The Queensland Geological Survey’s Exploration Data Centre at Zillmere in Brisbane’s north and the John Campbell Miles Drill Core Facility at Mount Isa hold valuable drill core and cuttings collections from over 9000 boreholes. The facility is used by industry, universities, researchers and Government scientists.

The Zillmere centre was built in 1979 and has reached capacity. $5m was allotted to expand the current facility in the Geological Survey of Queensland’s Future Resources Program Budget (2013 to 2016).

Land has become available as a result of machinery of government changes and closures adjacent to the existing facility.

The Department of Housing and Public Works have been appointed as project managers and AECOM Australia was commissioned to complete the Predesign and Schematic design phases. Tenders were called from suitable qualified companies in August this year and the tender to design and construct the new facility was awarded to Northbuild Constructions Queensland in mid-December 2015.

The expansion is due for completion in mid-2016. The new facility will have the capacity to hold over 3000 pallets of drill core and cuttings in high rise racking and should approximately double the current EDC storage capacity. The building has an expected life of about 15 to 20 years until it will also reach capacity.

Services available at Zillmere include:

viewing and sampling core and cuttings
HyLoggingTM core (supported by XRD if needed)
assistance with lodging or locating material and lodging analysis results
facilitation of training activities.

From the Geological Survey of Queensland’s Geoserve Newsletter, December 2015