Australia is a very sparsely populated continent, with the lowest population density in the world, some two people per square kilometre, with vast distance separating most cities and regional centres.

There are often few sealed roads and little outside assistance if something goes wrong. This Environment has necessitated some unique solutions to everyday activities that more settled regions take for granted.

Schooling, medical services and communication problems have been solved in the past by school classes being run by a “ School of the Air “ where students communicate with teachers hundreds of kilometres away via two way radio. Medical services are provided by a “ Flying Doctor Service “and general communications by an occasional mail service, two way radio and more recently satellite communications.

For the last five years and continuing today, DB Schenker Australia’s Sensitive Freight Division, has been responsible for the logistics of supplying new mobile phone networks throughout Australia.

The Australian Government’s intention is to give communications and Internet access to even the remotest communities throughout the country, and this involves deliveries of large and delicate equipment to the roof tops of city buildings, mountain tops and outback settlements respectively.

These deliveries are carried out using DB Schenker’s and their sub contractor’s own fleet of specialty trucks fitted with air suspension, hydraulic tailgate loaders, electric stair climbing machines and purpose built materials handling equipment. Sites may require cranes for city deliveries, four wheel drive vehicles for rough terrain and helicopters for some even more difficult deliveries, whilst barges and ships are used for the remote offshore island communities.

As DB Schenker’s crews push technology further into the outback, many of the old problems of isolation and lack of communications are being alleviated.

Technology is defeating the tyranny of distance with some help from DB Schenker.