Southern Gold Coast, QLD
Excavation and earthmoving in Currumbin
Currumbin runs from the creek mouth and Currumbin Rock south to Wyberba Street, with the highway winding through bushland over the headland in between. Many houses date from 1920s subdivisions, and later high-rise backs onto the hillside at Pacific Parade. Around older homes and hillside lots, Luke's 5.5 t class Kubota excavator and ASV posi-track handle trenches, stumps and clean-ups, and the Fuso tipper takes the spoil.
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- Google 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews
- Liability and equipment insurance held
- ABN 58 346 068 875
- Free quotes and site looks
- Luke runs every machine himself
- Liability and equipment insurance held

- Owner-operatorLuke, over 10 years operating machinery
- Based in MurwillumbahWorking the Gold Coast to Lennox Head
- Insurance heldLiability and equipment, certificate on request
- Google 5.0 out of 5From 2 reviews, October 2026
- ABN 58 346 068 875Registered business name DIRT WERKS
Jobs Luke takes on in Currumbin

Trenching and drainage
Renovating an older Currumbin home can mean new sewer, stormwater or power lines across an established yard. Luke digs the trench to the depth and line your plumber or electrician sets, and backfills it after they have laid and connected the services.
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Land clearing
With more natural bush than most of the coast, Currumbin yards can hold large trees and old stumps. At the owner's request, the Kubota digs them out root ball and all, and the grab loads logs and branches onto the tipper.
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Soil removal and tipper
When a trench or garden rebuild leaves more sand and soil than the yard can take, the excavator loads it onto the Fuso, about 7.5 t a load, for a lawful tip or approved site, with a docket for each load.
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Excavator hire
Builders and landscapers on Currumbin's hillside streets can book the Kubota with Luke operating it, for digging, loading and auger holes for fence posts, without arranging a float and a separate operator.
See moreGround and access in Currumbin
Currumbin's ground changes over a short distance, from creek and beach to steep hillside. Council says the lower Currumbin Creek estuary is strongly influenced by tidal flushing and infilling by coastal sands, which narrows the mouth and means it has to be dredged from time to time to reduce flood impacts. On 9 March 2025 the City of Gold Coast issued an emergency alert for major flooding in Currumbin Creek. Uphill, the area keeps more natural vegetation than most of the coast, partly because the steep hillsides are hard to build on.
Hillside blocks, including those backing onto the slope behind Pacific Parade, can be steep from the street to the yard. Send a photo from the kerb that shows the grade, the side gate with a tape measure across it, and where the tipper could stand on level, firm ground. Near the creek or beach, mention any soft sand or wet patches on the way in.
Before you dig in Currumbin
Currumbin is in the City of Gold Coast area. These rules are worth checking before the machine is booked. Luke lodges his own Before You Dig enquiry for every job.
| Check | What it means |
|---|---|
| Protected trees and vegetation | The City says you may need its approval before removing or pruning trees on your property. City Plan protects assessable vegetation: anything over 4 m tall, any trunk 40 cm or more around at 1.4 m above the ground, and vegetation shown on the Vegetation Management Overlay Map. Some clearing is exempt, such as near boundary fences or approved buildings (distances depend on lot size) and within 1.5 m of a pool fence. Otherwise, lodge an operational works application for vegetation clearing first. |
| Filling or excavation that changes ground level | Filling or excavating a site can need development approval if it changes the ground level. City Plan Table 5.8.1 sets the triggers by zone. In the Low and Medium density residential zones, an application is generally needed once the work exceeds 40 cubic metres of fill or excavation, raises or lowers the ground by more than 1.0 m, or is tied to a material change of use or reconfiguring a lot. Rural, rural residential and conservation zones use other volume and boundary triggers, and overlays can catch smaller jobs. |
| Acid sulfate soils on low coastal land | The Queensland Government says coastal land below 5 m AHD, about 5 m above sea level, is likely to hold acid sulfate soils, which release acid and metals when dug up or drained. On a lot shown on the City Plan Acid sulfate soils overlay map with natural ground at or below 20 m AHD, digging out 100 cubic metres or more, or placing 500 cubic metres or more of fill averaging 0.5 m deep or more, at or below 5 m AHD needs code assessment. |
| Works in the road reserve: vehicular crossings | A vehicular crossing, the part of a driveway between the property boundary and the road, sits on public land. The City says you need its approval to build one, and property owners are responsible for building and maintaining it. A crossing that meets the City Plan standard needs an application for a standard crossing. One that can't meet it needs a development permit for operational works. The City's online questionnaire shows which applies, and crossings should be assessed before building approval is given. |
| Flood-prone land and the City's flood maps | The City's flood maps show whether a property could be affected by flooding, and a Flood level search report gives a lot's Designated Flood Level. That report doesn't show the flood extent or cover local flash flooding. On land in the Flood assessment required area of the City Plan Flood overlay map, earthworks over 5 cubic metres that aren't part of building work or a material change of use need code assessment. Check before filling or reshaping a low yard. |
| Fire ant biosecurity zones | As at October 2026, much of the Gold Coast is inside Queensland's fire ant biosecurity zones, which are reviewed monthly. If any part of a property touches a zone, the whole property counts as in it. Under the Biosecurity Regulation 2016, soil, fill, mulch, turf and quarry materials from inside the zones must be handled, stored and moved under set rules. Machinery must be cleaned of soil before it leaves a site in the zones. Check the address on the fireants.org.au map. |
How it works
From a photo to a finished job
Call or text Luke a photo
A wide shot, the gate or access, and the exact spot tells him most of what he needs.
Get a free quote
From your photos, or from a quick site look if the job needs it. No charge for either.
Book a day
Luke brings the right machine for the access and the job.
Dig, cart and clean up
Spoil goes out on his own tipper. The site is left tidy.
Got a job in Currumbin?
Call Luke, text him a photo of the site, or send the details through the quote form. Quotes are free.
Questions about earthworks in Currumbin
Can Luke dig on low ground near Currumbin Creek?
Usually, once the ground is firm enough to carry the machines. Low ground beside the creek can stay soft after heavy rain, and an open trench there can take on water. Send photos of the spot and the way in, and say how wet it gets. Luke will tell you whether the job can go ahead or is better left until the ground dries out.
How do I check which of these rules apply to my lot?
Search the address on the City Plan map at cityplan.goldcoast.qld.gov.au and open Map Layers. Zones shows your lot's zone. Overlays includes Flood, Acid sulfate soils, Environmental significance (vegetation management), Bushfire hazard and Landslide hazard. Check the fire ant zone on the fireants.org.au map too, because zones change monthly. If you're still unsure, the City takes development questions on 07 5582 8708. Send Luke what you find, along with your photos.
Can soil from a Gold Coast job go to a tip in New South Wales?
Not without a permit. Under Queensland's fire ant rules, soil from a site in zone 2 can go directly to a waste facility in zone 2, but moving soil from inside the zones to anywhere outside them needs a biosecurity instrument permit, and the destination state's rules apply as well. Much of the Gold Coast is in zone 2 as at October 2026, so check the address first. Luke carts spoil to lawful tips or approved sites, with dockets.
Suburbs near Currumbin
Luke works right across the area. Pick a neighbouring suburb, or see all of Gold Coast.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Wikipedia: Currumbin, Queensland
- City of Gold Coast: Currumbin Creek Catchment
- Queensland Police News: City of Gold Coast emergency alert, major flooding in Currumbin Creek and Tallebudgera Creek (9 March 2025)
- City of Gold Coast: Tree & vegetation removal on private land
- City of Gold Coast City Plan, version 14 (effective 29 September 2026): SC1.2 Administrative definitions
- City of Gold Coast: Change to ground level
- City Plan: 5.8 Operational work (Table 5.8.1 Change to ground level, Table 5.8.4 Vegetation clearing)
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Excavator, posi-track and tipper work on the Gold Coast: trenching, clearing, stump and soil removal. Luke drives up from Murwillumbah.
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Trenching for plumbing, power and drainage, Gold Coast to Lennox Head. Before You Dig checked, dug to grade, backfilled.
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Land clearing
Land clearing, stump removal, farm dams, creek crossings and access tracks across the Tweed and Northern Rivers.
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