It picks up when you’re under a house in Encounter Bay or up a ladder in Goolwa. It says it’s your assistant, books the routine work and texts you the urgent calls.
OffsiteMate is an AI receptionist for tradies, and it answers Victor Harbor and Goolwa phones on South Australian time when you can’t. It says it’s your assistant, books routine jobs at times you’re free and texts you emergencies straight away.
It’s A$299 a month for a sole trader, with 100 minutes and 150 texts included, plus A$299 once to set up. We’re in Wagga Wagga, NSW, and we set you up over the phone. You keep your number.
The ABS treats Victor Harbor and Goolwa as one urban area, with 30,900 people at 30 June 2025 (ABS estimate). Two councils run it, and which one a job sits in changes who looks after the sewer.
The City of Victor Harbor shares its eastern boundary with Alexandrina Council, whose main office is in Goolwa. For a tradie, the difference shows up in the paperwork and the after-hours numbers.
| City of Victor Harbor | Alexandrina Council | |
|---|---|---|
| Council office | 1 Bay Road, Victor Harbor | 11 Cadell Street, Goolwa |
| Urgent council matters after hours | 08 8551 0500 | 08 8555 7000 |
| Who runs the sewer | SA Water’s mains sewer, in the urban areas | The council’s own schemes, or private ones. SA Water’s sewer reaches only some properties in Chiton and Hayborough |
| Septic and other onsite systems | No work can start until it’s approved, and the application goes to the council | Council approval for any wastewater work off SA Water’s sewer, ensuites included. About 6 weeks from when the fees are paid, if the application is complete |
| Construction businesses, 30 June 2025 | 233 | 520, a count that also takes in Strathalbyn |
From the City of Victor Harbor’s contact, city profile and wastewater systems pages, Alexandrina Council’s contact and on-site management systems pages, and ABS Data by Region (local government areas “Victor Harbor” and “Alexandrina”). All read October 2026.
In Victor Harbor, the council sends sewer questions to SA Water. SA Water’s Customer Care Centre on 1300 729 283 takes urgent calls 24/7: sewage overflows, strong odours, flooding and no water.
Over the boundary, Alexandrina runs its own Community Wastewater Management Systems. Some are sewer systems and some are septic tank effluent drainage systems, and the council says installing, connecting or altering either needs its approval. A new septic system needs plans signed off by a wastewater engineer, and a licensed plumber who can give a certificate of compliance.
Six weeks is a long wait for a second toilet, so it helps when the customer hears about the approval early. Your assistant already asks callers for their suburb, so you’ll know which council a job is in before you ring back. Want it to mention the approval when someone asks about a new ensuite in Goolwa? Text us the wording and we’ll add it.
Your assistant answers on all of these at the usual price, and only books jobs on the days your hours include. The school holidays are in here too, since Victor Harbor has been a holiday town for a long time.
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Public holidays | ||
| New Year’s Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Monday 26 January | Tuesday 26 January |
| Adelaide Cup Day | Monday 9 March | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April | Friday 26 March |
| Easter Saturday | Saturday 4 April | Saturday 27 March |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 5 April | Sunday 28 March |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April | Monday 29 March |
| Anzac Day | Saturday 25 April | Sunday 25 April |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 8 June | Monday 14 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 5 October | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas Eve, 7pm to midnight | Thursday 24 December | Friday 24 December |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December and Monday 27 December |
| Proclamation Day holiday | Saturday 26 December and Monday 28 December | Sunday 26 December and Tuesday 28 December |
| New Year’s Eve, 7pm to midnight | Thursday 31 December | Friday 31 December |
| School holidays | ||
| After Term 1 | Saturday 11 April to Sunday 26 April | Saturday 10 April to Sunday 25 April |
| After Term 2 | Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July | Saturday 3 July to Sunday 18 July |
| After Term 3 | Saturday 26 September to Sunday 11 October | Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October |
| Summer | From Saturday 12 December, until school goes back on Wednesday 27 January 2027 | Saturday 11 December to Sunday 30 January 2028 |
Dates from SafeWork SA’s public holidays page, read October 2026. SafeWork SA lists the school holidays for reference only; they aren’t public holidays. Its list has no local public holidays, so the south coast takes the same days off as Adelaide.
The City of Victor Harbor counts 1.2 million visitors a year. The town is about 80 kilometres south of the Adelaide CBD, and the council says it’s been a favourite for holidays for many years.
If your phone gets busier when the town fills up, those are the weeks calls go to voicemail. Your assistant picks up the ones you can’t. It can ring your phone first and only answer when you don’t, or answer every call. It won’t take January off, either.
When the problem is on the network’s side, these are the people your customer needs. Want your assistant to mention one of them? Text us and we’ll add it.
SA Power Networks, 13 13 66, any hour. It’s South Australia’s only electricity distributor. Sparkies sorting a connection on a build or a reno can use its industry enquiries line, 1300 650 014, weekdays 8am to 5pm.
SA Water, 1300 729 283, 24/7. Alexandrina Council’s line for urgent matters after hours is 08 8555 7000.
The SES, 132 500, for things like serious damage to a home or a tree down on the house. Triple zero if anyone’s in danger.
From SA Power Networks’ contact and our role pages, SA Water’s contact page, Alexandrina Council’s contact page and the City of Victor Harbor’s storms and floods page, all read 13 October 2026. Australian Gas Networks lists its South Australian gas networks as greater Adelaide, Mount Gambier, the Riverland, Port Pirie and Whyalla.
Consumer and Business Services (CBS) keeps South Australia’s licensing register. Its Find a licence holder search covers builders, plumbers, electricians and gas fitters, and CBS notes that solar work may need a builder’s or an electrician’s licence, depending on the job. Its number is 131 882.
In 2026, CBS warned about travelling crews selling cheap bitumen driveways in parts of regional SA and suburban Adelaide. One of the signs on its list is a crew that can’t give a building work contractor’s licence number when asked.
Send us your licence number and your assistant gives it to anyone who asks, at any hour.
A Goolwa plumber and a Victor Harbor painter want different calls texted to them. Each trade page shows where we start.
Same price on the south coast as anywhere else. Pick the one for how many people work in the business.
Sole traders on the tools
A$299a month
About A$9.83 a day. Plus A$299 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA small crew
A$449a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA bigger team with more phones ringing
A$799a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansGo over your minutes or texts and it keeps answering: A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. It’s month to month, because 12 months is a big commitment to make to a robot. That’s the whole price. Nothing gets added on top. Questions? Ring us on 0468 075 000 or email hello@offsitemate.com.au.
No. We’re in Wagga Wagga, NSW, and we set tradies up anywhere in Australia by phone. Ring us on 0468 075 000 and a human answers.
Yes. SA’s standard time is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, and its clocks go forward at 2am on the first Sunday in October and back at 3am on the first Sunday in April (SafeWork SA). This season that’s Sunday 4 October 2026 and Sunday 4 April 2027. NSW changes on the same Sundays and sits half an hour ahead, so you’re half an hour behind us in Wagga all year.
Yes. The national numbering plan gives the Victor Harbor charging district 08 85 numbers, along with 08 25 and 08 75. Your number stays with your phone company and forwards to your assistant’s own Australian mobile number. A landline forwards differently to a mobile, so ring us and we’ll sort it out with you and your provider.
No. It’s the same price every month. A sole trader gets 100 minutes and 150 texts, and anything over is A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text.
It does a virtual receptionist’s job with an AI assistant. It answers in an Australian voice, tells callers it’s your assistant and books the work in. People set it up and read what it says, and that’s us.
A$299 a month for a sole trader, A$449 for 2 to 4 people and A$799 for 5 to 10. Setup is A$299 once for a sole trader and A$499 for teams. No GST is added, and it’s month to month.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au
