5 Minutes with Derek Whelan – camp life on a hydro project in New South Wales

Tipperary man Derek Whelan hails from the village of Ballylooby. He moved to Australia in November 2022 to join the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project as a TBM Tunnels Construction Manager.

In his role he is responsible for all aspects related to TBM tunnels, safety, quality, production, design, cost control and more.

He answered a few questions on camp life and work at Snowy 2.0

What appeals to you most about working for Snowy Hydro?

The technical challenges and some of the world firsts we are doing on the project.

What is camp life like?

Camp life is what you make of it, depending on what you are interested in. Gym, basketball courts, cricket nets, hiking trails are all available, or, if you just want to be social after a long day, there is always the wet mess to catch up with colleagues.

What do you do in your time off?

Golf, hiking, stay in touch with family and friends in Ireland and New Zealand. I spend some weekends in Sydney or Melbourne depending on work. There’s not much hurling or Gaelic football in Cooma, so I’ve gone into semi-retirement.

Any other info to help people interested in working for Snowy Hydro?

Don’t believe the negative media reports, the project has it’s challenges like any other major project. One of the main challenges on the project is the geographical layout and not having the face-to-face contact that would be the norm; so understanding the different departments, their roles and the key people in the department will make your life easier.

If you are interested in following in Derek’s footsteps… we are hiring for the following jobs at Snowy Hydro:

• Power Station Manager
• Site Surveillance Officers (Civil & Underground)
• Tunnel Engineer – Drill & Blast
• Project Engineer – Quality – Tunnels
• Project Engineer – Mechanical
• Project Engineer – Civil
• Project Engineer – Civil – Quality
• Environment Advisor
• Safety Advisor
• Planning & Scheduling Manager
• Supervisor – Grouting, Backfill and Steel Lining
• Electromechanical Engineer
• Quality Control Engineer
• Surveyor

Benefits and perks offered for FIFO construction jobs

Geneous packages are on offer to entice the cream of construction professionals from around the world. These include:

• FIFO or DIDO work
• $30k Site Allowance
• 16.7% Roster Allowance
• 14/7 Roster Pattern
• State-of-the-art camp and facilities to support the FIFO lifestyle – you will have all your recreational activities covered at camp.
• Long term work – The project is set to run until 2028
• Sponsorship available

Apply today!

To get in line to be considered for one of these exciting and lucrative construction roles, simply send in your CV via the form below.