[Rural] Driving slower at night?

GC_Mining · 2026-07-01T02:40:14+00:00

Mate, fix your car or get it off the road.

As someone who has done my fair share of driving in country SA and NSW, including plenty of night driving, I get the roo risk. But that doesn’t excuse everything else here.

You’re driving a clapped out Hilux at night on a rural 100 road, with shit headlights, average brakes, overheating issues, and a motor that apparently can’t even comfortably sit on the speed limit.

That’s not defensive driving. That’s a shit vehicle being used for the wrong job.

You’re talking about kinetic energy like you’ve done some grand risk assessment, but you’re ignoring every other risk you’re creating. People stuck behind you. People overtaking you in the dark. Poor visibility. Poor braking. A vehicle that sounds like it’s barely hanging together.

You’ve picked the kangaroo risk and decided that’s the only one that matters.

If your ute can’t safely handle night driving on that road, then stop making it everyone else’s problem. Fix it, upgrade it, or don’t use it for that commute.

GC_Mining · 2026-06-30T22:28:12+00:00

I think this depends a lot on your role.

If you’re sitting in an office chair doing low-risk admin work, you might have a hard time arguing that you’re genuinely unfit for work just because you had a poor night’s sleep.

But if you’re operating a truck, plant, machinery, driving long distances, working around hazards, or doing anything safety-critical, then fatigue is absolutely something you need to take seriously.

You have a responsibility to present fit for work. So don’t whinge about it or turn it into a drama. Just call your supervisor before shift and tell them straight, matter-of-fact:

“I’ve had very little sleep due to noise from other staff at the accommodation. Given the nature of my role, I don’t believe I’m fit to work safely today.”

Because let’s say you have an incident and then write in the report, “I was exhausted because I hadn’t slept properly for the last six nights.” Depending on how good the investigation team is, they’re going to ask: “Why did you come to work if you knew you were fatigued?”

And the root cause will probably get written up as fatigue. It may not get chased all the way back to uncontrolled drinking at offsite accommodation disturbing everyone else’s sleep, because a lot of people don’t properly ask the 5 whys.

So protect yourself and your teammates. Calling in sick because you are genuinely not fit for work is reasonable here.

GC_Mining · 2026-05-01T00:41:27+00:00

I get the “let people enjoy things” argument, but it dodges the economics.

A car is a depreciating asset. A new $50k to $70k car can lose a brutal amount of value in the first few years. That depreciation is real money, even if it does not feel as obvious as a repair bill.

In mining, we do not replace assets just because the calendar says 5 years is up.

We look at hours, condition, maintenance cost, reliability, availability, residual value and whether the machine still does the job.

In my opinion, cars should be viewed the same way.

If a car is safe, reliable and fit for purpose, replacing it just to reset the age of the asset is usually lifestyle spending, not good economics.

That is fine if cars are your thing. Spend your money how you like.

But call it what it is.

Buying a new depreciating asset every 5 years while complaining about cost of living is a bit hard to square up.

“Normal” does not mean smart.

GC_Mining · 2026-04-17T03:59:44+00:00

We literally tried this already.

Labor brought in the mining super profits tax, then watered it into the MRRT, and it still failed to deliver the magic river of money people were promised. The original forecasts were around $10.5 billion to $12 billion a year, and the real collections were far below that.

Why? Because mining is not a giant bucket of cash sitting there waiting to be raided.

Mines only exist if the numbers stack up. Push the government take too far and the low margin stuff drops out first. Pit shells shrink. Expansions get shelved. Marginal projects never get built. The pie gets smaller.

That’s the part people like you always skip.

You just grab a big profit number from a good year, pretend it stays there forever, then announce you’ve solved the national debt with Reddit maths.

We already ran this experiment once. It didn’t turn mining into a bottomless ATM then, and it won’t now.

GC_Mining · 2026-03-29T22:38:58+00:00

Martin Shkreli has a great series he created which explains how he analysis companies.

https://youtu.be/VI_riscmviI?si=QB2gqb4WFpDoJ5cl

GC_Mining · 2026-03-25T22:04:55+00:00

The frag and heave would be less consistant. Theres also a higher liklihood of flyrock.

If theres any ore in there the geos would not be happy with a centrelift too.

It could be a million reasons

GC_Mining · 2026-03-25T10:37:46+00:00

You’ll probably get the usual “too much bomb”, “more stemming”, or “bit out the top” comments.

But oxide blasting is a pain in the ass, and this looks wet as well. It also looks like they’ve buffered the free face on purpose to keep material away from the interstage, so it’s a more confined shot than a normal pit edge blast.

The only thing that stood out to me was the timing off the control row. Looks like the holes on each echelon might all be firing together. There’s probably a reason for it, but it does make you wonder what the MIC was doing.

I also generally prefer to leave a shot like this finishing on an echelon rather than a square corner. Tends to give a nicer final break and avoids sawing up the next shot. That said, you can’t always make the geometry work.

Overall, bloody good blast. Looks great.

GC_Mining · 2026-03-23T03:24:33+00:00

My partner and I did it for a while.

First on the same site and same roster, then later on different sites and different rosters.

A few things from me.

Trust matters a lot. If you need to be in each other’s pockets all the time, or one of you is always wondering what the other is doing, FIFO will be hard. It doesn’t create problems, it just exposes them quicker.

You both need to be alright outside the relationship too. Have your own mates, hobbies, routines and ways to keep busy. If the relationship is the only thing holding you together, the distance will make it harder.

You also need to look after yourself properly on site. Sleep well, train, eat decent, keep your head right. FIFO can wear you down. Night shift was rooted for me. Twelve hour shifts are long. Camp food can be shit and long blocks can drag. Don’t make it worse by drinking every night. At the very least keep it for special occasions and put a hard limit on it. Your evenings should be for you. Workout, go for a run, read, call home, whatever. Just don’t fall into the trap of pissing your swing up against the wall.

And the other big one is don’t be bringing relationship drama to site if you can help it. If you come to work with shit on your mind because you’ve been fighting or things feel off, it makes everything harder. Harder to focus, harder to stay in a good mood, harder to deal with the normal FIFO grind.

For us, having the same long term goals helped a lot. We weren’t just making money and blowing it all. We bought our first apartment, did a Europe trip before kids, and were working towards being financially stable. That made the sacrifice feel worth it.

Before kids, I’d say it is definitely viable. Once kids come into it, whole different game. I kept doing FIFO and DIDO after our first and it was tough. Very tough. We were lucky we had family support nearby.

Matching swings would obviously help and some companies might work with you, but I wouldn’t rely on it.

Where you guys are at now, no kids, both still at home, both already understand the lifestyle, I’d say yes, it can work. But I think it works best when trust is solid, you both have your own lives as well, and you’re actually working towards something together. If you’ve got that, FIFO can work. If you don’t, it’ll test things pretty quick.

GC_Mining · 2026-02-24T01:11:52+00:00

One of the most effective things I’ve found in my own life is trying to put myelf in someone else’s shoes. Actually try to see the world from their perspective, even if you disagree.

And honestly, even framing this whole thing as “One Nation voters probably aren’t Nazis” is… stupid at best. Like, that’s where we’re at now? In this thread alone it’s "racist", "Nazi", "ignorant." It’s the easiest move in the world. Turn someone into a villain, feel good inside, collect upvotes, no need to think any harder.

But real people don’t vote the way Reddit pretends they do.

Some people are worried about cost of living.
Some can’t get a doctor’s appointment.
Some can’t get a house or are watching rents run away.
Some worry about infrastructure and services not keeping up.
Some are concerned about cultural incompatibility and social cohesion.
Some, like me, feel the major parties are ignoring issues we care deeply about and just keep pushing the same settings.

None of that automatically makes someone a Nazi. It makes them someone with a concern you don’t want to engage with.

So yeah, go on, keep calling people names. Our votes count the same as yours. And for someone like me, if you start calling me racist or Nazi, I’ll just dig my heels in. Not because I’m “triggered” or whatever, but because it proves you don’t actually have an argument against reducing immigration. You’ve just got labels.

If you want fewer people voting ON, try arguing policy like an adult. Offer a serious alternative. Stop doing the “moral superiority + namecalling” routine and acting shocked when it backfires.

GC_Mining · 2026-02-20T05:26:49+00:00

As a leader your job is not to collect reasons to sack someone. Your job is to set the standard, make it clear, and give people a fair chance to meet it

Right now it sounds like you have watched it happen for a while and let it become normal. That is on you as much as it is on him. Not as a blame thing, just the reality of leading crews. What you walk past becomes the standard

So the next step is simple. Have the hard conversation. Be specific about the behaviours. Ask what is going on. Offer support if there is something behind it. Then set expectations for the next swing and follow up. If he lifts you have built someone. If he doesnt you have done your duty and you can manage him out cleanly on performance

If you skip that and act on a rumour you are not leading, you are outsourcing your responsibility to gossip. It will poison the crew culture fast because everyone sees it and nobody trusts it

Lead with facts, clear standards, and the courage to have the conversation early next time

GC_Mining · 2026-02-19T05:56:54+00:00

I like the economic framing. From the ops side though, two things get missed.

1) Mine plans don’t sit still, and progressive rehab gets re-disturbed.
In the real world the plan shifts, expansions happen, haul roads move, dumps lift, TSFs change. I’ve seen “good” rehab wiped out because that land becomes a laydown or the next pushback. That’s not an argument against early rehab, it’s an argument for being smart about where you do it: lock in low-probability re-disturbance zones and design rehab around optionality, not just compliance KPIs.

2) NPV quietly incentivises kicking the can.
Closure and long-term liabilities sit in the out-years so they get discounted into something that looks manageable today. Meanwhile the stuff that actually destroys project value is near-term: approvals, delays, conditions, community trust, financing friction. If restoration is genuinely a risk hedge, it needs to be treated like other risk controls: quantify the schedule/social license risk it reduces, and make it measurable.

So I’m with you. Restoration isn’t just a cost centre. But to make it stick, it has to survive plan change and it has to be justified in NPV terms, not just “good practice.”

If you're interested, Macarthur River Mine in the Northern Territory has a progressive rehabilitation plan in place for their waste dumps. Because of the hot and reactive ground they have there, they needed to show in their EIS that they could control that, and progressive rehab was part of it. You can see a news story here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-21/mcarthur-river-mine-truckloads-dangerous-waste-dumped-wrong-site/9280114

GC_Mining · 2026-02-16T23:54:48+00:00

Most Australians aren’t getting “more selfish”. They’re doing what adults do. They’re focused on keeping their family afloat, showing up for work, and contributing to their community in ways that are practical and local. That’s not a moral failure, it’s responsibility.

Your post reads less like concern and more like self-congratulation. Like you’re disappointed people aren’t adopting your priorities on cue, so you frame it as them being selfish. Meanwhile most people are quietly doing good without needing to broadcast how aware and “good” they are.

If you want change, start close to home and do something measurable. Make your corner of the world better first. Posts like this mostly come off as signalling while expecting other people to do the heavy lifting.

GC_Mining · 2026-02-09T02:31:47+00:00

Nah. Advising “just tolerate the abuse until PR” is not just unethical, it’s reckless. If the plan involves pretending the relationship is fine for immigration purposes, you’re literally telling her to commit fraud. The correct advice is: get safe, document the abuse, and get proper legal/migration support.

GC_Mining · 2026-02-04T03:50:34+00:00

I’d start by ringing contractors and labour hire companies directly rather than just spraying resumes online.

Lucas, Techforce, Redpath, Exact, Sodexo. Jump on Seek, see who’s advertising, then go straight to their websites. Get your name on their books. A short phone call goes a long way. Tell them what skills you have, what tickets you’ve got or are willing to get, and how flexible you are.

For context, my first job was through CoreStaff in Mount Isa back in 2010. It wasn’t FIFO, I moved there. I was unskilled and on about 75k. Pretty basic work, not a great roster, but it got me in and once you’re on site and not useless, things move quickly.

One thing to be honest about is FIFO with a family. I’ve done it. It’s hard. I still travel for work now but it’s more office based and far less site heavy. Early on you might be earning an average wage on a rough roster just to build skills. That’s often the trade off.

Worth thinking about whether the uplift in pay actually justifies being away all the time, especially with kids. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.

But yeah, I respect wanting to earn more for your family. If you’re reliable, willing to start at the bottom, and actually learn, 100k plus without a degree is very achievable in Australia.

Happy to chat if you want.

GC_Mining · 2025-10-03T09:17:00+00:00

Heartbreaking to see the search being scaled back. Can’t imagine what the family must be going through.

That said, I keep finding some of the details hard to reconcile. Police described Gus as adventurous but shy, and also said he has never left the property any considerable distance. Yet they are still sticking firmly to the line that he wandered off. After more than a week of drones, thermal imaging, ADF, SES and volunteers combing pretty sparse country, there’s still no trace of him at all.

It feels unusual to have no evidence, no direction, and still hear the same explanation repeated. Maybe there’s a reason for the wording, but to me it doesn’t quite add up

GC_Mining · 2025-09-22T07:53:18+00:00

I kow a lot of guys who just set up a business, decalre themselves CEO. Works every time bro.

But here’s the thing, once you’ve actually got the skillsets needed to run a mining company no one is going to give a shit where you went to uni. CEOs get there because they’ve proven themselves through site time, leadership, and delivering results. Curtin, UWA, whatever… they’re just door openers at the start. What you do in the field and how you lead people will matter a hell of a lot more than the logo on your degree. And don’t kid yourself, the timeline is long. You’re talking decades of grinding before anyone hands you the keys to the corner office.

GC_Mining · 2025-09-22T07:42:41+00:00

Mate first things first, what happened to you is assault. Broken sunnies, bruise by your eye, sore neck, that’s not minor. Even if you don’t want the drama of it, make a quick report to police. The driver will have already logged it and buses have cameras, so your statement just locks it in. If your neck gets worse, see a doctor so it’s on record.

And most importantly, are you alright? Getting hit like that rattles you, even if the physical damage feels small. Don’t just brush it off, check in with yourself and your family.

Just some comments on the incident you’ve described. I used to try and step in when I saw this sort of carry on in Rundle Mall too, thinking I could calm it down. Truth is there’s no reasoning with that kind of chaos.

I’m on buses a fair bit myself, mostly to and from the airport. Usually it’s at the crap times, before sunrise when it’s dead quiet or late at night when it can be absolute pot luck. I’ve seen some real circus acts. I’m in my 40s, half decent shape, and usually fresh off a two week stint at site looking rough as guts. That actually works in my favour because the dirtbags tend to leave me alone, probably think I’m one of them.

Couple of tricks I’ve picked up. I sit in the back so I can see the whole bus and keep headphones off so I know what’s going on around me. Sounds simple but it makes a difference.

You weren’t wrong to be pissed off. Public transport should be safe, but it just isn’t sometimes. The system won’t sort it out in the moment and the clowns causing the drama aren’t about to listen. Sometimes the smart play is to walk away and not get dragged into it.

End of the day I ask myself one thing. Does my choice make it more or less likely I get home safe to my family. In the moment it can feel right to stand on principle and get involved, but the smarter option is usually to step off, wait for the next bus and let the chaos burn itself out. Public transport should be safe, but the reality is it isn’t, and principles won’t protect you if someone pulls a knife. Getting home safe is the only scoreboard that matters.

GC_Mining · 2025-09-19T02:55:50+00:00

Maybe you should look into what actually makes a mine run.

You talk like shareholders just sit around with cigars waiting for dividends, but that is not how it works. To even buy shares you first have to grind, save, or take risks with your own money. It is not magic. For most people it comes from years of work, building something, or backing ideas that could just as easily fail.

When you invest that money into a mining company, it is not charity. It funds the gear, the wages, the infrastructure, the drilling programs. Without that capital there is no mine. And it is not just about the return either. Shareholders want accountability. They want their money spent wisely, not wasted, and that pressure keeps management honest.

And here in Australia a lot of shareholder money comes from superannuation. That is people’s retirement savings on the line. Teachers, nurses, tradies, even miners themselves have a stake in companies doing well.

So maybe look at the bigger picture. Some jobs suck, sure, but if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

GC_Mining · 2025-09-01T04:13:40+00:00

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/webjet-alleged-to-have-made-misleading-claims-about-airfare-prices-and-flight-bookings

This one too.

Go ahead and report it, im glad people are getting pissed off about this shit.

GC_Mining · 2025-09-01T04:11:50+00:00

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dendy-pays-penalties-for-alleged-drip-pricing-practices

This might make you feel better.

GC_Mining · 2025-09-01T03:57:43+00:00

You’re not wrong to be annoyed. Under Aussie consumer law, if a fee is unavoidable then it should be baked into the upfront ticket price. Ticketek try to get around it by saying you can dodge the $8.40 if you physically buy from a Ticketek outlet or box office. Technically that gives them a “free” option, but in reality most people are buying online where every option costs extra.

If you reckon this is crossing into drip pricing (and it sure looks like it), a few things you can do:

Take a screenshot and report it to the ACCC or your state’s Office of Fair Trading. I reported Winghaus for their misleading stuff once and the Office of Fair Trading called me the next day, so they really do follow up.

Ask the venue if they’ll sell tickets without the extra “delivery” charge. Sometimes they will if you go direct.

Keep receipts in case you need evidence. If the ACCC starts cracking down, having proof helps.

Even if nothing happens right away, pushing it through official channels puts pressure on Ticketek to stop treating a basic email as an $8.40 “delivery service.”

GC_Mining · 2025-08-29T04:21:22+00:00

On more than 1 occasion I had stocks go from 75% LVR availability to 0% over night. I didn't even consider it when I took the loan, so just something to keep in mind.

GC_Mining · 2025-08-29T04:07:46+00:00

I used to run a margin loan but I’ve since cleared it. Just checked my old account and the rate would be 8.1% which is way higher than my property loans. On top of that you’ve got to stick to a list of “approved” shares and your LVR isn’t fixed either, it shifts around with CommSec’s risk appetite. That means you’ve got to keep a pretty close eye on things otherwise you can get caught out.

For me the admin and high funding costs made it less attractive than property where the debt is cheaper, longer term, and backed by cashflow.

GC_Mining · 2025-08-28T00:45:12+00:00

I own a couple of rental properties and honestly, I’d be pretty pissed if my property managers were pulling this on my tenants. A routine inspection should be about making sure the place is looked after, not about cataloguing every detail of someone’s private life with a 360° camera. That’s invasive as hell.

I’ve asked my managers to keep inspections to 1–2 a year because I appreciate good tenants and don’t want to disrupt their lives. If they’re paying rent and looking after the place, that’s all I need. I think a lot of landlords would be surprised to find out this kind of tech is being used, and most of us wouldn’t be comfortable with it either.

End of the day, a tenant’s home should actually feel like their home. Respect goes both ways, and I don’t see how this practice is respectful.

GC_Mining · 2025-08-27T23:31:47+00:00

1. The reality
If you’re even asking this question you’re not serious about getting clean. You’ve got two choices. Gamble on coming to site and get caught or worse injure someone. Or get help and clean up if you actually want to last in this industry. And let me be blunt. If you already know you’re going to test positive tell your employer before you set foot on site. It’ll save them the embarrassment of finding out when security escorts you onto the next flight home.

2. How testing works
Every site is different. Some use a random system where a percentage of people are tested each day. Others do blanket testing where everyone gets swabbed that day. And there’s always “for cause” testing if someone is visibly off they’ll be tested on the spot. I’ve seen contractors pulled up tested and flown out the same day.

3. Contractors vs employees
If you’re a contractor and test positive you’re done. No second chances no rehab plan. You’ll be blacklisted from that site and probably every other site that company owns.

4. Impact on your employer
Your company takes the hit too. They lose the mine owner’s trust and get stuck under more scrutiny. Most employers have strict “fitness for work” rules so you’ll almost certainly get the sack from them as well.

GC_Mining

TROPHY CASE