Underground Service Locating

Underground service locating, Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast.

Orbital has been locating underground services across South East Queensland for twenty-three years. EMF tracing for conductive utilities. GPR for non-conductive services. Survey-grade capture of every located feature. Every service designated to AS 5488 quality levels so your designer, builder or council knows exactly what they’re looking at.

What we locate

Every excavation site in South East Queensland sits over a stack of services that someone, somewhere, has a record of — and a few that no one does. We find both. The typical scope on a job covers:

  • Electrical — high-voltage feeders, low-voltage mains, sub-mains, switchboards, streetlight runs
  • Telecommunications — copper, NBN fibre, FTTC, building lead-ins
  • Potable water — mains, sub-mains, property service lines, meters
  • Sewer — gravity mains, rising mains, property connections
  • Stormwater — pipes, pits, kerb inlets, soakwells, subsoil drainage
  • Gas — high-pressure mains, medium-pressure feeders, residential service lines
  • Irrigation, hydronic, recycled water and other private services that DBYD records often miss

Where the service is conductive and accessible at an access point, we trace it with EMF. Where it isn’t, we sweep with GPR. Where neither method gives a confident result, we tell you — and recommend QL-A verification through our Vac2U alliance if the design needs certainty at that point.

How we locate — equipment and method

The equipment matters. The method matters more. Both are here:

EMF tracing — Radiodetection RD8100M with TX-10 transmitter

The RD8100M is the current-generation Radiodetection receiver, used by professional locating operators worldwide. Paired with the TX-10 transmitter we induce a known signal onto the target service, trace its path, and identify its depth to manufacturer-stated accuracy. Receivers are calibrated to schedule and operated by CERTLOC-credentialed locators.

Ground penetrating radar — Radiodetection RD1500 dual-frequency

Dual-frequency GPR finds what EMF can’t — non-conductive services like PE gas mains, fibre-optic conduits, stormwater pipes, and any service where there is no available access point to induce a signal. The dual-frequency configuration handles shallow targets (down to ~1 metre) and deeper signatures (beyond 3 metres) in both cohesive and non-cohesive SEQ soils.

Survey capture — GNSS RTK and total station

Marked services don’t stay marked for long. Paint fades, weather happens, the site changes. We capture every located service to GDA2020 Zone 56 coordinates with GNSS RTK or total station at the time of marking, so the data lives in the deliverable, not on the ground. Typical accuracy is sub-50mm.

AS 5488 quality-level designation

Every located feature on the CAD plan carries an AS 5488 quality-level tag. QL-D for records-only positions, QL-C for surface-visible features, QL-B for geophysically located services, QL-A for vacuum-verified positions. Your designer reads the layer and knows immediately how much confidence to attach.

What you receive

Every locate ends with the spatial dataset in your project drive:

  • On-site marking — paint and pegs colour-coded to AS/NZS 4502, photographed and georeferenced.
  • DWG and PDF CAD plan, layered by service type, with AS 5488 quality level tagged per feature.
  • Survey coordinate file (CSV / DWG points) — GDA2020 Zone 56.
  • Photo record of every access point used during the locate.
  • Service location report stating method, equipment, conditions, and any exceptions or unconfirmed services.
  • Where requested: drone orthomosaic overlay for visual context, or point cloud capture of above-ground features.

Who buys locating work from Orbital

Civil and commercial builders

Service strikes are program-killers. We give your foreman certainty before the excavator moves, and a defensible record if a strike happens despite the locate. CERTLOC-certified locators with AS 5488 designation give your project records the audit defence they need.

Engineering consultancies

We slot in as the SUE sub-consultant on commercial design jobs. AS 5488 quality levels matched to your spec. CAD layered to your drawing standard. Vac2U alliance available for QL-A verification where the design demands it. One coordinated deliverable.

Plumbers and electricians

Find a buried cable. Trace a sewer line from the access point. Confirm the route of a service that doesn’t appear on the DBYD plan. Targeted locating, fast turnaround, sensible pricing.

Homeowners

Pool installation, shed slab, retaining wall, driveway extension, landscaping. We locate the services on your property before excavation so you don’t end up paying repair bills that dwarf the original project cost.

Asset owners and councils

Capital works, maintenance programs, build-over applications. Our deliverable forms part of your as-built record.

Why Orbital

Twenty-three years locating in South East Queensland. CERTLOC certified. NULCA member. Radiodetection authorised dealer. Jamie Ware, Orbital’s managing director, has trained a number of the locators currently working across this market. We’ve been the spatial-intelligence operator inside the evolution of subsurface utility engineering as an Australian discipline — through the introduction of AS 5488, the shift to CAD-native deliverables, and the integration of survey-grade capture into the locate workflow.

We don’t pretend to do everything. Where QL-A verification is needed, we coordinate that through our strategic alliance with Vac2U. The job benefits from two specialists working together; you receive a single deliverable.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a locator if I’ve already submitted Dial Before You Dig?

Yes. DBYD returns asset owner records — useful as a starting point, but the records are often indicative, sometimes incorrect, and almost never cover private services like irrigation, hydronic, recycled water, private sewer connections, or the multiple cables that get installed over a property’s lifetime. A professional locate confirms what’s actually there and where.

What’s the difference between QL-A, QL-B, QL-C and QL-D?

They’re the four quality levels defined in AS 5488, the Australian standard for subsurface utility engineering. QL-D is records-only, QL-C is surface features correlated to records, QL-B is geophysically located (EMF + GPR), and QL-A is physically exposed and verified by vacuum excavation. Most commercial jobs are scoped at QL-B with selective QL-A at critical crossings.

How quickly can you get on site?

For standard residential and small commercial scopes in the Brisbane / Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast catchment, we usually mobilise within 3–5 business days. Urgent jobs are accommodated where possible — call us and we’ll tell you what’s available.

Can you locate services on a private property even if they don’t appear on DBYD?

Yes. Private services — irrigation, hydronic, recycled water, ducted gas, private sewer, septic — are exactly where DBYD coverage breaks down. Our locating equipment doesn’t care whether the service is on a public asset register; if there’s a way to induce a signal or get a GPR response, we’ll find it.

Do you locate to AS 5488 by default?

Yes. Every commercial locate from Orbital is designated to AS 5488 quality levels. We tell you up front which QLs we recommend for the scope, and the CAD deliverable tags every feature accordingly. For residential and small jobs the designation still applies, even if the wider engineering frame is less formal.

How much does a locate cost?

Per scope. The variables: site size, number of services, access conditions, whether you need survey-grade capture or just paint on the ground, whether QL-A verification is in scope. Send us a site address and a brief and we’ll come back with a fixed-price quote, usually within 24 hours.

Related services

  • AS 5488 Subsurface Utility Engineering
  • Ground Penetrating Radar
  • CCTV pipe inspection
  • Vacuum excavation through Vac2U alliance
  • CAD drawings — DWG and PDF

Send us the brief.

Tell us where the project is and what you’re planning. We’ll come back with a fixed-price quote, recommended quality levels, and a realistic mobilisation date — usually within 24 hours.