Nerang and the western hinterland, QLD

Excavation and earthmoving in Highland Park

Between Nerang, Gilston, Carrara and Worongary sits Highland Park, a residential suburb named and bounded in its own right in 2003. About 85 per cent of its homes are separate houses, which suits backyard work: a trench for new services, a garden rebuilt, old stumps out, spoil carted away. If the side gate is wide enough, Luke brings the Kubota or the posi-track through and loads the Fuso at the street.

Call Luke 0488 987 325 Text Luke a photo

Or send the job details online

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

Black corrugated drainage pipe laid in a freshly dug trench, with an excavator bucket alongside

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 Highland Park

Orange Kubota excavator at the end of a deep, clean-walled trench in red soil, with drainage pipe ready beside it

Trenching and drainage

A new water line, sewer connection, stormwater pipe or power run to a shed in Highland Park starts with a trench. Luke digs and backfills it, and your licensed plumber or electrician lays the pipe or cable and connects it.

Kubota excavator arm and bucket clearing dense overgrown scrub and long grass

Land clearing

Old stumps, overgrown corners and unwanted shrubs on a Highland Park house block can come out with the excavator and grab at your request, with the green waste carted to a lawful tip.

Large tree stump and root ball dug out by a Kubota excavator on a rural property

Soil removal and tipper

Spoil from a Highland Park backyard dig goes straight onto the Fuso, about 7.5 t a load, and out to a lawful tip or approved site with dockets. The truck can also bring garden soil in.

Dirt Werks Kubota U55-4 excavator, ASV RT-60 posi-track and Fuso Fighter tipper parked side by side

Excavator hire

For a garden rebuild in Highland Park, hire the Kubota with Luke in the seat to dig out old beds and auger post holes, then have the posi-track spread the new soil.

Ground and access in Highland Park

State geology mapping puts virtually the whole of Highland Park on the Neranleigh-Fernvale beds, a low-permeability sedimentary rock. Just over half the suburb lies in the Carrara sub-catchment, which WetlandInfo describes as steep to undulating country on that rock before it flattens onto alluvium further down. The rest falls in the Nerang River and Gin House Creek sub-catchments. Because water barely soaks into this rock, rain runs off it quickly.

Backyard work means the side gate and the path down the side of the house decide what fits. Send Luke a photo of the narrowest point with a tape across it, a wide shot of the yard, and the exact spot to dig. Mention anything in the way, like a fence panel that can come out, a shed, a water tank or overhead wires.

Before you dig in Highland Park

Highland Park 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 Highland Park?

Call Luke, text him a photo of the site, or send the details through the quote form. Quotes are free.

Call 0488 987 325 Send the job details

Questions about earthworks in Highland Park

Will Luke's machines fit down the side of a Highland Park house?

It depends on the narrowest point between the street and the work, plus anything in the way such as steps, a tank or an air-conditioning unit. Send a photo of that spot with a tape measure across it and Luke will say which machine fits, or whether a fence panel needs to come out. Quotes and site looks are free.

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.