Inside the new Bunnings DC at Wacol QLD

Bunnings Group opened a new trade & fulfilment centre at Wacol in Brisbane’s southwest in 2025. Verge supplied standard 1m-high Impact HDP barriers to protect pedestrian walkways and workstations, together with 50 pedestrian gates, 365 lineal metres of V-Stop floor angle and 18 custom-fabricated steel U bollards for the materials handling equipment area.

Why Polymer and Not Steel

With forklifts operating throughout the trade & fulfilment centre, the barrier system needed to withstand potential impacts while minimising ongoing maintenance and potential floor damage.

Steel is the obvious answer for a hard knock. The problem on a floor like this one is not the hard knock, it is the hundredth one. Steel takes a hit and passes the load straight into the slab, and a run that gets clipped week after week turns into a repair job, first the barrier and then the concrete around the base plates.

Impact HDP Barrier works the other way. The polymer absorbs the energy, flexes, and returns to shape, so the same section can take repeated contact and still look and work the way it did on day one. Floor damage stays minimal. For a facility that is going to be running forklifts past the same walkway every day for the next ten years, that is the lower maintenance answer.

The installation included 134 linear metres of standard 1m-high Impact HDP Barrier, featuring 200mm diameter posts and 140mm diameter rails.

What We Supplied

Impact HDP Barrier: 134 linear metres of standard 1m-high heavy-duty polymer barrier on 200mm diameter posts with 140mm diameter rails, protecting pedestrian walkways and workstations. Australian made and independently impact tested.

Impact Pedestrian Gate: 50 soft-close polymer gates at controlled crossing points through the barrier runs, helping ensure gates close behind pedestrians rather than being left swinging open.

Verge V-Stop: 365 lineal metres of 100mm x 100mm x 8mm floor-fixed angle, helping prevent pallets and forklift tines from protruding into walkways or contacting walls.

Custom Steel U Bollards: 18 custom-fabricated steel U bollards designed and manufactured for the materials handling equipment area, where the standard range did not suit the layout.

Workstations as Well as Walkways

In addition to protecting pedestrian walkways and driver standing zones, the project required dedicated barrier protection around workstations located near active forklift operating areas.

The dispatch/receiving workstation is positioned adjacent to the operational area. At Wacol, similar workstations have been enclosed using the same barrier system as the pedestrian walkways, with gated access providing a clear physical separation between the workstation and forklift movements.

A Bollard Made for the Area

The materials handling equipment area required a solution beyond the standard bollard range. Verge designed and fabricated 18 custom steel U bollards to suit the site layout and provide targeted protection.

Custom work is a normal part of what we do rather than an exception. The whole range is designed and made in Australia, which means a one off gets drawn, made and shipped instead of waiting on a container to land.

The Outcome

Pedestrian walkways and workstations now have a physical boundary separating people from forklift movements, with 50 controlled pedestrian gates providing access. A further 365 lineal metres of V-Stop floor angle protects key edges and 18 purpose-built steel U bollards protect the materials handling equipment area.

Installation was carried out by Bozmiks and completed on 27 June 2025.

Fitting Out a New Facility?

If you are building or commissioning a trade or fulfilment centre, the most cost-effective time to get safety infrastructure right is before a site becomes operational.  We manufacture both a steel and a polymer barrier range in Australia, we design custom product where the standard range does not fit, and our installer network covers projects nationally.

Get in touch to scope your site, or call 1800 765 539.