Tweed Heads and the border, NSW

Excavation and earthmoving in Bilambil Heights

Council's flood plan names Bilambil Heights as a natural high ridge, and about 3,500 people lived in the suburb at the 2021 Census. On a ridge, the earthworks questions are slope, machine access and where the stormwater ends up. Luke's 5.5 t class Kubota and ASV posi-track handle the trenching, stump removal and soil carting that hillside yards call for, and the Fuso tipper is only tipped where the ground is level and firm.

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

ASV RT-60 posi-track and excavator digging along a canal edge beside a concrete edging strip

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 Bilambil Heights

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

Trenching and drainage

Runoff moves fast off a ridge, so stormwater and ag drain lines need a clear path downhill. Luke opens the trench on the grade your plumber marks out, and closes it again after the licensed plumber has laid and connected the pipe.

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

Land clearing

Old stumps and overgrown corners on hillside blocks, removed at the owner's request once any tree permit is sorted. The grab loads logs and root balls straight onto the tipper instead of dragging them down the slope.

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

Soil removal and tipper

Spoil from trenching and landscaping is loaded by the Kubota and carted on the Fuso, about 7.5 t a load, to a lawful tip or approved site with a docket, rather than left where rain can wash it downhill.

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

Excavator hire

Post holes for fences and screening along a sloping boundary, drilled with the auger on the Kubota, with Luke choosing the steadiest spot on the block to work from.

Ground and access in Bilambil Heights

The ridge tops sit above the probable maximum flood, the largest flood that could conceivably occur, though in that event water would surround them. Urban land in the suburb that is mapped inside the flood extent comes under the plan's Lower Tweed controls, so check the maps for a lot low on the slope. Slips are the other hazard. In the February and March 2022 flood, Scenic Drive at Bilambil Heights suffered two major landslips. Council's repair bored concrete piles as far as 5 m down to anchor in bedrock at the base of one slip, and placed more than 900 tonnes of rock in boulder retaining walls.

Slope sets the plan on a Bilambil Heights block, from how steep the driveway runs to where the yard flattens out. Send a wide photo from the street, one from the low side of the yard and one of the driveway, plus a spot where a truck could pull up on flat, firm ground. Run a tape across the narrowest gap on the way in, and show any power lines, eaves or retaining walls Luke would pass.

Before you dig in Bilambil Heights

Bilambil Heights 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 Bilambil Heights?

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 Bilambil Heights

My place is up on the ridge. Does water still matter for a dig?

Yes, though less about floods than people on the flats. Council's flood plan treats the ridge as high ground above the probable maximum flood. On a hillside the everyday trouble is runoff and slips, and the two landslips on Scenic Drive in the 2022 flood show what a big wet can do to a slope. Agree with your plumber where any new drain will discharge before Luke digs it, and keep spoil heaps off the slope.

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.