Today, as a Senior Service Planner at Melbourne Water, Fur helps plan the infrastructure that supports safe and reliable water supplies for Melbourne's growing communities.
Drawing on experience gained in some of Australia's most demanding industrial environments, she is helping shape a water network that can meet future challenges while continuing to deliver one of life's most essential services.
Fur's career began in mining, where she worked as a graduate process engineer in high-risk operational environments.
She spent her first six months working on shift as an operator, gaining firsthand experience around heavy machinery and complex systems.
"Being surrounded by heavy machinery and complex systems taught me very early on the importance of risk awareness, accountability and looking out for the people around you," Fur said.
Those early experiences helped shape the way she approaches engineering today.
"Working on the ground gave me valuable hands-on exposure and taught me how systems behave in reality, not just on paper."
After moving into process engineering and later the steelmaking industry, Fur was responsible for designing cooling systems for a blast furnace, building expertise in water networks, hydrodynamics and water chemistry along the way.
While the technical challenges were rewarding, she began thinking about how her skills could be applied in a different way.
"I found myself wanting to apply my skills somewhere the impact felt more directly connected to people's everyday lives," she said. "That's what led me to the water industry."
Today, Fur works in Melbourne Water's Water Harvest and Transfer team, helping plan and prioritise major water transfer infrastructure projects across Melbourne's growing regions.
Her role involves assessing asset performance, identifying risks and constraints within the network, and working closely with retail water authorities and internal teams to develop investment plans that support future growth.
"A big part of my role is bringing together technical analysis and stakeholder input to support long-term, resilient decision-making," she said.
The work sits at the intersection of engineering, planning and collaboration, requiring both technical expertise and a broader understanding of how communities will grow and change over time.
For Fur, one of the most rewarding aspects of the role is knowing that the decisions being made today help ensure reliable water services for future generations.
"What excites me most is the direct connection between the work we do and its impact on people's lives," she said.
"Water is essential, and being part of a system that delivers that reliably to millions of people is incredibly meaningful."
As cities grow and climate pressures increase, Fur sees long-term planning as more important than ever.
"In my role, innovation is often about taking a systems view – understanding how different parts of the network interact and identifying smarter ways to use existing infrastructure," she said.
"We consider long-term factors like population growth, climate variability and asset constraints when planning solutions."
"It's about making decisions today that will still hold up in the future, ensuring the network remains reliable, adaptable and sustainable."
One area that particularly interests her is the growing relationship between technology and water infrastructure.
Through her work, Fur has been involved in projects exploring water supply options to support the cooling demands of new data centre developments.
"It's a really interesting challenge because, while advances in AI and technology are transforming the way we live and work, they also place increasing pressure on essential infrastructure and resources like water," she said.
For Fur, it highlights the increasingly important role water professionals will play in balancing growth, sustainability and community needs.
Alongside her technical work, Fur is passionate about creating workplaces where people feel supported, respected and able to contribute.
As a Gender Equality Advocate at Melbourne Water, she has supported initiatives including sexual harassment prevention training and broader efforts to foster an inclusive workplace culture.
"When people feel safe, respected and able to speak up, they bring forward better ideas and challenge decisions in a constructive way," she said.
She also values the collaborative nature of the water sector, where organisations regularly share knowledge and work together to solve common challenges.
"One of the things I value most is the willingness within the water sector to share knowledge and learn from one another," she said.
"There's a strong sense that advancing the industry collectively helps everyone, including the communities we serve."
Having successfully transitioned into water from other industries, Fur encourages people not to rule themselves out because their experience looks different.
"Don't feel like you need a traditional water background to enter the industry," she said.
"Skills from other sectors, especially engineering, operations and asset management are highly transferable."
For those willing to learn, she believes the opportunities are significant.
"Be curious, ask questions and focus on understanding the bigger system," she said.
"It's an industry where you can make a real difference."