Queensland mining operations face a critical challenge that goes beyond just accommodation. While donga offices and sleeping quarters handle your personnel needs, what protects your million-dollar equipment, materials, and operations from the state’s increasingly severe weather?
The solution is in understanding how container domes and donga offices can work together to create a comprehensive site protection solution for your operation.
The two-part shelter challenge
Most mining sites already have dongas for offices and accommodation sorted. But here’s what gets overlooked: where do you protect heavy equipment from weather damage? Where do you create covered work areas for maintenance? How do you secure material stockpiles without building permanent structures?
Donga shelter solutions handle personnel accommodation brilliantly, but they’re designed for people, not equipment. The gap becomes obvious during Queensland’s storm season. Your crew has shelter, but your machinery, tools, and materials sit exposed to wind, hail, and UV damage.
That’s where we come in.
How container domes fill the equipment protection gap
Our 20ft or 40ft Ezy Igloo container domes create the covered infrastructure that mining sites need for everything outside of personnel accommodation. They provide:
Heavy equipment protection: Your excavators, light vehicles, generators, and pumps represent serious capital investment. Container domes give you weather-rated coverage that keeps machinery in better condition and reduces maintenance costs.
Covered work areas: Equipment maintenance can’t always wait for perfect weather. A dome shelter creates a weatherproof workspace where your crew can service machinery, complete repairs, or prepare materials regardless of conditions. That means fewer weather delays and safer working conditions.
Material storage and inventory: Spare parts, consumables, and construction materials all need protection. Container domes mounted on shipping containers give you secure, lockable storage underneath plus covered space above for larger items.
Weather-protected zones around donga clusters: Container domes can be positioned beside donga office clusters to create comprehensive weather protection where needed. You can use the domes to act as wind breaks and rain shields, even creating covered walkways and work zones between buildings.
Let’s look at one particular case in more detail.
Real weather protection at a Queensland mining site
Our recent mining client needed a solution that worked alongside their existing donga offices. They had accommodation sorted, but they lacked covered work areas and their equipment was taking a beating from weather exposure.
We installed multiple container domes strategically across their site. Some protected vehicle bays and equipment storage, while others created covered maintenance workshops. The positioning around their donga cluster also gave them weather-protected zones between buildings.
The result? Elimination of weather damage claims on equipment, safer maintenance operations in all conditions, and better equipment longevity. The investment paid for itself within months.
Why the combined approach works
| Site Need | Donga Offices | Container Domes | Combined Benefit |
| Personnel accommodation | ✓ | Safe crew quarters | |
| Office spaces | ✓ | Admin operations base | |
| Equipment protection | ✓ | Extended machinery life | |
| Covered work areas | ✓ | All-weather maintenance | |
| Material storage | ✓ | Secure stockpiles | |
| Complete site protection | ✓ | ✓ | Fully covered operations |
Both solutions are modular, quick to deploy, and can be repositioned as your mining operations change location or expand.
Speed and flexibility advantages
Container domes can be installed in days, not months. We keep popular sizes in stock for rapid deployment, and installation can be done by your crew or our fully ticketed team.This installation speed matches perfectly with how donga offices are deployed.
And the flexibility of this kind of set up is that as exploration moves forward or operations shift, both your dongas and container domes can move with you.
Meeting regulatory requirements
Queensland mining operations need documented protection for both personnel and assets. Our container domes are engineer-certified to meet AS/NZS 1170 standards, giving you documented wind ratings for Wind Regions A, B or C.
The benefits of installing container dome shelters extend far beyond compliance. They reduce weather-related injury risk, protect valuable assets from damage, and help maintain operational continuity when the wild weather hits.
Planning complete site protection
When planning shelter for your mining operation, think about the complete picture. Your dongas handle accommodation and offices. Container domes handle everything else: equipment bays, maintenance workshops, material storage, and weather-protected zones around your site infrastructure.
We help Queensland mining operations create comprehensive site protection that works with their existing setup. Our container shelters are kept in stock for rapid deployment, backed by structural and UV warranties, and are designed specifically for Australian conditions.
So, the only question we have now is – are you ready to protect your equipment, your people and your operations alongside your accommodation?
Contact us for a free quote or give us a call on 1300 399 445 to discuss how container domes can work with your donga offices to create the most comprehensive protection for your mining site.