The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
MarketsEquipmentMining & Mineral Exploration DrillingWater WellsDrill Rigs & Heavy Equipment

Quite the Balancing Act

October 1, 2012
Family started drilling as a support business to farming operation.



For the Serra family, having a versatile drill rig is necessary for the region and the type of work they do. The multi-generation family business is located on the fertile Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland, Australia, and the T4W drill rig is its workhorse, drilling boreholes for agriculture, residential and mining customers.

Before his family started the business in the late 1960s, Joe Serra says if you needed a well drilled, you’d put your name on a list with a drilling company that would come around occasionally. His father saw a business opportunity – and he was right.

Serra admits that when his father started the business, he bought the wrong rig. It was a mud-rotary rig that didn’t work in the varying formations of the Tablelands. In 1981, they bought their first used T4W, and that gave them the hard rock power they needed, and they’ve stuck with the T4W ever since.

After 30 years of running T4Ws, the family recently purchased its newest rig. “The old rig was running great, but with the incentives offered by the government, it didn’t make sense not to buy now,” explains Serra. The Australian government offered tax incentives to make capital expenditures at the time.

Today, the family business drills water wells for irrigation and drinking water, while also doing work for mines in the region. Serra likes the versatility of the T4W that allows him the finesse to drill 620-foot water wells – including running 118 feet of slotted PVC casing at the bottom – and the strength to drill 950 feet of steel casing in the coal-mine region.

The distance the family drilling business will travel has grown over the years. Population and farming development has levelled off. So Australia’s mining industry has developed into a good base for the Serra business. Within a day’s drive, coal fields and metals mines offer an alternative source of revenue drilling for ground monitoring, dewatering and chip sampling.

In the Tablelands near the family farm where the Serra family got its start, the ground is rich with volcanic surface soils that make the region perfect for everything from bananas to potatoes. The land once was a tropical jungle that was cleared in the first half of the last century. Below the surface is honeycombed basalt rock that holds a large amount of water. Below that is solid granite.

Serra gives an example of the formation: Two feet of surface soils, 20 feet of sub-soils, 200 feet of clays, 80 feet to 90 feet of decomposed or 50 to 60 feet of honeycombed igneous rock. “When going through the decomposed formation, it’s important to slow down,” he cautions.  Although it’s fast drilling, the ground can swell behind the hammer, causing it to become trapped below the expanded ground. Serra says going slow allows the formation to move with the hammer, and not swell after penetrating the formation.

At times, they also encounter sandstone below the volcanic rock, but once the tight granite is reached, there will be a low water yield.

Serra talks about one situation that other drillers might encounter. On a mine property, he says they were getting half the expected life out of their hammers. After looking at all possibilities, he found that it came down to the water they were injecting. The minerals in the water were caustic, reducing the piston life. The solution was to bring water from off-site to fill the tank.

After so long on the job, trouble-shooting has become second nature to Serra and the rest of the family – similar to most drillers. And similar to many drilling firms, the Serra family has been at it for three generations. 
ND
KEYWORDS: mud rotary drilling

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Markets
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Jeremy Verdusco, Editor

    States Lead the Way in Fracking Balancing Act

    See More
  • Jeremy Verdusco

    Balancing the Employees’ Market in Drilling Trades

    See More
  • Smith family

    You Know the Drill: Balancing Business and Family

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-and-wastewater-treatm.gif

    Water and Wastewater Treatment: A Guide for the Nonengineering Professional, Second Edition

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\tunneling-in-rock.gif

    Tunneling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting

  • 9780128034170.jpg

    Formulas and Calculations for Drilling, Production, and Workover, 4th Edition

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Rock-Tech International

    DTH Hammers (2" - 30"), Hammer Bits (2 3/4"- 42"), Std./Custom Hole Openers, PDC Bits, Drag Bits; Lost Bit head retrieval system; Drill Pipe; Tri-Cone TCI and Mill Tooth Rotary Bits.
  • Shallow Draft Elevating Boats Inc.

    Shallow Draft is the leader in over the water barge drilling in two feet to 40 feet. Highway truckable to any location. Ocean freightable to any destination. Unblemished record of success since 1987! Shallow Draft IS THE GO TO COMPANY in the industry for tough over the water projects.
  • Waterline Envirotech Ltd.

    Waterline Envirotech Ltd. is a small woman-owned and operated business, for over 40 years it has served all sectors of the water well industry. Our instruments feature strong, flexible tapes with stainless steel conductors on a free-standing, braked reel. We manufacture our products here in the USA.
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP