A self-powered clinic that can move to wherever patients are. That’s what a 20ft off-grid mobile clinic is for, and it’s what we built in our South Lismore workshop for a job in Moree, NSW. It’s based on our Container Mobile Clinic Off Grid – 20ft, and this post walks through what goes into one, why the format suits regional NSW and Queensland, and what you can change to suit your own service.

This one is a mobile podiatry clinic, built for Sharon, a podiatrist.

What we built for Moree

The Moree clinic is a 20ft high cube container clinic: 6m × 2.4m, factory-built at our South Lismore workshop and delivered to site. Here’s what our standard Mobile Clinic Off Grid brochure (PDF) includes:

  • Structure: recycled 20ft high cube shipping container, with reinforced 100mm × 50mm × 2mm window and door cut-outs and stitch welding on all external openings.
  • Insulation and floor: 50mm EPS insulation in the walls and ceiling, and Karndean vinyl plank over a cement underfloor screed.
  • Electrical: full electrical fit-out with an internal sub board, external junction box, two double power points, three LED downlights and a smoke alarm.
  • Kitchenette: laminate bench and cabinetry with a stainless steel kick, a double sink and a swivel mixer tap.
  • Bathroom: dual flush toilet, shower base and shower head, and vinyl plank floor (tiles available at extra cost).
  • Windows and doors: a 1200 × 1200mm sliding window, a 2100 × 1800mm sliding door and a 900 × 600mm glass sliding window in the bathroom.
  • Finish: Colorbond internal trim around windows and doors.

Kitchenette with laminate bench, double sink and dark cabinetry inside a 20ft container clinic, with the bathroom door open

The generous windows and doors are there on purpose. Natural light makes a small treatment room feel bigger and nicer to work in, which matters when staff spend full days in it.

Why an off-grid clinic suits regional NSW and Queensland

Moree sits on the plains of north-west NSW, not far from the Queensland border. Across that part of the country, plenty of people live a long way from the nearest clinic. A permanent building ties a service to one address. A portable clinic lets the service go out to the community instead.

Going off-grid matters because the places that most need a visiting clinic often don’t have a ready connection to mains power or water where you want to set up. If the building can look after itself, you can put it beside a community hall, a school, a sports ground or a farm gate and get on with seeing people.

Consult room inside a 20ft container mobile clinic with an adjustable treatment chair, large window and kitchenette

What “self-powered” means here

The brochure spec covers the electrical fit-out inside the clinic: the sub board, external junction box, power points, lighting and smoke alarm. It doesn’t spell out the off-grid power package itself.

As general guidance, not a description of this job: an off-grid clinic usually needs four things sorted at design stage. You need a way to make power (normally solar, sometimes with a generator for backup), battery storage sized to your equipment and hours, enough water storage for hand washing and the bathroom, and a plan for wastewater. The right sizes depend on what equipment you run, how long you’re on site and the climate. Work that out with us before the build, not after delivery.

Taking the clinic to the patients

The main advantage of a mobile medical clinic is simple: your staff travel, your patients don’t have to. For many regional health services that means:

  • Running a regular circuit of outlying towns from one asset instead of leasing rooms in each town.
  • Setting up for a season, a program or an event, then moving on.
  • Giving visiting practitioners a proper private consult room with a sink and a bathroom, instead of a borrowed office.
  • Keeping the clinic when a site lease ends. It’s a transportable health clinic, so it goes with you.

Service end of a 20ft container mobile clinic on a steel skid frame, with tank enclosures, a gas bottle and a hot water unit

It’s the same thinking behind our demountable buildings for sites, schools and councils. A demountable clinic or modular medical building can be put down, picked up and moved when your needs change.

Why Australian-made matters for a clinic

A clinic is a workplace and a health space. Your certifier, your insurer and your health service will want to know the electrical work, insulation and fit-out are right. With our clinics, all of that is done in our own South Lismore workshop before the unit goes on the truck. We see every stage of the build, and you’re welcome to book a factory visit and see it for yourself.

Compare that with an imported kit, where the fit-out quality and the paperwork are mostly out of your hands until it lands. We’ve written about that difference in more detail in Australian made shipping container buildings, so we won’t repeat it here.

Custom options

The brochure is our base model. We custom build our units, and many extra options and finishes are available. Options listed in the brochure include:

  • Insulated patio roofing panels to add a covered deck or carport off the side of the clinic. That gives you a shaded waiting area or a place to park the work vehicle.
  • A tiled bathroom floor instead of vinyl plank (extra cost).
  • Tailored features to suit your service, such as layout, joinery and fit-out.

If your service needs something different, like a second consult room, a bigger footprint or a particular equipment layout, talk to us. You can see more of what we build for business and government on our commercial buildings page.

Frequently asked questions

What size is the 20ft off-grid mobile clinic?

It’s built from a 20ft high cube shipping container, 6m × 2.4m. The standard spec includes a kitchenette, a bathroom with toilet and shower, and a full electrical fit-out.

Can you change the layout for our health service?

Yes. We custom build our clinics, and many options and finishes are available, including insulated patio roofing for a deck or carport and a tiled bathroom floor.

Do you deliver to Moree and other regional areas?

Yes. We deliver Australia-wide and quote delivery to your site. Installation is done by a local builder. A low-cost site inspection gives you a fixed installation price. Site works, footings and connections aren’t included in the base price.

How much does a mobile clinic cost?

Price is on application, because it depends on your spec and options. Brochure pricing is for the base model, ex GST, and valid for October 2026. Call us with your requirements and we’ll quote it properly.

Talk to us about your clinic

If you’re planning a mobile medical clinic, an off-grid clinic or any kind of container clinic for a regional service, give us a call. We’ll tell you straight what’s possible and what it’ll take.

Download the Mobile Clinic Off Grid brochure (PDF) or send us an enquiry.

Container Build Group P/L · ABN 48 141 506 149