Driller

A Driller operates drilling equipment to create boreholes in rock, soil, or other geological formations for mineral exploration, water well installation, geotechnical investigation, or civil construction. They set up, maintain, and operate drilling rigs on-site, manage drilling fluids and cuttings, and ensure compliance with workplace safety and environmental regulations. The role requires knowledge of drilling techniques, site geology, and heavy equipment operation in outdoor and sometimes remote Australian locations.

Operate drilling rigs and ancillary equipment to bore holes to specified depths and diameters. Set up drill sites including positioning the rig, assembling drill pipes, and installing circulation systems. Manage drilling fluid composition and circulation to cool the drill bit, remove cuttings, and maintain borehole stability. Monitor drilling parameters such as weight on bit, rotation speed, and penetration rate to optimise drilling performance. Collect and log drill cuttings and core samples for geological assessment and quality assurance. Inspect and maintain drill rods, casings, and other drilling equipment to prevent downtime and safety failures. Comply with Safe Work Australia standards and site-specific safety protocols including isolation procedures and personal protective equipment requirements. Operate wireline, air-core, or percussion drilling methods as appropriate for the geology and project requirements.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll spend months or years in remote camps far from family, often on fly-in-fly-out rosters. The work is physically demanding and repetitive, with long hours in harsh weather. Pay depends heavily on which sector hires you (mining pays better than water well drilling), and automation may reduce demand for operators on larger rigs over time.

Water well drilling is spread across regional and rural Australia wherever groundwater is needed. FIFO work is standard; remote-site employment is the norm, not the exception.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7122, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Active Listening
• Address problems critically
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Chemistry
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• Process Documentation
• Stakeholder Communication
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Driller workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026