This project takes an in-depth look at the Tourist & Heritage (T&H) rail industry in Australia, specifically their unique infrastructure needs and their special human capital of volunteers. 

Bridges are large infrastructure issues for these community non-profits, who have lost access to the native hardwood timber that was the historic construction material, and struggle to generate capital to maintain or replace them. Detailed materials research led to the selection of dowel-laminated plantation pine as the best combination of Suitability, Serviceability and Sustainability for this industry.

Volunteers at these organisations are a unique resource, and research into how they can best contribute to projects such as bridge construction using this material yielded interesting results. It has culminated in the production of Volunteer Distributed Construction (VDC) guidebooks for volunteers to use, tailored to their unique needs, as well as conclusions and guides for other industries on the potential of their volunteers.