Murwillumbah and the Tweed Valley, NSW
Excavation and earthmoving in Kunghur
Kunghur is a small village far up the Tweed Valley, where the upper Tweed River runs through the middle of the locality. Timber getters cleared the original rainforest, and dairy and beef cattle followed and remain some of its primary industries. The village itself is zoned R5 Large Lot Residential, so even its blocks are big. Luke's excavator, posi-track and tipper suit cattle country work: dams, tracks, culverts and clearing.
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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 Kunghur

Land clearing
On cattle country, regrowth creeps back along fence lines. Luke clears it at the owner's request, pulls stumps root ball and all, and uses the grab to stack fallen timber.
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Trenching and drainage
Paddocks that bog and tracks that cut up get culverts and ag drains, which Luke lays himself on rural land. On the large village lots, service trenches are dug and backfilled for a licensed plumber or electrician to lay and connect.
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Driveway repairs
Long gravel driveways get the water off first with mitre drains or culverts, then fresh gravel, spread by the posi-track, wet down and rolled.
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Excavator hire
Auger holes for cattle yards, stock-water dams and tank installs on Kunghur properties can be booked as wet hire, the Kubota coming with Luke on the controls.
See moreGround and access in Kunghur
The Tweed River rises north-west of Lillian Rock, and its upper reaches run past Kunghur, Terragon and Uki. The relief is big: from 1949 to 1955 a flying fox carried logs from the top of the Blue Knob range down to a sawmill more than 500 m below. NSW groundwater notes say the basalt-derived soils found on slopes like these usually drain well, while river ground is alluvial and varies, so describe where your job sits.
On a cattle property, the machines may need to come through several gates and over grids or a creek crossing to reach the job. Send Luke photos of each gate and crossing, the steepest part of the track, and the spot, so he can say which machine suits the access.
Before you dig in Kunghur
Kunghur is in the Tweed Shire Council 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 |
|---|---|
| Acid sulfate soils on low ground | Tweed Shire Council says acid sulfate soils are common along the Tweed Coast. Written approval is needed in most cases before they're disturbed, and Council's management plan for minor works can't be used where groundwater is likely to be disturbed or dewatering is likely. Those jobs need a site-specific plan. |
| Bringing in fill | Council says filling land needs development consent in most cases. On flood-prone land, get a Section 10.7 certificate and a Property Flood Report for your lot before any fill is ordered, because flood planning levels change as flood studies are updated. |
| Trees and clearing | On non-rural land, clearing declared vegetation needs Council approval, which is free to lodge. That includes native plants 4 m or taller or 10 cm or more in diameter, any tree 40 cm or more in diameter, preferred koala food trees and threatened species. On rural RU1 and RU2 land, clearing native vegetation may need approval under the Local Land Services Act 2013. |
| Driveways and the road reserve | Any work in the road reserve, including a driveway across the verge or a kerb and gutter change, needs Council consent under section 138 of the Roads Act 1993 before it starts. |
| Near creeks and the estuary | To count as exempt development, earthworks must be at least 40 m from natural water and must not redirect water or carry sediment onto a neighbour's land. Work on waterfront land can also need a controlled activity approval from NSW Water. |
| Fire ants | Parts of the Tweed are in the NSW fire ant biosecurity zone. Earthmoving machinery must be cleaned free of soil before it leaves, and soil, fill and quarry products moved out of the area follow set rules. Zones change, so check the current NSW DPIRD maps. |
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 Kunghur?
Call Luke, text him a photo of the site, or send the details through the quote form. Quotes are free.
Questions about earthworks in Kunghur
Will Luke come as far up the valley as Kunghur?
Yes, Kunghur is part of the Tweed Valley that Luke works from Murwillumbah. It's further from town than the suburbs around Murwillumbah, so bundling work makes sense: a culvert, a scoured track and a fence line in one visit, say. Text photos of each spot and the gate, and Luke will tell you what fits.
Does Tweed Shire Council need to approve my earthworks?
It depends on the job. Small earthworks can be exempt development if they meet the NSW standards, such as staying at least 40 m from natural water and not sending water or sediment onto a neighbour. Fill, acid sulfate soils, flood-prone land, trees and work in the road reserve each have their own approvals. Check with Council on 02 6670 2400 before the machine is booked.
Suburbs near Kunghur
Luke works right across the area. Pick a neighbouring suburb, or see all of Murwillumbah.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Wikipedia: Kunghur, New South Wales
- Wikipedia: Tweed River (New South Wales)
- Tweed Shire Council: Tweed Development Control Plan 2025 (PDF, Table E4.1 rural village zones)
- NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation: Tweed-Brunswick groundwater vulnerability map explanatory notes (PDF)
- Tweed Shire Council: acid sulfate soils
- Tweed Shire Council: disposal of fill
- Tweed Shire Council: trees on private land
- Tweed Shire Council: driveway access to property guide (PDF)
Related

Murwillumbah
Excavator hire and earthworks from Murwillumbah: farm dams, creek crossings, rural driveways, clearing and trenching.
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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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Trenching and drainage
Trenching for plumbing, power and drainage, Gold Coast to Lennox Head. Before You Dig checked, dug to grade, backfilled.
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