NDT Simulator & Practical NDT Training in Australia

Atlantis built the first-ever online practical NDT simulation portal for practice and hands-on experience, and Australia, with its vast distances, fly-in fly-out rosters and resource-heavy economy, is one of the countries where that portal fits best. The Atlantis Practical NDT simulator is an immersive, 3D, game-like platform that runs in a browser or app. A technician opens a job in a virtual NDT lab, welding workshop, aircraft hangar, oil and gas site or full-size storage tank, chooses and sets up the technique, carries out the inspection, records the indications and receives a score when the job closes. Australian inspection work runs from LNG trains on the Burrup Peninsula, Barrow Island, Curtis Island and Darwin Harbour, to iron ore and copper processing in the Pilbara and South Australia, alumina refineries in Gladstone and Kwinana, coal ports and power stations in the Hunter and Latrobe Valley, steelmaking at Port Kembla, naval shipbuilding at Osborne and Henderson, aerospace maintenance and manufacturing around every capital, and hydro schemes in Tasmania and the Snowy Mountains. Practical NDT gives trainees, working technicians and Level IIIs in every state a place to practise without booking a bench, a specimen or a flight.

This page is the Australia hub. It links every state hub and the existing city pages, explains how the simulator's environments map to Australian industries, sets out the national and state regulatory picture, and shows how to arrange a demo. Practical NDT is practice. It is not a certification and never replaces a practical examination on real specimens under AINDT, ISO 9712 or an employer's written practice.

Practical NDT by state and territory

Short answer: each Australian state and the Northern Territory has its own Practical NDT hub with local industry, regulators and the simulator environments that fit. Three capital cities also have city pages. Use the table to jump to the page for your state.

Western Australia. The state's inspection market is dominated by the resources sector: LNG on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha, on Barrow Island and near Onslow; offshore platforms and floating facilities; iron ore mines, rail and ports in the Pilbara; and the Kwinana industrial strip south of Perth with alumina, nickel, lithium and fuel import facilities. Much of the workforce is FIFO from Perth. The Western Australia hub and the Perth page cover this in detail.

Queensland. Gladstone is the heart of Queensland's heavy industry, with three LNG plants on Curtis Island, alumina refineries, an aluminium smelter, power stations and a major port. Coal mines in the Bowen Basin, minerals processing at Mount Isa and Townsville, and Defence aviation at Amberley and Townsville add to the mix. See the Queensland hub and the Brisbane page.

New South Wales. The Hunter Valley and Newcastle carry coal export, power generation and heavy fabrication; Port Kembla near Wollongong is the home of steelmaking and a bulk port; Sydney has aviation maintenance, the naval base at Garden Island, fuel import terminals and the research reactor at Lucas Heights. See the New South Wales hub.

Victoria. Victoria combines the Geelong refinery, Bass Strait gas processing in Gippsland, coal and transitioning power assets in the Latrobe Valley, aerospace manufacturing and maintenance around Melbourne, and shipbuilding and defence vehicle manufacturing. See the Victoria hub and the Melbourne page.

South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. South Australia's naval shipbuilding at Osborne and its copper, gas and steel assets; the Territory's two Darwin LNG plants, Defence bases and remote mines; and Tasmania's hydro, smelting and marine industries each have their own hub: South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory has little heavy industry and is covered by the New South Wales hub for practical purposes.

Australia's NDT workforce and where the work is

Short answer: Australian NDT work follows the resources and energy economy: LNG and gas processing, mining and minerals processing, power generation, refining and fuel storage, steelmaking and fabrication, defence shipbuilding and aviation, and transport infrastructure. Much of it is remote, rostered and shutdown-driven.

LNG and gas. Australia is one of the world's largest LNG exporters, with plants in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. These plants combine cryogenic tanks, stainless and alloy piping, large heat exchangers, compressors and marine loading facilities. Their inspection programmes include corrosion monitoring and corrosion under insulation, heat exchanger tube inspection, positive material identification, tank inspection and weld inspection during shutdowns and modifications. Domestic gas processing at Moomba, in Gippsland and in the Surat and Bowen basins adds similar work, and long-distance pipelines need integrity programmes under AS 2885.

Mining and minerals processing. Iron ore, coal, gold, copper, nickel, lithium, zinc, lead, bauxite and uranium are mined across the country. Processing plants, alumina refineries and smelters run mills, kilns, digesters, thickeners, leach tanks and acid plants that need structural weld inspection, wear and thickness surveys, tank inspection and pressure equipment inspection. Shutdowns compress large inspection scopes into tight windows.

Power and utilities. Coal-fired stations in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria are being retired over time, but boiler, turbine and pressure part inspection remains necessary while they operate. Gas-fired plants, hydro schemes in Tasmania and the Snowy Mountains, large wind and solar farms, batteries and new transmission lines create new inspection needs on structures, towers and bolted connections.

Refining and fuel storage. Australia now has two operating refineries, in Geelong and Brisbane, and relies heavily on fuel import terminals around the coast. Terminals and refineries need tank shell and floor inspection, pipeline and piping corrosion surveys and exchanger work.

Defence. Naval shipbuilding at Osborne in South Australia and Henderson in Western Australia, sustainment in Sydney, Perth, Cairns and Darwin, and the AUKUS submarine programme create long-term demand for weld inspection to demanding standards. Air force bases and aerospace maintenance across the country need eddy current, penetrant and ultrasonic inspection of aircraft structure and components.

Infrastructure and fabrication. Bridges, rail, stadiums, high-rise buildings and water infrastructure rely on structural steel fabrication to AS/NZS 1554 and on in-service inspection. Fabrication shops in every capital and regional centre need weld inspectors.

Environments and methods that match Australian work

Short answer: the Oil & Gas Site and Storage Tank environments match LNG, gas, refining, terminals and minerals processing; the Welding Workshop matches shipbuilding, fabrication, pipelines and mining structures; the Aircraft Hangar matches Defence and civil aviation; and the NDT Lab is where every trainee starts.

The Atlantis Practical NDT simulator has five workplace environments. The NDT Lab provides bench specimens and reference blocks for calibration and fundamentals. The Welding Workshop provides weld coupons and fabrication joints. The Aircraft Hangar covers airframe and component inspection. The Oil & Gas Site provides weld, corrosion, tube and screening practice inside a process plant. The Storage Tank environment covers UT shell thickness surveys and MFL floor screening on a full-size tank.

There are twelve methods. Surface methods are PT, MT and VT. Volumetric methods are UT contact, PAUT, TOFD and RT. Electromagnetic methods are ET and MFL. Specialised methods are LRUT guided-wave screening, IRIS internal rotary UT for heat exchanger and boiler tubes, and PMI alloy verification. The product includes 33 guided lessons and a job library of 52 NDT Lab jobs, 52 Welding Workshop jobs, 54 Aircraft Hangar jobs and 73 Oil & Gas Site jobs.

For Australia the mapping is broad because the economy is broad. LNG and gas processing need IRIS, PMI, corrosion mapping with UT and PAUT, LRUT pipe screening and tank surveys. Mining and minerals processing need structural weld inspection with UT and MT, wear and thickness surveys, and tank work. Shipbuilding needs PAUT and TOFD on thick welds, MT, PT and VT. Aviation needs ET, PT and UT. Fuel terminals need MFL floor screening and UT shell surveys. Power stations need boiler tube and exchanger inspection. A technician who moves between these sectors, as many Australians do over a career, can use the full library to stay current in each.

Regulators and requirements Australian technicians meet

Short answer: radiation is regulated by each state and territory under ARPANSA's national codes; pressure equipment and plant fall under state work health and safety regulators; pipelines follow AS 2885; offshore facilities in Commonwealth waters are regulated by NOPSEMA; and most NDT personnel hold AINDT certification under its ISO 9712 based scheme.

Radiation. ARPANSA sets national codes and standards, but licensing of industrial radiography is done by each jurisdiction: the Radiological Council in Western Australia, Queensland Health, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, the Department of Health in Victoria, the Environment Protection Authority in South Australia, NT Health in the Northern Territory, the Department of Health in Tasmania and ACT Health in the Australian Capital Territory. Requirements for licences and recognised qualifications differ between jurisdictions, and several refer to AINDT radiography and radiation safety certification. Confirm current requirements with the relevant regulator. Simulator radiography involves no radiation and needs no licence, but it does not substitute for licensing or safety training.

Plant and pressure equipment. Most jurisdictions apply the national model work health and safety laws, administered by bodies such as WorkSafe WA, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, SafeWork NSW, SafeWork SA, NT WorkSafe and WorkSafe Tasmania. Victoria has its own Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations, administered by WorkSafe Victoria. Boilers and pressure vessels above certain hazard levels need design and item registration, and in-service inspection commonly follows AS/NZS 3788. Design and fabrication reference AS 1210, AS 4037, AS 4041 and AS/NZS 1554, among others. AS 3978 gives general guidance on NDT.

Pipelines and offshore. Gas and liquid petroleum pipelines are designed and operated to AS 2885 under state and territory pipeline legislation. Offshore petroleum facilities in Commonwealth waters are regulated by NOPSEMA.

Certification. The Australian Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (AINDT) runs the main personnel certification scheme in Australia, aligned with ISO 9712, and most Australian employers and regulators reference it. Some employers working for US-owned operators, US OEMs or on US-code equipment use ASNT SNT-TC-1A, under which the employer's written practice governs qualification and certification. Atlantis trains to ASNT SNT-TC-1A only and does not train toward or administer AINDT or ISO 9712 certification. The simulator is scheme-neutral practice suitable for technicians under any scheme.

For trainees, working technicians and Level IIIs across Australia

Short answer: trainees get guided fundamentals before limited bench time; working technicians keep less-used methods fresh between rosters; Level IIIs build scenario sets, benchmark crews and prepare teams for shutdowns.

Trainees. Australian NDT trainees typically combine a training course with on-the-job experience under supervision. Bench time on real specimens is limited and often far from where the trainee lives or works. The 33 guided lessons give a structured start: probe selection, calibration, scan planning, recognising indications and recording results. Trainees reach the bench or the site with the basics already in place.

Working technicians. FIFO rosters, long shutdown seasons and frequent moves between sectors mean many technicians use some methods only occasionally. Rare defect types are hard to see on real specimens at all. Short scored jobs on a laptop or tablet between swings keep those skills fresh.

Level IIIs and team leads. Before a shutdown, a Level III can build a scenario set matching the planned scope and assign it to the crew. The scores show who is ready and where support is needed. The same approach helps screen new hires and gives inspection companies a structured record of skills practice to discuss with clients.

Why simulator practice suits Australia

Short answer: distance, rostered work, compressed shutdowns and a tight labour market all make specimen-based practice hard to schedule. A browser-based simulator puts the same practice in front of every technician wherever they are.

Australia's main industrial sites are often thousands of kilometres from the capitals where training rooms and specimen collections sit. A Pilbara technician, a Moomba operator, a Gladstone contractor and a Darwin LNG crew cannot share one set of reference blocks. Flying people to a training room for practice is expensive and takes them off the roster.

The labour market is also tight. Resources, defence and energy transition projects compete for the same experienced inspectors, so companies need to bring new people up to speed faster and keep existing people consistent. Scored scenario sets give a measurable way to do both.

Practice in a simulator is safe. There is no radiation, no work at height, no confined space entry, no heat stress and no hot work. Mistakes cost points rather than reinspection or harm.

Supervised field experience remains essential. The simulator's role is to make the time on real assets count for more.

Practice vs certification

Short answer: Practical NDT is a skills-practice and readiness tool. It does not grant certification, it is not an AINDT or ISO 9712 examination, and it does not replace the practical examination on real specimens required by an employer's written practice under ASNT SNT-TC-1A.

Every recognised certification scheme combines training, documented experience and examinations, including a practical examination on real specimens. Under AINDT's scheme those examinations are run by the certification body; under ASNT SNT-TC-1A the employer's written practice sets the rules and the employer certifies. Simulator scores are not examination results under either.

What the simulator does is prepare people. Repeated set-up, scanning, interpretation and sizing build habits that exams and real jobs test, and a Level III can use the results to judge readiness. For radiography, state licensing and radiation safety training remain separate legal requirements.

Atlantis training is ASNT SNT-TC-1A only, delivered online, live-virtual or onsite at the client's facility. See ASNT NDT training in Australia and city pages for Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin. Atlantis has no training centre in Australia.

Bring Practical NDT to your Australian team

Short answer: request a demo, tell us which states, sectors and methods your team covers, and we will show the matching environments and agree a pilot. Pricing is quote on request.

Atlantis built the first-ever online practical NDT simulation portal for practice and hands-on experience, and its scenario library was designed by Anoop Rayavarapu, ASNT NDT Level III and founder of Atlantis NDT. It is affordable, accessible and fully customizable. Inspection companies, asset owners' maintenance teams, Defence suppliers, registered training organisations and TAFE programmes can use it as supplied or ask for scenario sets aligned to their own procedures and job mix.

Getting started is simple. A short call establishes your work, whether that is LNG shutdowns, mining maintenance, shipbuilding, aviation or fabrication. We demonstrate the relevant environments, agree a pilot group and set up accounts so technicians can practise in a browser or app wherever they are. Team leads see results. Nothing needs to be installed.

• Request a Practical NDT demo for your Australian team
• Ask for an Australia quote for a crew, a cohort or a national workforce
• Discuss pre-shutdown scenario sets for LNG, mining or power work

Read the Practical NDT overview for the full environment and method list.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an NDT simulator available in Australia?

Yes. The Atlantis Practical NDT simulator runs in a browser or app, so it can be used in every state and territory, including remote sites with a connection. There is no Australian centre to visit; demos are arranged through the contact form.

Does Practical NDT count towards AINDT certification?

No. It is practice only. AINDT certification follows its own ISO 9712 based training, experience and examination rules, and Atlantis does not provide AINDT or ISO 9712 training or examinations.

Can it help with NDT practical exam preparation in Australia?

Yes, as preparation. Scored jobs build the habits practical exams test. The exam itself must be taken on real specimens under the relevant scheme or written practice.

Is it suitable for FIFO technicians?

Yes. Jobs are short and run on a laptop, tablet or phone, so technicians can practise between swings or during downtime in camp.

Does it cover LNG and mining shutdown work?

The Oil & Gas Site and Storage Tank environments cover IRIS, PMI, corrosion mapping, LRUT screening, weld inspection and tank surveys, which together match much of a typical LNG or minerals processing shutdown scope.

Does it cover aviation NDT?

Yes. The Aircraft Hangar environment has 54 jobs covering airframe and component inspection with ET, PT, UT and VT. Aviation qualification and airworthiness rules still apply to real work.

Does simulator radiography need a state licence?

No radiation is involved, so practice needs no licence. Real industrial radiography requires a licence from the state or territory radiation regulator.

What experience level is it for?

All levels: trainees on guided lessons, working technicians refreshing less-used methods and rare defects, and Level IIIs building and assigning scenario sets.

Can an Australian inspection company use it to benchmark new hires?

Yes. A Level III can assign the same scenario set to every candidate and compare scores objectively.

Does Atlantis offer ASNT training in Australia?

Yes, ASNT SNT-TC-1A training only, delivered online, live-virtual or onsite at the client's facility, for employers who need SNT-TC-1A personnel. See NDT training in Australia.

How do we start?

Request a demo. Pricing is quote on request.

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