General News
20 May, 2026
Helicopters to survey Ararat and Stawell powerlines
ARARAT and Stawell residents may notice unusual helicopter activity across the district over coming weeks. The helicopters are being used by Powercor to inspect powerlines as part of its year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.
The inspections will continue for the next month in Ararat. Stawell, Horsham and district.
People may see and hear the choppers, which fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines.
Using the LiDAR data, Powercor teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping to inform what vegetation needs to be cut.
Powercor’s Head of Vegetation Management, Ayce Cordy, said it was important that accurate measurements were taken of all vegetation every year.
“Inspecting and managing vegetation growing near powerlines is an essential part of how we keep power safe and reliable for our customers,” Mr Cordy said.
“By capturing data every year, we can track growth rates of vegetation across our network, helping us plan where to cut right now and when we may need to conduct cutting in the future.”
Each year Powercor uses a fleet of three helicopters to inspect 100 per cent of more than 77,000 kilometres of powerlines across western Victoria.