Southern Grampians Shire: A Smart Helper for the “Wool Capital”

The Client

The Public Spaces Team at Southern Grampians Shire Council carries a heavy responsibility: maintaining the pristine image of Hamilton, a regional centre famous as the “Wool Capital of the World.”

Like many regional hubs, Hamilton takes immense pride in its heritage. However, the council faces a structural challenge: managing extensive historic streetscapes and public gardens with a lean, experienced workforce that needs support, not replacement.

Challenges

The iconic Gray Street features a dense canopy of mature trees and heritage red-brick pavements. While beautiful, they create a relentless maintenance cycle.

The “Seasonal” Struggle

The biggest enemy here isn't just dust—it’s organic debris. Leaves and twigs constantly accumulate on the textured brickwork. Manual sweeping is too slow to keep up, especially during autumn.

Heritage Sensitivity

Operating directly in front of landmarks like the Hamilton History Centre means heavy, vibrating diesel machinery is out of the question. The cleaning method must be gentle on the historic infrastructure.

Workforce Sustainability

The existing crew is highly skilled in horticulture. Wasting their energy on repetitive manual sweeping is inefficient and poses a risk of repetitive strain injuries for veteran staff.

Solution

The Greendorph team met with the local crew on Gray Street to introduce the YJ130 not as a machine, but as a "Digital Teammate."
Canopy
Debris Management
Powered by a robust 500W vacuum motor, the YJ130 generates concentrated airflow to lift leaves and twigs from the uneven brick joints without damaging the surface—something manual brooms often struggle to do consistently.

Silent Heritage Care

Being 100% electric, the unit operates without the vibration or exhaust fumes of traditional sweepers, ensuring the structural integrity and peaceful atmosphere of the History Centre remain undisturbed.
Remote-Backed
Simplicity
Recognizing that the operators want tools that "just work," we handled the complex mapping remotely. The local crew simply manages daily tasks via a user-friendly mobile app, allowing them to focus on their skilled gardening work while the robot handles the pavement.

Results

The integration was seamless. As shown in the photo, the YJ130 has joined the morning roster alongside the human crew.
The robot now acts as a "Force Multiplier", autonomously handling the long stretches of red-brick paving. This has significantly reduced the physical toll on the staff.
For the Hamilton community, the result is a main street that looks its best year-round. The team supervisor notes: "It handles the tedious leaf runs for us, so we can focus on keeping the gardens world-class."