Richers Transport to relocate to Moonaboola Industrial Estate

Nearly 90 years since it was founded in Maryborough, one of the region’s most recognisable businesses will have a new, flood-free head office. SEE THE PLANS.

Richers Transport will soon have new headquarters.

For the first time since its inception in 1935, Richers Transport will head its operations from a base outside the city’s centre.

Flood-free and with room for future expansion, the massive new transport depot will be built in the Moonaboola Industrial Estate – opposite Wade’s Sawmill which had previously owned and used the land for cattle grazing.

Synonymous with the Fraser Coast, Richers’ green and yellow trucking fleet is also a fixture on Bruce Highway trips between the region and big cities.

Known as a quiet achiever but respected for his philanthropy and support of the Maryborough and Hervey Bay communities, the company’s owner Graham Richers was named Fraser Coast Citizen of the Year this same week in 2018, a former charter president of Rotary Club of Maryborough City which led to his involvement in the RYDA program, a road safety initiative dedicated to helping kids understand sharing the highway with heavy vehicles and also sent hay to drought-stricken farmers.

Graham Richers poses with a truck after being named Fraser Coast Citizen of the Year in 2018.

In planning documents lodged with the Fraser Coast council, which approved the development just before Christmas, it’s said the company is “proudly owned and operated by second and third generations of the Richers family (which has) grown to create a large, national freight fleet with multiple depots on the east-coast of Australia and employing more than 300 people”.

“Importantly, this development seeks to facilitate the retention and relocation of a major, national freight logistics company,” the documents read.

“Unfortunately, the company’s headquarters and main depot of Maryborough has been continually impacted by numerous flood events in the recent decade, evident as recently as twice in 2022, causing a need for the company to reconsider their siting to ensure that they can continue to optimise and deliver their crucial logistics service to the nation.”

Hundreds of storage and parking bays and a separate admin office are among the features of the site.

Along with sawmill, the industrial estate at Maryborough West which has direct access to the Bruce Hwy, is home to other industry giants including Rheinmetall Nioa Munitions, Moddex, Bendpro and Hyne Timber’s Glue Lamination Plant – a point highlighted in the documents which state the proposed use of the land for a transport depot is consistent with surrounding uses.

Richers plans to relocate all of its Maryborough operations to the site this year and it’s understood the inner-city spaces will be sold.

“This relocation poses public and private benefits, namely creating a single headquarters for the business operations and depot to be located and removal of large quantities of heavy vehicles out of the Maryborough CBD,” the documents state

Richers Transport will soon have new headquarters at the Moonaboola Industrial Estate.

The new depot site has an approximate total area of 14.36ha and 650m frontage to Industrial Ave and would accommodate storage of 135 B-double parks, 21 Semi-trailer parks and 88 prime movers along with space for an additional 65 B-double parks in the future.

An administration office, depot operations office, truck and trailer washing, maintenance loading and unloading facilities will also be onsite.