What began in 2010 as a modest plant hire outfit has grown into one of Queensland’s most capable civil specialists, and piling has become one of the strongest symbols of that success.
You’ll see them as you drive through Brisbane, the Gold Coast or any of the fast-growing regional centres in Queensland, NSW or around the ACT: G&H Civil piling rigs drilling deep foundations for tomorrow’s towers, hospitals, or civic infrastructure.
Whether it’s diaphragm walls for a new high rise, continuous flight auger (CFA) piles for a hotel, or retention systems for major health and defence projects, G&H Civil Contractors has quietly underpinned much of the state’s built environment.
The business was founded by directors Padraig Haskins and Noel Grealish, both men trading the green fields of Ireland for the wide brown land of Australia.
With backgrounds in civil construction, demolition and plant operations, they shared not only a trade but also a determination to carve out something of their own in a competitive industry.
Pooling their experience, their networks, and a willingness to take a risk, they initially launched that plant hire company on the Gold Coast.
At the time, the construction boom in Queensland was reshaping cities and regions, and Padraig and Noel saw an opportunity to offer more than just machines.
They believed in combining practical know-how with engineering discipline and a “hands-on” leadership style that would set them apart from larger, more impersonal operators. Their early work was characterised by an ability to deliver on tight deadlines, keep costs under control, and adapt quickly to the needs of clients.
Word spread. It started with a few machines and soon grew into demolition packages, bulk earthworks, and eventually complex projects involving piling rigs, deep basement retention and turnkey civil contracts.
The name G&H became known for delivering difficult enabling works — the kind that can make or break a project schedule — with efficiency and precision. Today, G&H Civil is recognised as a partner of choice for complex civil works.
Earthmoving Equipment Magazine spoke to G&H General Manager Sean Golden about the company’s growth, its projects and how it has achieved a track record that now runs into the thousands of completed assignments.
“Our main area of operations is the Gold Coast and the Brisbane area and we have an operation in Canberra,” Sean said.
“But we are not limited to these locations and can mobilise wherever our clients need us to. We previously worked on projects in Sydney, such as the WestConnect Tunnel, and presently we are working on the Queensland Government hospital projects in Bundaberg and Mackay.”
Sean said the business employed a team of more than 200 people working across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Canberra, the Sunshine Coast and Northeast Queensland.
“A business is only as good as its people, and we are lucky to have the team we do, many of which have worked for the company for over 10 years,” he said.
“The team is quite international in its make-up, which includes Indigenous Australians, New Zealanders, Irish, British, Spanish, Germans, Brazilians, Venezuelans and Americans.
“As an organisation we have a very flat hierarchy, which improves communication and allows for quick decision-making.
“Due to the number and location of projects, we delegate responsibility to our site teams, and the management team support them to work as independently and efficiently as possible.
“This gives individuals the unique opportunity to assume more responsibility and as a result take ownership for the successful delivery of the project.”
Sean said this was exemplified by G&H’s work on the new Bundaberg Hospital project, where the business was the primary civil contractor.
“This project has a subcontract value of $50 million, so we have a dedicated team of engineers, supervisors, operators, labourers and administration based in Bundaberg,” he said.
“The scope consists of bulk earthworks of 100,000m3 cut to fill, temporary and permanent roads, all stormwater and service and utilities packages with a project completion date of December 2026.
“The team on the ground operates autonomously and directly with the client. As a leadership team, our focus is to support the site teams with what they need to deliver an excellent service to our customers and partners.”
Noel and Padraig continue to be involved in the day-to-day running of the business, also serving as the point of contact with customers and working alongside the operational and logistics teams to deliver on commitments.
“As General Manager, I oversee the business side of projects, with dedicated project management, engineering and costing teams under my responsibility,” Sean said.
“We have developed individuals within the organisation from the early stage of their career to experienced industry professionals.
“We also bring talent into G&H with experienced engineers, project managers and superintendents/supervisors from Tier 1 and 2 companies who welcome the autonomy and the challenge that comes with being part of a fast-growing business.
“Our Financial Controller, Chris Stacey, oversees core business operations such as finance, HR, IT and compliance.”
The growth of the business can almost be tracked by the height of its machines. Early excavators and demolition gear are on site in advance of specialist piling rigs, engineered retention systems and complete basement solutions.
Today, the fleet is a mix of more than 200 pieces of plant, including Komatsu and Volvo excavators, Bauer, Soilmec & IMT piling rigs, Zoomlion crawler cranes, John Deere & CAT graders, Dump Trucks, Truck & Dogs and various specialised attachments.
There is an in-house logistics team that organises the haulage of the equipment regionally and interstate with a fleet of Scania and Volvo trucks.
From demolitions to digs
G&H first expanded into piling and retention after identifying the opportunity to offer clients an “all-in-one” solution for their early works.
“Being a one-stop shop for all the work from demolition through to basements excavation, clients appreciate having a single threaded approach which reduces complexity and cost for them,” Sean said.
“We offer developer and builder services from demolition to full design for retention requirements. We are able to mobilise and get multiple rigs on-site quickly, increasing productivity and saving time on projects.
“We have been delivering piling projects for our customers in Brisbane, Canberra and the Gold Coast in recent years. Delivering projects in these different locations has allowed us to build up our expertise in operating in diverse geotechnical environments and sites of various shapes and sizes.
“Piling close to the beach on the Gold Coast brings its own unique challenges.
“The geotechnical profile changes in different parts of the coast. So we have to factor in ground conditions, sediment profile, proximity to the ocean.
“It can be a challenge building so close to the sea, but we have built internal expertise, and we have best-in-class partners that we work consistently with.
“This allows us to consult and advise customers on the best design and approach for the basement and foundation work.”
G&H recently completed a project in the coastal suburb of Broadbeach that involved one of the deepest excavations to take place on the Gold Coast.
“This was a six-level basement excavation in deep sand for a high-rise mixed-use development. The scope included removal of roughly 130,000m³ of sand, demolition and piling depths of 50m,” Sean said.
The piling side of the business has consistently grown over recent years, with G&H now boasting about 35 piling specialists consisting of operators, rig off-handers, riggers, supervisors, engineers and designers.
“We operate a fleet of state-of-the-art piling rigs and concrete pumps that offer our customers a range of solutions depending on their project,” Sean said.
“We have a proven track record in delivering diaphragm walls, contiguous flight auger, foundation, secant, bored, sheet piles and other solutions.”
Indeed, diaphragm wall (D-Wall) construction is an area of expertise for G&H.
A diaphragm wall is a method of erecting a deep, structural, in-situ concrete wall by excavating a trench under the support of a bentonite or polymer slurry, then inserting steel reinforcement cages and filling the trench with concrete to form a permanent barrier for deep excavations, tunnelling, and basements.
Diaphragm walls can be designed to act as both permanent retaining walls and as part of the building’s structure, eliminating the need for temporary support systems and dewatering, and providing high strength and watertightness.
“We have a dedicated D-Wall team with two specialised rigs, headed up by an engineering and operations team with over 25 years’ experience delivering major projects in Australia, Asia, the Middle East and Europe,” Sean said.
“We recently purchased two Bauer GB50 diaphragm rigs from Germany, the first of their kind in Australia.
“Affectionately named Heidi and Helga — as they are our two German ladies — these rigs are designed for deep basement construction, particularly in challenging soil conditions and confined urban environments.
“They excavate reinforced concrete walls built in deep trenches that can reach 80m in depth.
“We had the two rigs on a Surfers Paradise high-rise project, where we built a 130 linear metre diaphragm wall consisting of 2200m³ of concrete and 430 tonnes of steel. Having both rigs on site at the same time created an immediate time saving for the client on the retention phase of their project.
“The rigs have been in action since late 2024 and have completed multiple projects (one on the same site) and are on to their next two assignments.”
A rigging resume
Some of G&H’s signature projects include:
• V&A Broadbeach, Qld (Iris Capital)
A six-level basement excavation in deep sand for a high-rise mixed-use development at Broadbeach. The scope included removal of roughly 130,000m³ of sand, demolition and early works, piling contractor management, and structural elements such as capping beams and plunge columns — showcasing G&H’s coordination of retention, bulk excavation and structural interfaces on a complex coastal site.
• New Bundaberg Hospital, Qld (CPB Contractors)
A large health-sector package comprising bulk and detailed earthworks, subsoil drainage, stormwater and sewer infrastructure, roadworks, pavements, kerbing, permanent signage, watermains, landscaping and finishing. Health projects demand tight sequencing around future clinical operations; G&H’s scope illustrates its ability to integrate services and civils to hospital standards.
• MILVEHCOE, Redbank, Qld
(BESIX Watpac)
At the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence, G&H undertook bulk and detailed excavation across more than 15 buildings and structures, plus internal roads, car parks, swales/basins, concrete structures, fencing and acoustic walls — an example of the contractor’s delivery in defence settings with heightened security and compliance requirements.
• Queensland State Velodrome, Chandler, Qld (BESIX Watpac)
For the elite cycling facility, works included bulk earthworks, site clearing, external pavements, civil shaping of landscaped areas and associated roadworks — illustrating G&H’s role in sporting infrastructure that combines precision geometry with accelerated programs.
• Gatton Prison, Spring Creek, Qld (John Holland Group)
A corrections project involving bulk and detailed excavation across multiple buildings, plus internal roads and car parks, highlighting safe delivery in live, high-security environments.
• 1 City Hill, Canberra, ACT (BJM Canberra)
A full ‘design and construct’ shoring and retention system for a 10,000m² CBD site that included removing about 250,000m³ of blue-rock material, installing about 450 linear metres of capping beam, 4750m² of shotcrete, and managing temporary car-parking arrangements. This is a strong example of deep-excavation engineering in a hard rock geology with significant urban constraints.
Beyond these feature projects, G&H also delivered experience on the Gold Coast Light Rail, Griffith University (Gold Coast), Brisbane Grammar School, and multiple municipal, education and campus upgrades across Queensland, NSW and the ACT — an aggregate portfolio the company describes as more than 1500 completed projects.
