides similar diamond and reverse-circulation drilling services to mining explorers and producers, overlapping with Terra's core offering.
- Ausdrill (Perenti Global): Ausdrill, now part of Perenti Global, is one of Australia's largest diversified drilling and mining services contractors. Managing Director Jeremy Dowdall worked at Ausdrill for over 10 years before founding Terra, and the two compete directly for surface diamond drilling work in WA.
- Foraco: Global mineral drilling services contractor with significant Australian operations, offering diamond, reverse-circulation, and directional drilling. Competes with Terra for multi-rig exploration and resource definition contracts across Australian mining regions.
Others
- CorePlan: SaaS drilling operations software provider for which Terra is an early adopter. Not a competitor but a technology partner whose platform supports Terra's drill program management, scheduling, and reporting workflows.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Terra Drilling social profiles
Digital presenceTerra Drilling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Terra Drilling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Terra Drilling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Terra Drilling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Terra Drilling
What does Terra Drilling do?
Terra Drilling provides surface diamond drilling services for mineral exploration, mining, and geotechnical clients throughout Australia. The company operates a fleet of 8 drill rigs — 4 Boart Longyear KWL 1600 truck-mounted rigs and 4 Hanjin 35 Multi track-mounted rigs — delivering exploration drilling, core directional drilling, metallurgical drilling, and geotechnical drilling services from its base in Kalgoorlie-Boulder across Western Australia's Goldfields, Yilgarn, and Pilbara mining regions.
Is Terra Drilling a public or private company?
Terra Drilling is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Terra Drilling founded?
Terra Drilling was founded in 2008. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Terra Drilling based?
Terra Drilling is headquartered in Boulder, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Terra Drilling make money?
One revenue line is on record: diamond Drilling Services.
Who are Terra Drilling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ore Drilling Services, Aquadrill, DDH1 Drilling and GFWA Drilling. Broad incumbents are Boart Longyear, Major Drilling Group International, Capital Drilling, Ausdrill (Perenti Global) and Foraco. CorePlan is listed as an others.
Does Terra Drilling have an API?
No public API is recorded for Terra Drilling.
What industry is Terra Drilling in?
Terra Drilling's product category is Diamond Drilling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAKAB, Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger), with a secondary code of IMAKAKAA, Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling). Its NAICS code is 213114 and its SIC code is 1000.