Northern Gold Coast, QLD

Excavation and earthmoving in Gaven

Gaven sits immediately north of Nerang, with the Pacific Motorway on its eastern edge, and is home to about 1,600 people on rural-residential land. It is named after Eric Gaven, a Nerang Shire councillor and later state MP, and until 2003 it also took in Pacific Pines. Rural-residential lots leave room for bigger jobs than a suburban yard, so Luke can bring the Kubota, the posi-track or both, plus the Fuso tipper.

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 Gaven

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

Land clearing

Regrowth, fallen timber and old stumps on a Gaven rural-residential lot can be cleared at the owner's request. Luke digs stumps out whole, and the grab stacks logs where you want them or loads them for the tip.

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

Trenching and drainage

On a bigger Gaven lot, power to a shed or a water line from a tank can mean a long trench. Luke digs and backfills the run, leaving the laying and connecting to a licensed electrician or plumber.

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

Excavator hire

One booking with Luke and the Kubota or posi-track can cover a list of jobs on a larger block, such as stumps, a trench and loading spoil. Luke always operates, as all hire is wet hire.

Ground and access in Gaven

The Queensland Government's Coombabah catchment story names Gaven among the suburbs that small tributaries of Coombabah Creek extend from. It describes the creek's upper reaches as fractured metamorphic rock holding fractured-rock aquifers, and says the steeper upper slopes push extra runoff into the creek system in heavy rain. A wide photo of the job area, plus any rock showing at the surface, helps Luke choose between the Kubota and the posi-track.

For a rural-residential lot, the questions are the entry gate, the track to the job and the ground the machines will cross. Photograph the gate with its width marked, any slope or soft patch on the way in, and overhead lines near the work. The Fuso has to tip on firm, level ground, so show where it could stand.

Before you dig in Gaven

Gaven 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 Gaven?

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 Gaven

My lot is part house yard, part bush. Which machine do you bring?

It depends on the access and the work. The ASV RT-60 posi-track is a compact track loader that suits tighter gates, carrying and spreading, while the 5.5 t class Kubota excavator digs trenches, pulls stumps and loads the Fuso. On a bigger lot Luke may bring both. Send photos of the gate, the ground and the job, and he'll say which suits.

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.