The upgrade of a runway on Tiwi Islands – one of Australia’s most remote locations – has won the Fulton Hogan team the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association 2019 Northern Territories Outstanding Project Award.

The Wurrumiyanga Airstrip – Bathurst Island Pavement Correction and Resurfacing Project was a remarkable effort in a location that required all the plant, machinery, supplies and mobile asphalt plant to be shipped on a barge from Darwin.  That journey took 10 hours,  if the tides were running right.

Michael Thompson, Fulton Hogan National Operations Manager – Airports, said the award was a tribute to the project team’s capabilities, and their commitment to meeting the challenges of working in a remote location.

“Bathurst Island is an amazing place, and the community made us feel very welcome.

“Our team worked really hard to successfully deliver the project ahead of schedule.  We were also able to give back to the community by paving the car park for the local school.

“The calibre of the workmanship on this project resulted in a runway that was in very poor condition being upgraded to a quality that you would see in any major city in Australia.

“Extending the length of the Wurrumiyanga runway to 1600m will help ensure that the airstrip can meet the needs of people on Bathurst Island for years to come.”

The Wurrumiyanga Airstrip was officially opened last September and handed back to the community at a traditional smoking ceremony, following the completion of the  $9 million resurfacing project.

The project, which was jointly funded by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments, supported over 85 jobs, five of which were local Tiwi employees, and engaged local business Tiwi Enterprises as a subcontractor.