Family is as synonymous with All Ash Asphalt as Wirtgen Group equipment, with the small family operation’s machinery prowess and renowned reputation contributing to its success in securing works on Victoria’s largest infrastructure projects.
From local council work to Victoria’s largest infrastructure projects
Roads & Infrastructure Australia’s flagship trade publication, ROADS magazine, featured All Ash in its April 2026 Machinery & Equipment section, profiling a company that has spent 15 years quietly building one of Melbourne’s most capable asphalt operations.
Asphalt contractors are plentiful throughout Melbourne, but few can comfortably punch above their weight. All Ash has. Founded in 2011 as a local council and small business-focused contractor, the company has evolved into an organisation capable of delivering large-scale infrastructure works including project programs for Transurban, Victoria’s most significant infrastructure undertaking.
Director Steve Galea puts the company’s progression down to attitude and culture as much as equipment. “I think that’s a big difference. We all care. The crew cares. We all take pride in what we do,” he told ROADS.
Investing in the right equipment and learning how to use it properly
Three years before the ROADS feature, All Ash made a deliberate switch to Wirtgen Group equipment, specifically the VÖGELE paver range. The trigger was straightforward: the company’s existing machinery was experiencing significant wear, with floor and chains requiring replacement early and costs mounting. The question became whether it was better to keep rebuilding ageing equipment or invest in machines built to last longer.
All Ash’s first Wirtgen unit was the VÖGELE Super 1703-3, an eight-foot wheeled paver regarded as an all-rounder. The technological step up was significant with more advanced control systems, sonic level sensors, and tamper screed technology that changed how the team thought about mat quality.
“The quality and the tightness of the mat is unreal,” Galea told ROADS. “We’re using a lighter roller straight away, because the pre-compaction from when it comes out is just ridiculous, it’s so good. You look at the mat, the roller goes on it, and you can’t even tell the roller’s actually hit it yet.”
To get the most from the new equipment, Wirtgen Australia arranged a week-long training course at VÖGELE’s headquarters in Europe. “We did a week-long training course in Germany with other customers, to make sure we knew more about their machine,” Galea says. “We learnt more about the machine than just running it. It was enlightening to see how we could run it in the most efficient way.”
“We’re always trying to evolve and get better that includes better technology and moving with the times, not being stuck in our ways. We want to always be open to learning and trying things differently.”
— Steve Galea, Director, All Ash · ROADS, April 2026
A second VÖGELE. And what comes next
Following the performance of the Super 1703-3, All Ash made a second Wirtgen Group purchase: the VÖGELE Super 1303-3. Regarded as one of the most compact units in the range, the Super 1303-3 opens up smaller, tight-access residential work that would have been impractical with larger equipment, broadening the scope of what All Ash can take on across Greater Melbourne.
VÖGELE’s components also proved more durable than what the team had experienced previously, with reduced major rebuilds and lower parts bills confirming the investment case. All Ash is already monitoring the next generation of Wirtgen technology: the Dash Five paver range, real-time density measurement on rollers, and advances in screed and sensor systems.
“It seems that every couple of years there’s a new machine or feature that we reckon could make our jobs a bit better and easier,” Galea says. That mentality that equipment is a competitive advantage, not just a cost, is part of what put All Ash on the pages of a national trade publication in the first place.
About ROADS — Roads & Infrastructure Australia
Published by Prime Creative Media, ROADS is Australia’s leading trade publication for the road construction and civil infrastructure sector. Its readership covers state and local government engineers, major head contractors, asset managers, and specialist subcontractors across every tier of the industry. A feature in its Machinery & Equipment section reflects genuine standing. The editorial team covers businesses and projects that are shaping how Australia builds and maintains its roads. The April 2026 All Ash feature can be read in full via the ROADS digital edition on Issuu.
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