Our History

Easternwell is a part of Transfield Services. Rebranded following the merger of Easternwell Group and Australian Drilling Solutions, Easternwell is a national company offering a diverse range of drilling and servicing capabilities supporting the high-growth energy and mining sectors.

History of Easternwell Group

Easternwell Group was established in 1976 with the purchase of a seismic drilling rig and began trading under the name Eastern Well Supply. The purchase of two additional seismic rigs soon followed, but the company hit hard times during an industry downturn in 1988. Sensing an opportunity to diversify, Eastern Well Supply redirected the company into well maintenance services, introducing the first servicing rig in 1989 under the identity Eastern Well Services. This proved to be a clever strategy with the fledgling company experiencing significant early growth.

Eastern Well Service built its reputation on reliability and excellent standards of service. During the early '90s, Eastern Well Service managed client relationships on a personal level and services were gradually added to meet customer demand. Consistency and determination laid the platform for the company's ongoing success.

This was no more apparent than when another major downturn bit in 1997/98. Unlike the slump of 1988, Eastern Well Service was largely unaffected due to effective business management and the development of a resilient, highly regarded brand. The purchase of further equipment during the downturn has proven to be the turning point in the company's history.

Rebranded Easternwell Group in 2007, the company is known for providing superior well servicing and drilling operations as well as camp management services. With the support of logistics, aviation, training, engineering and technical services, Easternwell Group is considered a 'one stop shop' for large oil and gas exploration companies.

History of Australian Drilling Solutions

Australian Drilling Solutions was created in 2008 with the announcement of a merger between five specialist above ground technical drilling services companies. These businesses provided drilling services to a number of sectors including minerals, infrastructure, construction and oil and gas. These businesses include:

Nudrill Drilling Contractors was founded by Mike Norburn in 1982, providing de-watering and water depressurisation services to major mining companies. The business has been operating with Rio Tinto in the Pilbara Iron Ore region for c. 25 years.
Colby Drilling Company was founded by James Colby in 1986, providing water well drilling specialising in de-watering services to major mining companies. The business also provided dual rotary drilling capability which is particularly suited to regions such as the Pilbara.
Peak Drilling Services was founded by Richard Bennett in 2000, providing diamond and RC exploration drilling for a number of emerging Australian resource companies such as Atlas Iron and Hancock Resources.
Sides Drilling Contractors was founded by the Sides family in 1923, providing a range of drilling services to mining, oil and gas and infrastructure clients. Sides specialised in offshore/nearshore geotechnical drilling including operating four of the 10 transportable jack up barges in Australia.
Gorey & Cole Drillers was founded in 1946 and sold to a senior employee Viv Oldfield in 1988. The business started as a water well drilling specialist offering services to the agricultural industry before it moved into the mining sector in 1990. The business's background meant it was well suited to de-watering /water depressurisation and backfill in mining operations due to the depth and diameter of the production holes required compared to exploration drilling. Since then it has secured long-term contracts with BHP Billiton, ERA (subsidiary of Rio Tinto) and Newmont, and provides water well drilling services to the water authorities based in the Northern Territory.