Terratest

What Terratest does

Terratest Australia Pty Ltd, established in 1962, is a privately held Australian site investigation drilling company that self-describes as 'Australia's oldest, largest and most advanced' in its category. The company operates from five offices - Sydney (headquarters, Camellia), Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane, and Adelaide - covering New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. Its service portfolio spans geotechnical drilling, environmental drilling, sonic drilling (the first independent Australian sonic operator since 2011, resumed September 2024), non-destructive digging (NDD) using Vacmaster vacuum excavation, water bore drilling, and borehole imaging/geophysics via a Terrascan Group partnership. Through wholly-owned subsidiary Terratest Aero (established July 2018), Terratest also offers UAV-based LiDAR and photogrammetry data acquisition for engineering projects.

Terratest's competitive differentiation is built on a specialized fleet of approximately 12+ drill rigs - including Comacchio GEO 205/305/405/450P/MCT200, Hanjin DB8, Sonic SDC 390, Boart Longyear LX6, Fraste ML, Geoprobe 7822, XC DTS 700/710, and an XP60 pavement investigation rig - plus NDD and UAV units. Key personnel (Chairman Graeme Hamilton, National BDM Simon Hamilton, BDM Calum Hamilton, regional managers Tom Pilbro, Dave Coleman, Simon Morris, lead drillers including Max Boga) provide experienced leadership with multi-decade industry tenure.

The business model is project-based B2B services: clients contact regional offices directly for quotations, with pricing determined per-project based on scope, geology, equipment, and timeline (no public pricing). Terratest carries $20M public liability insurance and holds water bore drilling licenses across five jurisdictions plus a CASA ReOC for UAV operations. Customer segments include construction and engineering firms (e.g., Keller Pty Ltd, Golder Associates, Engeo), environmental consultants, government agencies (NSW Public Works), infrastructure projects (wind farms, tunnels, rail), and agricultural/rural water bore clients. Revenue is generated entirely through direct project engagement with no channel, retail, or e-commerce distribution.

Name

Terratest

Legal name

Terratest Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://terratest.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Terratest is Australia's oldest and largest site investigation drilling company, providing geotechnical, environmental, sonic, water bore, and UAV LiDAR surveying services to construction, engineering, government, and rural clients across five Australian offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical and Environmental Drilling Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)

Keywords

• Geotechnical drilling
• Environmental drilling
• Sonic drilling
• Site investigation
• Water bore drilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Silverwater

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Drilling Services: Project-based drilling services for site investigation including solid flight augering, hollow flight augering, diamond coring, tubex, rotary air blast, down hole hammer, push tube sampling, mud drilling, packer testing, and borehole imaging. Charged per project/contract basis.
2. Water Bore Drilling: Water bore drilling services for test, stock, and domestic purposes. Includes bore logging, down hole camera inspections, and bore repair/refurbishment services. Licensed in NSW, Victoria, ACT, South Australia, and Queensland.
3. Sonic Drilling Services: Sonic drilling methodology for geotechnical investigations, environmental assessments, resource investigations, and geothermal installation. First independent Australian company to offer sonic drilling services since 2011.
4. UAV/Drone Survey Services (Terratest Aero): Aerial data acquisition services specializing in LiDAR and Photogrammetry for engineering projects. Outputs include terrain models, aerial maps, asset inspection, and volumetric analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Terratest provides specialist site investigation drilling services for the construction, engineering, environmental, infrastructure, and agricultural sectors. Core offerings include geotechnical drilling, sonic drilling, environmental drilling, non-destructive digging (NDD), water bore drilling, borehole imaging and geophysics, and UAV-based LiDAR/photogrammetry surveying through the Terratest Aero subsidiary. Projects are delivered via Terratest's owned fleet of specialized rigs deployed by experienced licensed drillers across Australia.

Product overview

Terratest is Australia's oldest, largest and most advanced Site Investigation Drilling Company, established in 1962 with over 60 years experience. The company operates as a multi-disciplinary drilling group combining innovative technology with strong industry knowledge. The core service offerings include Geotechnical Drilling, Sonic Drilling, Environmental Drilling, Non-Destructive Digging (NDD), Borehole Imaging & Geophysics (via Terrascan Group partnership), and Water Bore Drilling. The equipment fleet includes various drill rigs (XC DTS 700, XC DTS710, Comacchio GEO series [205, 305, 405, 450P], Sonic SDC 390, Boart Longyear LX6, Fraste ML, Hanjin DB8, Comacchio MCT200, Geoprobe 7822, and XP60 Pavement Investigation Rig) operated from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane, and Adelaide. The subsidiary Terratest Aero provides UAV geospatial services including LiDAR and Photogrammetry data acquisition. The company serves the East Coast of Australia and has recently expanded into South Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Terratest Aero: UAV Geospatial operation specialising in LiDAR and Photogrammetry data acquisition for engineering projects. Offers Terrain and drainage models, aerial maps, asset inspection, volumetric's and construction site monitoring. Full CASA ReOC and Licences for drone operations.

Products and services

• Geotechnical Drilling Core site investigation drilling for foundation design, infrastructure projects, and soil profiling including solid flight augering, hollow flight augering, diamond coring, tubex, rotary air blast, down hole hammer, push tube sampling, mud drilling, packer testing, and borehole imaging for construction, engineering, and infrastructure clients.
• Sonic Drilling Sonic drilling service using high-frequency vibration waves at 150hz to liquify soil and reduce friction, enabling fast drilling speeds and continuous samples to depths exceeding 100m with near 100% recovery. Used for geotechnical investigations, environmental assessments, resource investigations, and geothermal installation.
• Environmental Drilling Environmental drilling services for site assessments including difficult access and restricted headroom to overwater projects. Services include push tube, dual tube, solid and hollow flight augering, sonic and rotary drilling, groundwater and soil vapor monitoring, and chemical oxidant application for environmental consulting clients.
• Non-Destructive Digging (NDD) Non-destructive excavation service using high pressure air and water to dislodge soil while vacuum simultaneously extracts cuttings into 205 litre drums. Provides a safe alternative to hand-augering or drilling without risk to underground utilities, reducing exposure of crews and clients to underground services.
• Water Bore Drilling Water bore drilling for test, stock, and domestic purposes including bore logging, down hole camera inspections, and bore repair and refurbishment. Operated by licensed drillers with 15+ years experience in NSW, Victoria, ACT, South Australia, and Queensland for agricultural, rural, and rural-residential customers.
• Borehole Imaging & Geophysics Borehole imaging and geophysics services provided through the Terrascan Group partnership, delivering acoustic and optical imaging for fracture and bedding orientation analysis to engineering and geotechnical clients.
• Terratest Aero (UAV LiDAR & Photogrammetry) UAV geospatial service under the Terratest Aero subsidiary, providing LiDAR and photogrammetry data acquisition for engineering projects. Outputs include terrain and drainage models, aerial maps, asset inspection, volumetrics, and construction site monitoring for construction, engineering, and infrastructure clients under full CASA ReOC and Licences.
• Pavement Investigation Services (XP60 Rig) Pavement investigation service for asphalt and concrete coring (up to 350mm diameter), soil profile logging via 300mm auger to 4m in a single stroke, site classification, fill investigations, reinstatement, and complementary non-destructive digging using the Vacmaster 1000 unit, targeted at construction and infrastructure clients.
• Difficult Access & Track-Mounted Drilling Services Specialised drilling services for difficult-access sites using track-mounted rigs including the XC DTS 700, XC DTS710, and Comacchio GEO series (205, 305, 405, 450P), suitable for rail corridors, mine voids, mountain geology, and projects requiring light footprint and minimal site impact, with safety features like automatic SPT and electronic-hydraulic safety cages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near 100% sample recovery using sonic drilling methodology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boart Longyear: Global drilling services and equipment provider with an Australian presence. Comparable in drilling capability and fleet (Terratest operates Boart Longyear LX6 rigs), though Boart Longyear is more focused on mineral exploration drilling rather than civil site investigation.
• Fugro: Global geotechnical and offshore site investigation specialist with a significant Australian presence. Competes with Terratest in large infrastructure and energy projects (e.g., wind farms), while also offering much broader offshore and geoscience services.
• Golder Associates (WSP): Global geotechnical and environmental consulting firm (now part of WSP) that is both a Terratest customer (drilled 31m NMLC diamond cored holes for a Golder project in Melbourne CBD) and a broad competitor in the broader site characterization market.
• Coffey Geotechnics (Tetra Tech): A leading Australian geotechnical and engineering consulting firm, now part of Tetra Tech, offering site investigation, drilling and laboratory testing services nationally. Highly comparable customer overlap in construction and infrastructure, though operating within a much broader global engineering portfolio.

Direct peers

• Douglas Partners: Australian specialist in geotechnics, environment and groundwater with in-house drilling capability. Closest direct competitor in site investigation drilling, serving very similar construction, infrastructure and environmental clients across the east coast.
• CMW Geosciences: Geotechnical and environmental consulting firm with drilling rigs and field investigation services across Australia and New Zealand. Competes directly with Terratest in geotechnical site investigation for construction and infrastructure projects.
• Insight Drilling: Australian specialist drilling contractor offering geotechnical and environmental drilling services. Directly comparable in service mix, fleet type and target customers across construction and infrastructure projects.

Emerging players

• GBG Holdings: Diversified drilling and engineering services group in Australia with capability in geotechnical, environmental and exploration drilling. Overlaps with Terratest in core drilling services while also serving adjacent mining and exploration segments.

Regional players

• Prodrill: Australian drilling contractor with geotechnical and water bore drilling capability. Comparable service offering though often focused regionally rather than the multi-state footprint Terratest operates.

Others

• Terrascan Group: Australian borehole imaging and geophysics specialist that partners with Terratest (linked from the Terratest site). Highly adjacent offering that complements Terratest's drilling services rather than competing directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terratest-australia-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Terratest