Electrical Infrastructure

ACHM has delivered heritage services for a broad range of electricity infrastructure projects across Australia.

Our experience includes new high‑voltage transmission lines, network upgrades and duplications, route realignments, and the relocation of electricity assets associated with major transport, urban development, and infrastructure projects. We have also supported distribution network upgrades, substation developments, and grid‑connection works for renewable energy projects, working from early feasibility and route selection through to construction and commissioning. 

ACHM’s multidisciplinary team provides end‑to‑end heritage support for electricity infrastructure, including due diligence assessments, Cultural Heritage Management Plans, historic heritage assessments, GIS‑based constraints mapping, stakeholder and Traditional Owner engagement, and construction monitoring. This depth of experience enables us to manage regulatory risk, maintain project momentum, and deliver compliant, practical outcomes for complex powerline, upgrade, and relocation projects.

ACHM have provided services and advice for projects such as:

  • 66kv power line between Somerton and Craigieburn
  • 66kv power line between Keilor East and Tullamarine
  • Powerline upgrade between Leongatha and Korrumburra
  • Rio Tinto Hope Downs 1 to Hope Downs 4 220kv powerline
  • Reeves Plain power station
  • Bairnsdale power station upgrades
  • BHP Ministers North 132kv powerline relocation

Kilmore Sewer Project

ACHM prepared and delivered the Approved Cultural Heritage Management Plan and the salvage works for the Kilmore Sewer Project for Goulburn Valley Water, supporting the construction of a new sewer outfall through an archaeologically sensitive corridor along Kilmore Creek.

The project involved extensive consultation with Taungurung Land and Waters Council and detailed field investigations to identify, manage and protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.

ACHM’s work enabled the project to proceed in accordance with legislative requirements while responsibly managing heritage values within a highly constrained urban and creek‑side environment.

Rail Infrastructure

ACHM is a trusted cultural heritage partner across Australia’s public and private rail networks. We support government agencies, rail operators, major contractors and Traditional Owner groups to deliver safe, compliant and culturally respectful rail infrastructure projects.

Our experience covers the full project lifecycle—from early planning and CHMP preparation to salvage excavations, stakeholder engagement, on‑Country consultation and ongoing advisory. We ensure that essential transport upgrades progress efficiently while meeting the highest standards of cultural heritage protection.

Across major corridor duplications, station redevelopments, stabling and maintenance facilities, level‑crossing removals and regional line upgrades, ACHM brings deep technical capability, strong regulatory expertise and enduring relationships with Traditional Owners nationwide.

Warrnambool Line Upgrade – Cultural Heritage Management
 
ACHM played a central role in the Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) for the Warrnambool Line Upgrade, including amendments and ongoing advisory services. Our work involved:
  • Direct engagement with Traditional Owners
  • Resolving CHMP queries and clarifying assessment outcomes
  • Updating advice as rail design progressed
  • Coordinating with the construction partner to ensure all works aligned with cultural heritage obligations and legislation

We also delivered broader support, including the review of previous CHMPs, salvage requirement assessments and project liaison to maintain compliance and streamline the approvals pathway.

Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP)

ACHM  completed CHMPs, due diligence assessments, salvage programs, spatial data tasks and heritage compliance services across numerous LXRP packages.

Growth Area Stations Program

ACHM prepared CHMPs, duel diligence assessments, salvage programs and heritage compliance services for the Victorian Government’s Growth Area Stations initiative, including new or expanded stations or infrastructure at:

  • Caroline Springs
  • Eltham
  • Frankston
  • Merlynston
  • Pakenham
  • Ravenhall
  • Riddells Creek 
  • Tarneit
  • Watergardens
  • Wattle Glen
  • Williams Landing
  • Wyndham Vale
  • Yarraman

Our involvement supported the investigative stage through to approval‑ready submissions for multiple rapidly growing urban centres.

Stabling Yards, Rail Sidings & Precinct Enhancements

Across metropolitan and regional networks, ACHM provides cultural heritage expertise for:

  • Depot expansions
  • Stabling yards
  • Rail sidings
  • Broader precinct upgrades

Our work includes due diligence, CHMPs, salvage programs and risk identification, all tailored to align with demanding rail construction schedules.

Pilbara Heavy‑Haul Rail Projects

Mulga Downs Rail & Hub

ACHM is delivering end‑to‑end cultural heritage services for the Mulga Downs Iron Ore Project, including the proposed rail spur and hub for Hancock Prospecting and Roy Hill. Our work includes:

  • Ethnobiological and ethnographic studies
  • Extensive archaeological surveys
  • Heritage governance and stakeholder engagement
  • Avoidance recommendations and site recording

We ensure Banjima Traditional Owner values guide planning and construction while providing the assurance needed for safe and compliant delivery.

Fortescue Solomon Rail

Over 100 km of archaeological and ethnographic assessments supporting greenfields rail development and Solomon Mine operations.

Rio Tinto Gudai‑Darri Rail

Over 80 km of archaeological and ethnographic assessments for the Gudai‑Darri Mine rail corridor.

Rio Tinto Hope Downs Rail

Over 100 km of archaeological and ethnographic surveys supporting the Hope Downs rail corridor.

West Pilbara Iron Ore Project Rail Corridor

Heritage site verification across 180 km of proposed heavy‑haul rail infrastructure, supporting early feasibility and planning.

Rail Capability at a Glance

  • End‑to‑end heritage services, surveys, assessments and CHMPs from early due diligence to complex investigations and salvage.
  • Specialist Traditional Owner engagement ensuring transparent, respectful and legislatively compliant consultation.
  • GIS, spatial analysis and predictive modelling to identify corridor‑wide risks and inform route selection.
  • Rapid‑response advisory for contractors managing emergent heritage issues.
  • Compliance excellence supported by ISO‑certified quality, safety and environmental systems.
  • Seamless integration with project delivery, including alignment with rail construction sequencing and safety protocols.

Optus

ACHM supports Optus across a range of telecommunications infrastructure projects across Australia, helping ensure new towers, network upgrades and fibre expansions meet cultural heritage obligations while progressing efficiently through planning and construction.

As one of Australia’s major network operators, Optus delivers infrastructure in diverse landscapes, often within or near areas of cultural heritage sensitivity. ACHM provides the clarity, compliance assurance and on‑ground expertise needed to navigate these responsibilities with confidence.

Working closely with Traditional Owner groups, statutory authorities and project engineers, ACHM delivers practical heritage solutions tailored to the fast‑moving demands of the telecommunications sector. This includes early‑stage due diligence, cultural heritage risk assessments, CHMP’s, archaeological field services and ongoing advisory support to keep projects moving while maintaining full respect for cultural values.

Our partnership with Optus reflects ACHM’s reputation for providing responsive, technically robust and culturally informed guidance across large‑scale national programs. Through this work, we help Optus expand and upgrade critical communications infrastructure in a way that is responsible, compliant and aligned with the cultural heritage expectations of communities across Australia.

Ballarat West Employment Zone

ACHM has supported Development Victoria on the delivery of the Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ), a major 438‑hectare industrial and logistics precinct being developed to drive long‑term economic growth for the Ballarat region. The project is transforming surplus Crown land on Wadawurrung Country into a future‑focused hub for manufacturing, freight, construction and commercial activity.

Working in partnership with Development Victoria, the City of Ballarat and the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, ACHM has provided  ongoing cultural heritage guidance and approvals support across multiple stages of the precinct. Our work ensures that project planning and construction proceed in line with cultural heritage legislation, while respecting Wadawurrung cultural values and maintaining strong, transparent relationships with Traditional Owners.

Through our involvement, ACHM has helped Development Victoria deliver a precinct that balances economic opportunity with responsible, culturally informed land management.

Country Fire Authority

ACHM has supported the Country Fire Authority (CFA) across a series of new and upgraded fire‑station developments throughout regional Victoria. Our work has included the completion of Cultural Heritage Management Plans (CHMPs) for the Pyalong CFA Station, as well as extensive due diligence assessments for proposed fire stations at Callawadda, Clear Lake, Pomonal, Greendale, Buninyong, Dundonnell, and The Basin.

These assessments ensure emergency services infrastructure can be delivered responsibly, efficiently, and in full compliance with Victorian Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation.

Across CFA’s regional station upgrades and new builds, ACHM worked closely with Registered Aboriginal Parties, stakeholders, and project planners to identify, assess, and manage cultural heritage sensitivities early in the planning process. This ensured project designs could be refined where necessary, risks minimised, and compliance pathways streamlined—supporting CFA’s commitment to serving local communities while respecting the deep histories and cultural landscapes of Victoria.

ACHM is proud to contribute to the development of critical emergency response facilities across the state, helping CFA deliver safer and stronger fire‑service infrastructure for Victorian communities.

Western Highway Duplication

ACHM provided specialist cultural heritage advisory services for the Western Highway Duplication between Buangor and Stawell, delivering the mandatory Cultural Heritage Management Plan required for the project. Our team undertook comprehensive desktop and standard assessments to identify and manage Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivities along the corridor.

We worked closely with VicRoads and the Registered Aboriginal Party to ensure full compliance with the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, while carefully integrating cultural heritage considerations into planning, design, and construction plans. ACHM’s approach ensured regulatory certainty, safeguarded cultural values, and supported the smooth delivery of this major infrastructure upgrade.

VicRoads

ACHM has a long record of successfully delivering cultural heritage services for VicRoads across major road and highway upgrades throughout Victoria. Our work includes multiple Complex and Standard CHMPs for the Safe System Road Infrastructure Program (SSRIP), salvage investigations for projects, and large‑scale CHMP’s and salvages for the Western Highway duplication, Midland Highway expansion, South Gippsland Highway expansion, Melton highway, Princes Highway expansion, Northern Highway works and extensive works on the Wallan-Kilmore bypass.

Through detailed desktop, standard and complex assessments, stakeholder consultation and regulatory navigation under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, ACHM supports VicRoads in delivering safe transport infrastructure while protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage values.

North East Link Project

ACHM played a key role in the early works phase of Melbourne’s largest road project, the North East Link, working in partnership with CPB Contractors to deliver specialist cultural heritage services across the project’s complex urban footprint.

Between 2020 and 2021, ACHM was engaged to manage the archaeological compliance requirements essential to preparing the corridor for major construction. This included large‑scale archaeological salvage programs, detailed historic building assessments, and ongoing due diligence advice across a rolling program of early works activities.

The North East Link is being delivered by CPB Contractors as part of the Spark consortium, providing the primary package of three‑lane twin tunnels that will finally connect Melbourne’s freeway network. ACHM’s work ensured that heritage obligations were fully met during this critical preparatory phase, supporting CPB Contractors in navigating statutory requirements while enabling the project to proceed efficiently and responsibly.

By combining archaeological expertise with practical on‑site support, ACHM helped protect significant cultural and historical values while contributing to one of Victoria’s most important infrastructure initiatives.

East Grampians Rural Pipeline

ACHM were been engaged by Cape Dunstans and Grampians Wimmera Water to undertake the heritage approvals for the East Grampians Rural Pipeline. The project includes archaeological survey and excavations along almost 2,200 kilometres of proposed pipeline alignment.

ACHM have completed 6 Complex CHMP’s and numerous amendments for the project in collaboration with the Waddawurrung, Barenji Gadgin and Eastern Maar RAP groups. The complex assessment for the CHMP’s has resulted in the excavation of approximately 1,000 1m x 1m test pits.