Permaculture & Regenerative Earthworks: Machine & Field Execution 201
Original price was: $1,500.00.$1,350.00Current price is: $1,350.00. +GST
10% Off
8 in stock
A 5-day hands-on field intensive on an active earthworks site. Step out of the classroom and onto the machine. Master laser levelling, excavator operation, keyway dam construction, swale cutting, and precision spillway building under the guidance of an Environmental Engineer.
Paper plans mean nothing until the bucket hits the dirt. This intensive course bridges your engineering design blueprints with real-world execution.
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Logistics: 5-Day Field Intensive (Mon–Fri).
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Prerequisite: Applied Hydrology 101 recommended (or equivalent field/design experience).
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Note: All deposits are strictly non-refundable, and full payment must be completed prior to the course start date.
Product Description
Bridge Your Engineering Blueprints with Real Diesel & Dirt
Paper plans and GIS maps mean nothing until the excavator bucket hits the ground. The biggest financial losses on earthworks projects happen during field execution—when operators cut swales off-level, fail to compact keyway cores properly, or butcher spillway elevations.
Permaculture & Regenerative Earthworks: Machine & Field Execution 201 is the hands-on sequel to our 101 course. Taught by Danial Lawton (M.Env.Eng) on an active client property in the Gympie region, this 5-day field intensive takes you out of the classroom and puts you straight onto the job site.
Whether you are operating machinery yourself or directing contractors on your property, you will learn how to translate hydrological designs into rock-solid, physical earthworks with sub-centimeter precision.
What You Will Master in the Field:
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Precision Laser Levelling & Site Layout: Set up rotating lasers, establish benchmark elevations, and translate GIS contours directly onto physical ground stakes.
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Excavator Setup & Batter Control: Master benching, cut-and-fill ratios, and bucket technique to maintain consistent wall slopes and clean swale bottoms.
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Dam Keyway Construction & Soil Compaction: Execute core trench excavation, evaluate clay moisture at the cut face, and track roll soil layers for zero-seepage dam walls.
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Level-Sill Spillway Construction: Cut precise, level overflow sills and transition channels to handle flood events safely without washing out.
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Bulk Earthmoving Workflow: Learn how to direct heavy equipment efficiently, sequence cut-and-fill operations, and minimize track time and fuel burn.
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On-Site Hazard Management: Identify hidden soil slips, piping risks, and machine safety boundaries on steep terrain.
Who Should Attend?
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Graduates of Applied Hydrology 101: Ready to put classroom calculations and GIS designs into physical practice.
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Earthmoving Contractors & Operators: Wanting to offer high-ticket, engineered regenerative earthworks to their clients.
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Property Owners with Machinery: Landholders who own or hire excavators and want to execute their own broadacre water infrastructure safely.
Course Logistics & Venue:
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Duration: 5 Days (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM).
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Location: Active Earthworks Project Site in Glastonbury, QLD (20 minutes west of Gympie). The exact private site address is provided in your Welcome Pack upon booking.
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Accommodation: Self-catered / Off-site lodging. We highly recommend booking accommodation on the Gympie side of Glastonbury (not further west) to avoid daily travel delays.
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PPE Requirements: Steel-capped boots, high-visibility vest or work shirt, broad-brim hat, safety glasses, and ear protection are strictly required on site daily.
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Class Size: Strictly capped to ensure maximum seat time, direct machine observation, and individual instruction.
Prerequisites & Capability: Applied Hydrology 101 is heavily recommended. You must arrive already understanding the baseline concepts of dam construction, swale hydrology, and level-sill spillways. We will not be spending time on basic theory; we will be executing it. If you are unsure if your experience qualifies, please email us prior to booking.
Grant & Funding Eligibility: Primary producers and graziers in Queensland may be eligible to claim or subsidize this training through state programs (e.g., QRIDA Farm Business Resilience Program) as a claimable training expense under formal property management and drought preparedness planning.
Earthworks are highly weather-dependent. Light rain provides excellent opportunities to observe surface hydrology in real-time. In the event of severe, unsafe weather that prevents machine operation, we will pivot to advanced site-surveying, laser levelling, and indoor strategy sessions, maximizing your educational value regardless of the weather.
If you have existing earthmoving experience or a strong foundational knowledge of permaculture hydrology (swales, keyways, and spillway calculations), you are welcome to attend. However, we will not be pausing the machines to teach basic theory. If you are a complete beginner to water systems, you must take the 101 course first.
Yes. This is a hands-on field intensive. Because class sizes are strictly capped, you will receive supervised seat time in the machine to practice bucket control, batter shaping, and track rolling, as well as ground-based laser levelling experience.
