The people of Hervey Bay have recently been granted a local food shopping mecca in the form of Fresh & Save. This Queensland-owned retailer is a relatively new face on the supermarket scene, boasting a distinct departure from its conglomerate competitors by taking a more locally focused approach.



The $7.5 million project was put to tender with a large list of trades to source, with everything from demolition through to carpentry services needed. Some true heavy hitters and widely respected names in the construction industry were called upon to collaborate on this project, bringing together the best in their respective fields to achieve a result that the Hervey Bay community could be truly excited about.

Stockland commissioned PDT Architects and the project titans at SJ Higgins Group to work closely with the Fresh & Save team to bring the vision of the space to life. With an eventual build comprising an on-site butcher, in-house bakery, and more, this was a monolith project with many facets involved. Wombat Hire was among the team tasked with turning the ambitious design into a reality, joining forces with other leading and well respected names from the construction industry.

The commitment that Fresh & Save makes to quality starts at the root, and it was here where Wombat Hire took centre stage; fulfilling all the earthworks machinery and service requirements for the building’s plumbing and drainage installations. The plumbing construction team at Nicoll Industries entrusted Wombat Hire to undertake the groundwork on site, with the two companies teaming up to provide an end-to-end service for the duration of the project. Wombat Hire essentially laid the foundations for Fresh & Save to be built upon, as a reliable plumbing network is crucial for any retailer concerned with perishable goods.

With a wide range of experience and a solid client base in Hervey Bay and the greater Fraser Coast region, Wombat Hire was the obvious choice for the project. Their wide range of earthworks machinery and highly skilled operations team ensured that the earthworks for the plumbing process would be efficient, cost effective, and of the highest quality – three key pillars in any major construction project.

Initial works started with trenching to form a flawless and reliable base for the oncoming plumbing works. The Wombat Hire team used their earthworks machinery to efficiently complete the trenching and pipe laying preparation aspects of the project while successfully collaborating with the many other crews on the ground. 

This independent grocer is the second of its kind on the Fraser Coast, acting as a sibling venue to the brand’s Maryborough outpost. Stockland Hervey Bay Shopping Centre secured the food warehouse for its existing portfolio, providing an alternative to the current sole supermarket retailer in the precinct. The Fresh & Save brand is built on a promise of delivering competitive prices without skimping on quality – an ethos that Wombat Hire shares.

In the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, a diversification of food retailer options has proven to be essential in helping a community thrive – between snap lockdowns and fear of undersupply, providing the people of Hervey Bay another place to acquire essential goods in a cost-effective manner was an exciting project to get behind. Adding a competitor to the shopping centre’s grocery mix also ensures that consumers can have choice – something that was previously unavailable for their weekly grocery haul. 

The Wombat Hire team considers the Fresh & Save supermarket to be another sterling example of what they can achieve. Using expert knowledge, the best earthworks machinery, effective communication, and seamless collaboration, the team was a key piece in the larger puzzle of bringing this exciting project to fruition.