62 | No load too big for Scobies Scobies Transport specialises in over-dimension loads, over-weight loads, house transportation and peat harvesting,. Scobies Transport T T Rosa Watson TRANSPORT In its 40 years transporting buildings and over-dimension loads across the Southland region, Scobies Transport has carried out some remarkable projects. Based at Wyndham, the firm started as a rural transport company before extending into moving buildings and over-dimension loads in the 1980s as a means of diversification. Today, the company’s fleet includes various trucks, diggers, tractors and peat harvesters, peat cartage trucks, specialist house trailers, and specialist transporter trailers for carting logging equipment throughout Southland. There are eight employed on the team, with jobs having taken them to some of the most remote areas in the country. They were heavily involved in the setting up and decommissioning of the buildings at West Arm and Deep Cove for the second tail race tunnel for Meridian Energy, and in setting up and decommissioning the office for the Mossburn wind farm. They have moved drying kilns from the West Coast to Feilding, moved buildings around the South Coast and Southern Scenic Route, and the police station to Stewart Island. In a large-scale operation, the winter of 2011 was spent moving the Milford Sound village to a temporary site while the area was raised to allow for any floods, before returning all buildings to their new site. In the same year, a rows-of-eight modular trailer was commissioned for very heavy and long loads. The company was contracted to shift Real Journey’s new boat, the Titiroa, from Bluff to Manapouri. The 24-metre-long, eight-metre-wide, and eight-metre-high vessel weighs approximately 50 tonne. “This trailer gives us the capacity to move very heavy and long loads within the South Island,” says owner David Scobie. Scobies Transport was involved in the transportation of the Spirit of Queenstown from Bluff to Lake Wakatipu where it was launched for Southern Discoveries. The vessel, a 60-tonne, 26m-long purpose-built high-speed catamaran, was built in Brisbane and sailed into Bluff, before being loaded on to Scobies’ transport trailer. A portable slip has been built on Lake Wakatipu at Kingston, which allows Scobies to assist with the maintenance and transport of commercial vessels. The company was started in the 1960s by Graham Scobie with a couple of “bulkys” and a loader. By the 1970s he had expanded into rural and log transport. A purpose-built trailer for over-dimensional loads and houses was purchased in the ’90s, along with a peat bog, which is now known as Wyndham Sphagnum peat that Scobies Transport still harvests every summer. The rural side of the transport was sold in the early 2000s to Titiroa Transport, allowing Scobies more time to concentrate on other interests, such as building removals and relocations, heavy haulage, peat harvesting and farming. Today, the company specialises in over-dimension loads, over-weight loads, house transportation and peat harvesting, and has expanded its capabilities, building its own relocatable two- and three-bedroom buildings for clients, and taking on a lot more boat transportation. “Scobies Transport has the specialist capabilities to complete all over-dimension loads,” David says. “We have experienced personnel and certified pilots, who can help you with all the necessary legislative requirements to move any type of load.” Transportable houses are built at the Wyndham yard to clients’ specifications, and this side of the business has developed into building new houses and selling them, and trading in and buying houses. The one-, two- or three-bedroom houses can be altered to suit requirements. “We have a stock of buildings available for clients to purchase, and most include standard piling and delivery to level site in Southland.” In 2023, Graham stepped down into semi-retirement, with David taking over ownership of the business. PH: Nigel 027 231 9631 or Emma 021 160 5977 Phone: 03 202 5467 Email: bmengine@xtra.co.nz PO Box 140, 109 Riversdale-Waikaia Rd, Riversdale 9744 Brian Mahon - Director Cell: 027 436 5118 Carl Scully - After Hours Cell: 027 630 3164
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