Located 200km north of Alice Springs, a striking patch of green contrasts against the vast, barren landscape. It is an Oasis in the desert; where the average yearly rainfall sits around 15cm, and temperatures sit in the 40’s for months on end. Termite mounds climb among the Mulgas and Bloodwoods, some showing scars of a recent bushfire. Asphalt turns to 20 kilometres of red dirt – all the way to the Athelle Outback Hideaway, and the giant green crop circles.

Watch the Athelle Outback Hideaway Case Story

After years on the road operating a well-drilling business, Anthony and Danyelle Haigh purchased the former Territory Grape Farm in 2021. They had a plan to turn it into a successful hay farm, which would provide fodder for Northern Australia’s billion-dollar beef industry.Despite its seclusion, the 60 hectare property is perfect for growing. The property is situated right above the Ti-Tree Basin, which provides an abundance of good, clean water. Athelle Outback Hideaway is also located along the Tropic of Capricorn, which supplies an average of 12 hours of daylight year-round.

Traditionally remote locations like Athelle have relied on diesel generators to power irrigation, which can be costly, inefficient and unreliable. This makes solar power an obvious choice.

“I think it's a no brainer to use solar when the sun's out, 24/7 in the summer months when we need to pump water”
Anthony Haigh

When Anthony and Danyelle took ownership, the property was ready to grow with several existing solar powered bores and large center pivot irrigators. They had a plan to install more to make the most of the favourable growing conditions and the 2,000 megalitre water license.

The Solution

Anthony and Danyelle reached out to the team at Think Water Alice Springs, who had some existing knowledge of the property. They recommended the Grundfos SPE Submersible Pump with a Permanent Magnet Motor.

Grundfos SPE pumps are hardworking submersible pumps designed to deliver reliable water flow from bores, even in tough conditions.

When paired with a 6” permanent magnet motor, like the MS6000P, the system becomes much more energy‑efficient than traditional motors, helping pump more water, using less power and therefore fewer solar panels.

These motors run cooler, last longer, and waste less energy as heat, which makes them ideal for solar setups where every watt counts.
“We are saving 120 litres of diesel a day on each new solar bore, that’s 100,000 litres a year, and a saving of $210,000 per year!”
Danyelle Haigh

Think Water Alice Springs have a wealth of experience when it comes to water in the Northern Territory and understand the importance of dependable equipment. A faulty pump can require travel over hundreds, even thousands of kilometres so the reliability and support of products and suppliers is imperative.

The Outcome

The pumps required some optimisation, and thanks to support from the Grundfos team both in Australia and globally, the pumps have not missed a beat since.

Because the pump speed can be controlled, the system can adjust to changing sunlight and irrigation demand throughout the day.

For Anthony and Danyelle, this means a dependable and efficient water supply for irrigation. The efficiency of the SPE pumps have resulted in an extra 40-60 minutes of pumping each day due to the lower power requirements.

“…it's giving us another 20 minutes morning and night pumping I so which is a bit of a cost saving at the end of the day”.
Anthony Haigh

The property now has a total of ten bore pumps in operation, six of which are Grundfos SPE Submersible Pumps. These pumps supply water to six pivots growing a variety of hay species, as well as lemon, agave, almond and mulberry orchards.

As well as expanding the hay irrigation, Danyelle had a vision to turn the property into a caravan and holiday park; a safe haven where guests could experience the rugged beauty of Central Australia, the serenity in the isolation and a patch of green grass outside their door.

There are a variety of accommodation options available; powered and unpowered sites, undercover caravan shelters, cabin style accommodation as well as a 3 bedroom house that sleeps 12 people. Athelle Outback Hideaway provides a true outback experience for visitors along with warm and genuine hospitality.

This hospitality has   contributed to Athelle Outback Hideaway being awarded the “Brolga Award” for best Hosted Accommodation by Tourism & Events Northern Territory.

From an arid desert to a thriving sustainable farm and hospitality haven, the Athelle Outback Hideaway is testament to what can be achieved with a vision, great relationships and a lot of hard work.