Artwork causes Telstra disruptions in Moama

By Ryan Bellingham

Dec 10, 2024

Moama water tower is getting a new look. Photo by Aidan Briggs

Residents and business owners in Moama have expressed frustration over Telstra mobile service outages caused by mural painting.

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The Moama water tower on Cobb Hwy, which doubles as part of Telstra’s mobile base station in the area, is being painted this week for the Murray River Council’s River Country Art Trail initiative.

A spokesperson for the council confirmed third-party works cited when Telstra announced service disruptions were due to the artwork being completed this week.

“Telecommunications services in Moama have been temporarily disrupted to ensure best practice health and safety standards are adhered to,” the spokesperson said.

“This relates to radiocommunications antennas operating on the water tower and is only in effect in periods when the artist is working in close proximity to this equipment.”

Telstra regional general manager Steve Tinker said the company was complying with health and safety protocols as part of the council’s project.

The tower’s antennae produce electromagnetic energy, and exclusion zones are defined to protect against radiation exposure.

Planned disruptions are expected to be completed on Thursday, December 12, with mobile services restored at the end of each day.