Horsham Rural City Council has this week approved a proposal to advance its quarry exploration activities, bringing forward funding from next year to commence trials of a resource from a new quarry site.
"We use a lot of gravel each year for our road maintenance and renewal program, which represents a significant cost in our budget," said Deputy Mayor Cr Rebecca Sluggett.
"Maintaining safe and accessible roads is extremely important for our community, as is doing all we can to ensure we are looking for ways to optimise every dollar we spend.
"This project is something Council has been working on over the past two years. The Councillors were pleased to endorse staff recommendations that we advance the investigations by commencing a pilot of a new gravel source on a local road to test the suitability of this material for our ongoing use."
Cr Sluggett acknowledged the support of several landholders who have contacted Council to offer access to potential gravel sources on their properties.
"Early in 2026 we plan to use the first of these sources from the Tooan area on a section of road to test its performance, both in terms of ride quality and durability," said Cr Sluggett.
"Based on the initial assessment, the quality of material looks to be better than some other sources we are currently using, and it offers us potential cost savings as well as increased life of roads between re-sheeting, which will help make our roads budget go further."
Works are scheduled to commence early next year, once formal approvals have been completed.
