Surat property owner Andrew Hurst

We took delivery of our Savannah ‘Outback’ Grader on 14 December 2000. What follows is a brief overview and evaluation of the Savannah’s first 100 hours of work on the roads and tracks in Innamincka Regional Reserve.
On arrival the Savannah was trialled by a contract operator and myself under instruction from the Savannah representative. The equipment was very easy to use and within an hour we were able to control the machine effectively. The Savannah was used behind a 100 Series Toyota and easily graded the corrugations out on the Park access road.
After the initial trials the operator used a tractor and commenced work on flood damaged sections of the tracks around Innamincka. The following series of photos shows the typical repair to a washout and rilled section. Here the work is being done on the King’s Site Track.

Bad washout on King’s Site track

The Savannah easily handled even some of the more severe flood damage on other sections of the Fifteen Mile Track and the Cullyamurra Track. The Savannah is a most versatile machine, being both grader and roller. It is articulated by virtue of being towed and as a result, there is less off track damage than usually results from a conventional grader turning around. This equipment can turn around either within the pavement width or with minimal off track impact. We can more effectively manage corrugations as the same top surface material can be used instead of cutting down each time it is graded. By making use of sudden rains and the roller function of the Savannah we can raise the sandy sections over time and reduce the problems caused by years of cutting tracks down.

A second pass fills in the rilling and provides more material to finish the washout and smooth the surface.

Note almost no windrow as there is less surface disturbance. The Savannah can do the work very well with less cutting of the surface than would be required with a conventional grader.

So far this machine has exceeded our initial expectations for repair and maintenance works. This has reduced costs of flood damage repair and maintenance and now means that only the most severe flood damage or major road improvement works will require a conventional grader. We can now perform routine maintenance throughout the visitor season improving road conditions and preventing damage to visitor’s vehicles and towed units by controlling corrugations and washouts and being able to capitalise on the irregular rain during the year also reducing liability hazard to the Department.
This will provide a more resilient road and track network requiring fewer closures for a shorter period of time after rain and floods.
This will in turn lead to enhancement of visitor experiences at Innamincka Regional Reserve. The Savannah is an effective investment for Innamincka and based on these results I would highly recommend the equipment for this type of work in other Outback areas.

Christine Crafter
Senior Ranger Innamincka Phone: 08-8675 9909