Top hydrogeologist Steven Tickell
Steven Tickell is the resident specialist hydrogeologist in the Water Resources division and provides core groundwater knowledge across the geological domains of the NT.
He has developed and accumulated this knowledge over more than 50 years and has published over 34 scientific papers and reports as lead author co-authored with a range of agencies including the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Charles Darwin University, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.
In addition, he has contributed 16 stratigraphic references to the Australian Stratigraphic Units database, the primary national standard for geological unit information in Australia maintained by Geoscience Australia. He is the author of the Northern Territory Groundwater Map which is the general reference guide for groundwater resource mapping and maintains the borehole database which accumulates ongoing new information on each bore drilled.
Steven's first hands-on experience in geology came during a school holiday at the Geological Survey of Victoria. Here, he drafted site bore logs for the upcoming construction of the Melbourne underground rail loop. This early exposure solidified his interest in the practical aspects of geology. In pursuit of his geology education, Steven attended Melbourne University from 1968 to 1971, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Honours in Geology. As a student, Steven undertook vacation work mapping geology in regional Tasmania which saw him setting out each morning with a backpack full of TNT. He spent the day walking along transects behind an experienced geologist who used the explosive to expose rocks and confirm mapped outcrops.
Then due to the challenging employment market for geology graduates caused by the "nickel crash" in 1970, Steven sought opportunities abroad. He travelled to South Africa and spent three years working for the South African Geological Survey. As a young hydrogeologist mapping in the Limpopo metamorphic belt in South Africa, Steven identified and later co-authored a paper describing an ancient aeolian sandstone in an 1,800-million-year-old formation. This laid the basis for his lifelong interest in geological mapping.
Steven returned to Australia where he joined the Geological Survey of Victoria until 1990. His role encompassed various tasks, including geological and hydrogeological mapping, basin studies, groundwater investigations, and research on the salinity problem in the Murray Basin. Between 1984 and 1986, he volunteered in the Solomon Islands as part of the Australian Volunteer Abroad program. During his time there, he engaged in geological mapping on Santa Isabel and Guadalcanal islands, expanding his experience in diverse geological environments. In 1990 Steven took up a position with the Water Resources division of the NT Government and has served as a hydrogeologist in the NT ever since.
Steven has an ability to contribute to any project due to his familiarity with the hydrogeology of the NT. He shows inclusivity in all his projects, working with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams on complex scientific projects. He has a rare ability to make difficult concepts understandable and relatable. He is extremely approachable and can communicate with people from all walks of life. For example, he was instrumental in providing advice to residents of the Darwin Rural area during the Darwin Rural Groundwater Watch, and he met with numerous members of the public coming into the Bore Central office to deal with water-related issues. He also held a leadership and capacity building role in the award-winning Mary-Wildman River project which formed part of the Australian Government's White Paper on Developing Northern Australia. Recently, he led the water availability study of the Western Davenport as part of the Mapping the Future program of the NT Government, aimed at supporting our regions in sustainable economic growth, improved employment opportunities and infrastructure in the community and assisting in the protection of our environment.
Steven has developed a high public profile in the groundwater sector among rural landholders, pastoralists, petroleum and mining industry professionals throughout the NT and is recognised as the leading and highly trusted reference person in this field. He exhibits a genuine love for hydrogeology, and his recreational leave is often spent on geological field trips across the world, including a recent tour of the exposed mantle of the earth’s crust in Oman and a previous trip to an active volcanic region of New Zealand.
He freely provides his time to the benefit of the next generation of hydrogeologists both within the workplace and across industry alike as a long-standing member and office bearer of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He has been instrumental in enhancing knowledge across the public arena and amongst fellow professionals. Steven is known for quality output and timeliness of delivery. He is prolific in mapping and documentation of outcomes. He plays a large part to innovate and instigate new groundwater analysis techniques and data processing, and the dissemination of this knowledge. On a number of occasions Steven has been described as the ultimate professional public servant that sets the benchmark we all aspire to.
