Drilling-only recruitment. Australia-wide.

Built around the rig.
Backed by the guarantee.

Permanent drillers, offsiders and support crews for FIFO and non-FIFO drilling operations across Australia. Screened by people who know the work. Replaced inside 12 weeks if they do not fit.

Talk to us about hiring Looking for drilling work?

Drillers, offsiders, blast crew, geo support.
RC, diamond, blast hole, sonic, geotech, water bore.

  • 12-week replacement

    If a placement doesn't stick, we replace them at no extra cost.

  • Drilling only

    We don't recruit for any other industry.

  • Pre-qualified shortlists

    Experience, tickets, crew fit. Screened before they hit your inbox.

  • Industry experience

    Five years on the rigs gives us the industry context most recruiters lack.

Drilling-only. Always has been.

We do not do general mining. We do not do labour hire. Every placement we make is on a rig, RC, diamond, blast hole, sonic, geotechnical, water bore.

12
Weeks

Replacement guaranteed.

If a placement does not fit the rig or does not last 12 weeks on roster, we replace them at no extra cost. The only guarantee like it in drilling recruitment.

Sourced through the rig network.

Most of our shortlists come from drillers and industry contacts we already know.

What we cover

Every method drilling companies actually run.

FIFO and non-FIFO. Australia-wide. If it is on a rig, we staff it.

Surface

RC Drilling

Reverse circulation for mineral exploration. Fast, high-volume coverage across WA, QLD, SA and NT.

Core

Diamond Drilling

Underground and surface core. Drillers and offsiders experienced in HQ, NQ and PQ across hard-rock and soft-rock programmes.

Production

Blast Hole Drilling

Open-pit production drilling. Rotary and DTH. Experience with major Tier 1 open-cut sites.

Specialty

Sonic Drilling

Continuous core recovery for environmental, geotech and remediation programmes. Smaller candidate pool. We know who to call.

Civil

Geotechnical Drilling

Geotechnical investigation drillers and offsiders for civil, infrastructure and mine-site programmes.

Water

Water Bore Drilling

Pastoral, agricultural and town-water bore drilling across regional Australia. Air, mud and cable tool.

Underground

Underground Drilling

In-fill, grade-control and long-hole underground drilling. Tight spaces, tight schedules.

Environmental

Environmental Drilling

Monitoring wells, site investigation and remediation. Candidates certified and experienced in compliance drilling.

Oil and Gas

Oil and Gas Drilling

Oil and gas drilling candidates across onshore and offshore operations. Drillers and offsiders with relevant tickets and rig experience.

For drilling contractors

A bad hire stops the rig.

Every day a rig sits down because the new bloke isn't competent is a day of lost production. Tickets get a driller hired. Competence keeps the rig running.

Talk to us about hiring

How we work

  1. You brief us

    Roster, method, rig type, site conditions. We listen for what matters on the ground, not just what is on the job description.

  2. We screen

    We screen: experience, tickets, crew fit. Pre-qualified before they hit your shortlist.

  3. We back it

    12-week replacement guarantee. If they do not last on roster, we find someone who will at no extra cost.

For drilling candidates

Looking for drilling work?

Whether you are getting started as an offsider or you have years of swings behind you, we place people in FIFO and non-FIFO drilling operations across Australia. Browse what is live now, or get on our list and we will come to you when something fits your method and roster.

Browse current jobs Get on the list

What we recruit for

RC Drillers
Surface Exploration FIFO + DIDO
Diamond Drillers
Surface + underground Coring Exploration
Blast Hole Drillers
Production Open cut FIFO + local
Sonic, Geotech & Water Bore
Civil + environmental Regional + remote
Offsiders & Geo Support
Entry-level Career pathway Onsite training

Live listings at JobAdder. Even when nothing's posted, we want to hear from good drillers.

Built by drilling people

Industry experience. That's why we screen for it.

Photo
Billy
Hughes

Billy Hughes

Founder, DownHole Recruitment. Melbourne, Australia.

I started DownHole Recruitment because drilling needs its own specialist. This industry is different. The rosters, the expectations, the conditions, the pace. I built this business to give companies a recruiter who understands that world and can back the right people with confidence.

I'm hands-on with every part of the process: taking the brief, screening candidates properly, and staying close to both sides to make sure the placement works long-term.

If you're looking for drill crew talent, you'll deal with me directly. Offsiders, drillers, supervisors, support roles. One point of contact, start to finish.

For drilling contractors

Need to hire?

Tell us what you're running and what you need on the rig. We'll come back to you inside one business day.

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For drilling candidates

Looking for work?

Browse live roles on our job board or submit your resume and we'll keep you in mind when something comes up that fits your method and roster.

Browse jobs

Permanent placements only. No casual labour hire.

FIFO and non-FIFO. RC, diamond, blast hole, geotech, water bore and more.

We match you to a rig that fits your method, tickets and roster preference.

Not seeing the right role? Get on the list and we'll come to you.

Or reach Billy directly

billy@downholerecruitment.com.au