Lennox Head, Skennars Head and Ballina

Earthworks and excavation in Lennox Head and Ballina

Luke brings his excavator, posi-track and tipper down from Murwillumbah for gravel driveway repairs, trenching, clearing and soil removal around Lennox Head and Ballina.

Call Luke 0488 987 325 Text Luke a photo

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Google 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews
Liability and equipment insurance held
ABN 58 346 068 875

Owner-operator: Luke quotes and runs the machines
Kubota 5.5 t excavator, ASV posi-track, Fuso tipper
Before You Dig plans checked, services potholed by hand
Southern end of Luke's area: ask about travel

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

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

Earthworks in Lennox Head, Skennars Head and Ballina

Dirt Werks is Luke, an owner-operator based in Murwillumbah. Lennox Head, Skennars Head and Ballina, all in Ballina Shire, are the southern end of his area, past Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads. Luke quotes each job and runs the machines himself: a Kubota U55-4 excavator (5.5 t class), an ASV RT-60 posi-track and a Fuso Fighter tipper that carries about 7.5 t.

It's a longer drive than his Tweed jobs, so put the detail in your first message. Say what has to come in, such as gravel or road base, and what has to go out, such as spoil or rubbish. Mention it if the block is low-lying, because acid sulfate soil and fill rules in Ballina Shire can change what needs consent and where spoil can go. Luke will tell you straight whether he can take it on.

Earthworks jobs Luke takes on around Lennox Head

Gravel driveway repairs

Potholes, washouts and worn gravel fixed: gravel or road base tipped in, levelled with the posi-track, watered and rolled. If you want it sealed, Luke preps the base and the sealing is done by others.

Trenching and drainage

Luke digs and backfills, and your licensed plumber or electrician lays and connects. On rural jobs he lays culvert and drainage pipe himself, including farm ag drains.

Soil removal and deliveries

Spoil and rubbish out to a lawful tip or approved site, with a docket. Gravel, road base and soil in from the quarry.

Clearing and rural earthworks

Trees and stumps removed at the owner's request, plus dams, creek crossings and access tracks on rural land.

Excavator and posi-track hire

Wet hire: the machine comes with Luke on the controls, for digging, levelling or loading.

Dune lake, floodplain and acid sulfate soil

Ballina Shire Council describes Lake Ainsworth, at Lennox Head, as a coastal dune lake. Further south, NSW SES says Ballina's river flooding comes from the Richmond River and is affected by Maguires, Emigrant and North Creeks, and that high tides and ocean storm surges can flood West Ballina and Ballina Island. The February/March 2022 flood peaked at 3.06 m on the Burns Point gauge, with extensive flooding across Ballina Island, North Ballina, West Ballina and parts of South Ballina.

For digging, the issue to check first is acid sulfate soil. Ballina Shire Council says it lies in layers on the floodplain at various depths, and asks anyone planning excavation, or works that could lower the water table, on or next to the floodplain (below 10 m AHD) to check its risk maps first. The table below shows when consent is needed, and the council approval guide covers approvals across the Tweed, Byron and Ballina shires.

Ballina Shire rules to check before work starts

Work	What the rule says	Who sorts it
Digging on acid sulfate soil land	Clause 7.1 of Ballina LEP 2012 needs consent for set works on land mapped Class 1 to 5. Class 1: any works. Class 2: any work below the ground surface. Class 3 and 4: work more than 1 m or 2 m below natural ground. Works likely to lower the water table count too, and on Class 5 land that means works within 500 m of Class 1 to 4 land.	The owner
Bringing in fill	Development consent in most cases, including before Council's own surplus fill is delivered.	The owner
Earthworks on flood-liable land	Applications for earthworks or filling need a survey plan with levels to AHD (Ballina DCP Chapter 2b). New development in undeveloped parts of Pacific Pines Estate, Lennox Head, uses 2100 climate-change flood planning levels.	The owner and their surveyor
Building, repairing or changing a driveway crossing	Section 138 consent from the roads authority, usually Council. It is separate from any DA or CDC.	The owner
Removing trees	A Private Tree Permit, lodged through the NSW Planning Portal and issued before work starts. On RU1 and RU2 rural land, clearing may need approval under the Local Land Services Act 2013 instead.	The owner
Sediment and runoff	Council warns that letting soil or sediment pollute waterways is an offence, with penalties that can exceed $8,000. Controls should be checked daily and before and after rain.	Luke: silt fences where runoff could reach drains or creeks

Rules as at October 2026, from the sources below. Ballina Shire Council confirms what applies to your lot.

Spoil, fill and fire ants in Ballina Shire

Every load Luke carts goes to a lawful tip or approved site, with a docket. Under the Ballina Resource Recovery Centre's 2026/27 fees, soil loads over 5 tonnes need pre-approval, and a full Fuso load is about 7.5 t. Reusing spoil on site, where your approvals allow, means fewer loads to cart and tip.

Floodplain soil isn't automatically clean fill. NSW EPA guidance says excavated soil can't be classed as virgin excavated natural material (VENM) if the Acid Sulfate Soil Risk Maps show any probability of acid sulfate soils at the site, unless testing under the Acid Sulfate Soils Assessment Guidelines finds no detectable reduced inorganic sulfur. That limits where floodplain spoil can go, so tell Luke your lot's acid sulfate soil class if you know it.

Under the Biosecurity (Fire Ant) Emergency Order (No. 10) 2026, as set out in NSW DPIRD's guide of 1 September 2026, fire ant movement control areas cover 5 km around the infestations at Murwillumbah and at Wardell in Ballina Shire. Soil, mulch, tipper trucks and earth-moving equipment moved out of one must be treated or cleaned first, so check the current NSW DPIRD map before soil or fill moves.

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

Gravel, trenches and stumps from Luke's jobs

Newly graded gravel access track winding through eucalypt forest, with freshly cleared verges on both sides — New gravel access track, graded and edged through the bush.

Orange Kubota excavator at the end of a deep, clean-walled trench in red soil, with drainage pipe ready beside it — Clean, straight trench dug for drainage pipe.

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

Large tree stump and root ball dug out by a Kubota excavator on a rural property — Stump out, root ball and all.

Got a job in Lennox Head, Skennars Head or Ballina?

Text Luke the suburb, what needs doing and three photos: the job, the access and the exact spot. Ask about travel at the same time.

Call 0488 987 325 Send the job details

Lennox Head and Ballina earthworks questions

Is Lennox Head too far for you?

No. Lennox Head, Skennars Head and Ballina are part of Luke's service area, though they're the furthest part of it from his Murwillumbah base. Whichever machines the job needs come down from there, so ask about travel when you first get in touch. Text the suburb and the job to 0488 987 325, and Luke will tell you whether and when he can fit it in.

Do I need a permit before you remove trees in Ballina Shire?

Check first. Ballina Shire Council's Private Tree Permit guide applies to removing vegetation on land under Ballina LEP 2012, except land zoned RU1 Primary Production or RU2 Rural Landscape, where clearing may need approval under the Local Land Services Act 2013. Permits are lodged through the NSW Planning Portal, and work can't start until Council issues one. Once approvals are in place, Luke removes the trees and stumps you want gone.

Can you regrade a long gravel driveway in a day?

It depends on the length, the state of the base and how much gravel goes on. Each tipper load from the quarry is about 7.5 t, and every stretch has to be spread, watered and compacted, so a long run with a soft base takes longer than a top-up. Send photos of the whole run and the worst sections, and Luke can tell you how long it should take. The guide to regrading a gravel driveway has more detail.

Can you dig a service trench on low ground in Ballina?

Yes, once any consent is in place. On low ground, check your lot's acid sulfate soil class first: on Class 2 land, even a shallow trench is work below the ground surface and needs consent. Before digging, Luke checks the Before You Dig plans and potholes by hand to find the services. He digs and backfills the trench, and your licensed plumber or electrician lays the pipe or cable and makes the connections.

Sources (checked October 2026)