In situ testing at the National Soft Soil Field Testing Facility, Ballina, New South Wales

The National Soft Soil Field Testing Facility (NFTF) provides a rare opportunity to characterise an Australian soft estuarine clay and to carry out monitored field tests that can be forecast or back-figured using the extensive characterisation data to improve engineering design methods. Several in situ testing campaigns have been performed to characterise the site, to advance full-flow penetrometer technology, to investigate correlations between in situ and laboratory tests and to develop engineering parameters and to assess the variability of the ground. A description of the tools and methods used in the testing campaign is provided in this paper along with a preliminary interpretation from the testing campaigns.