It picks up when you’re on the tools, says it’s your assistant, books the routine work and texts you anything urgent. We set it up over the phone from Wagga Wagga.
OffsiteMate is an AI receptionist for Wollongong tradies. When you can’t get to the phone, it answers as your business, says it’s your assistant and books routine jobs at times you’re free. Emergencies get texted to you straight away, then it rings you.
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 based in Wagga Wagga and set you up by phone, and you keep your own number.
The ABS counted 3,185 construction businesses in the Wollongong council area and another 1,218 in Shellharbour at 30 June 2025 (ABS Data by Region, read October 2026). The Wollongong urban area had 322,343 people at 30 June 2025 (ABS estimate). A customer with a blocked drain won’t have to scroll far to find someone else.
Wollongong’s power comes through Endeavour Energy, its water from Sydney Water and its gas through Jemena. If you’d like your assistant to give one of these out, text us and we’ll add it.
| Fault line | What they look after | |
|---|---|---|
| Endeavour Energy | 131 003, 24/7 | Power across the Illawarra: outages, fallen or sparking powerlines, leaning poles and damaged equipment |
| Sydney Water | 13 20 90, 24/7 | Water and wastewater in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. For anything that isn’t a fault, 13 20 92, 8am to 5:30pm weekdays |
| Jemena | 131 909, any time of day | Gas leaks and the smell of gas. Its network supplies Wollongong as well as Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast |
From Endeavour Energy’s home, contact and safety pages, Sydney Water’s contact and “Who we are” pages, and Jemena’s gas network and gas safety pages, read October 2026.
Sydney Water says a blockage is probably in its pipes, and not the customer’s, if:
Sydney Water says the customer can claim reasonable out-of-pocket costs for a licensed plumber who found a blockage in its wastewater pipes, as long as the plumber rings 13 20 90 to report it and get a job number. The job number has to go on the claim, and Sydney Water says claims can take up to 8 weeks.
If it’s in the private pipes, from the property to where they meet Sydney Water’s network, it’s the owner’s job and a licensed plumber’s work. A collapsed private pipe under a public footpath or road is the exception Sydney Water may fix for free for residential customers, once a licensed plumber confirms digging up the road or footpath is the only way.
Your assistant can’t ring Sydney Water for you. It can make sure the customer’s name, suburb and what’s overflowing are in your texts before you get there.
Sydney Water keeps a list of trees to avoid planting near wastewater pipes, because roots find their way into small cracks and slow the drainage. The Illawarra Flame Tree is on it, in the company of jacarandas, figs and lilly pillies.
Its advice is to find out where the pipes are first, using a sewerage service diagram from Sydney Water Tap in, and to avoid planting trees within 6 metres of wastewater pipes. If existing trees are the problem, it says a plumber can set up a regular maintenance plan.
A root clean-out is a job for the diary. Your assistant can book it in and save the urgent texts for sewage coming up through the floor waste.
For sparkies, plumbers, gardeners and anyone near a ladder, from Endeavour Energy’s own pages.
Owners keep their trees clear of the line from the street: half a metre from an insulated service line and two metres from an uninsulated one. Endeavour says not to trim it yourself if any part of the tree, you or your gear comes within three metres of a powerline.
Endeavour says a tingle from a tap could be stray current or poor grounding in the plumbing, and should be looked at by a licensed electrician or plumber as soon as possible.
Endeavour takes faults on 131 003 or through the online forms on its website. It says reports made through third party apps, websites or social media won’t be actioned.
Endeavour Energy also adds another half metre to those tree distances in designated bushfire prone areas, except for low voltage insulated service lines. It recommends a contractor with a Certificate II ESI Powerline Vegetation Control for trimming.
Your assistant answers on every one of them at the same price. Text us the days you take off and it won’t book jobs on them.
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Monday 26 January | Tuesday 26 January |
| 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, plus Monday 27 April | Sunday 25 April, plus Monday 26 April |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 8 June | Monday 14 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 5 October | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December, plus Monday 27 December |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December, plus Monday 28 December | Sunday 26 December, plus Tuesday 28 December |
From the NSW Government’s public holidays page, read October 2026. NSW hasn’t declared a local public holiday or local event day in the Wollongong or Shellharbour council areas for 2026 or 2027. Clocks went forward for daylight saving on Sunday 4 October 2026 and go back at 3am on Sunday 4 April 2027.
In NSW you need an electrical licence or certificate for any electrical wiring work, whatever the job costs. The same goes for plumbing, draining and gasfitting. Building Commission NSW issues them, and customers can check one on the Contractor and tradespeople register on Verify NSW.
Plumbing and drainage work on properties connected to Sydney Water’s sewer is audited by Building Commission NSW, in Wollongong the same as in Sydney. For properties Sydney Water doesn’t serve, Shellharbour City Council sets the inspections. Wollongong’s council declined that role, and Building Commission NSW lists inspections there as not required.
Want your licence number given out when a customer asks? Text it to us and your assistant will have it.
A plumber on a root-choked drain and a gardener on a hedge near the powerlines want different calls texted to them. Each trade page shows where we start.
The same price in Wollongong 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 based in Wagga Wagga, NSW, and set up tradies anywhere in Australia by phone. Ring us on 0468 075 000 and a human answers.
Yes. Any hour, every day, NSW public holidays included, at the same price. It only books jobs at times your hours allow.
Yes. In the national numbering plan, numbers starting (02) 42 or (02) 32 belong to the Wollongong charging district and the Helensburgh area of the Campbelltown district. Your number stays with your phone company and forwards to your assistant’s own Australian mobile number. Ring us if it’s a landline or a phone system, because those forward differently, and we’ll sort it out with you and your provider.
Whatever you’ve told it counts as urgent gets texted to you straight away, then it rings you. If you want it to give out Sydney Water’s 13 20 90 as well, text us and we’ll add it. If someone’s in danger, it tells them to hang up and ring triple zero.
A$299 a month for a sole trader with 100 minutes and 150 texts, and A$299 to set up. Crews of 2 to 4 pay A$449 a month, and 5 to 10 pay A$799. 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
