Byron Shire, NSW

Excavation and earthmoving in Broken Head

South of Suffolk Park, Broken Head is a small coastal locality behind a rainforest headland and nature reserve. National Parks says land around the reserve supports grazing, homes and tourism, with plenty of remnant and regrowth bush on private blocks, and Council's rural strategy counts large-lot and community title lots in the Broken Head and Coopers Shoot area. On these acreages Luke handles tracks, drainage and owner-requested clearing with his posi-track, Kubota and Fuso.

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 Broken Head

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

Land clearing

Bush has grown back over much of the private land here. At the owner's request, Luke clears trees, stumps and weeds for fence lines, tracks and paddocks, and stacks the timber with the grab.

Freshly graded gravel driveway curving through bushland, Kubota excavator and ASV posi-track parked beside it

Driveway repairs

The ridge soils erode fast once the surface is bare, so a gravel driveway lives or dies on its drainage. Luke re-sheets and compacts the gravel, then cuts table drains and cross drains to move water off.

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

Trenching and drainage

Water coming off the ridge has to cross paddocks and driveways somewhere. On rural blocks Luke lays the culverts and ag drains himself, and he digs and backfills house service trenches for the licensed plumber or electrician to lay and connect.

Ground and access in Broken Head

National Parks describes a north-south ridge along the reserve's western edge rising to 90 m above Brays Beach, with intermittent creeks running east to the sea. The rock is metamorphosed sediment of the Neranleigh-Fernvale Group, about 400 million years old, which weathers to shallow, stony, very acid soils that set hard and erode fast once bare. Behind the dunes, low ground carries humus and peaty podzols, with acid peats in wetter spots and sometimes coffee rock, and potential acid sulfate soils are likely about 1 m down near the reserve's northern boundary.

Several private properties sit off Seven Mile Beach Road, which National Parks describes as a narrow, winding, unpaved Council road running south along the ridge. If your driveway is steep or lined with bush, send photos of the road entry, the steepest section, the gate (and its width), and any branches or lines the tipper would have to clear.

Before you dig in Broken Head

Broken Head is in the Byron 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
Excavation and fill limits	Where earthworks need development consent, Byron's DCP Chapter B14 limits excavation and fill to 1 m deep unless otherwise stated. Earthworks on land steeper than a 15% gradient, or with more than 1 m of cut and fill, need engineering detail from a structural or geotechnical engineer.
Acid sulfate soils	Council says acid sulfate soils sit in the coastal floodplains, generally below RL 5 m AHD. Under clause 6.1 of Byron LEP 2014, Class 1 land needs consent for any works and Class 2 for works below the ground surface. On Class 3 and 4 land the trigger is works more than 1 m or 2 m below natural ground, or works that lower the water table that far.
Driveways and the road reserve	Council needs a permit before any work on a driveway or elsewhere in the road reserve. Even an exempt driveway needs Section 138 approval under the Roads Act, lodged on the NSW Planning Portal.
Flood-prone land	Council's floodplain pages cover the Brunswick River, Belongil Creek and Tallow Creek, and much of the shire's low ground can flood. Check the flood maps before any fill or drainage work on the flats.
Near creeks and natural water	Exempt earthworks must be at least 40 m from natural water and must not redirect water or send sediment onto a neighbour's land.

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 Broken Head?

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 Broken Head

Is the ground at Broken Head hard to dig?

It changes across the area. National Parks says much of the ground around the reserve is shallow, stony soil over old metamorphosed rock, while the low country behind the beach is sand and peat that can stay wet. Send Luke a photo of the exact spot and the access, or have him look, and he will tell you whether the dig suits his Kubota and buckets.

Who do I ask about earthworks approvals in Byron Shire?

Byron Shire Council's Development Support Officers answer approval questions on 02 6626 7025. Get any approval the job needs, or confirm the work is exempt, before the machine is booked. The council approval guide sets out the Tweed, Byron and Ballina rules side by side.