Tweed Coast earthworks, based in Murwillumbah

Excavation in Pottsville, Cabarita Beach and Hastings Point

Luke brings his excavator, posi-track and tipper from Murwillumbah to Pottsville, Cabarita Beach, Bogangar, Hastings Point and Mooball for trenching, gravel driveways, clearing, soil removal and deliveries.

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

Luke quotes the job and runs the machines himself
5.5 t Kubota excavator, ASV posi-track and Fuso tipper
Road base, gravel and soil carted in on his own tipper
Trenches dug and backfilled for plumbers and electricians

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

Earthmoving from Pottsville to Cabarita Beach

Dirt Werks is Luke, an owner-operator based in Murwillumbah in the Tweed Valley. On this stretch of the Tweed Coast he works across Pottsville, Hastings Point, Cabarita Beach and Bogangar, plus Mooball and the farms behind the coast. When you ring about a trench or a driveway you talk to Luke, and he's the one on the controls on the day.

North of Cabarita, Kingscliff and the Tweed Coast has its own page, and Burringbar and the valley back towards base are on the Murwillumbah and Tweed Valley page. Every area Luke covers is on the service areas page, and photos of his jobs are on the projects page.

Coastal villages and the farms behind them

Tweed Shire Council's locality plans for the three villages describe the ground. Pottsville's 2010 code lists floodplains feeding off a rolling topography, an undeveloped frontal dune flanked in the south by Mooball Creek, wetlands and substantial areas under cane. Hastings Point's 2015 code puts the village between the ocean and Christies and Cudgera Creeks. The Bogangar and Cabarita Beach plan describes large areas of protected wetlands, a foreshore of beach, dunes and Norries Headland, and Cudgen Lake.

On a village block, the 5.5 t Kubota digs service trenches close to the house, the ASV RT-60 posi-track levels and spreads, and the Fuso tipper carts about 7.5 t a load in or out. On farms towards Mooball, the excavator works on drains, culverts, stumps and dams, and the posi-track spreads gravel on driveways and tracks.

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

Jobs Luke takes on around Pottsville and Cabarita

Trenching for services

Plumbing, electrical and drainage trenches, dug and backfilled. Your licensed plumber or electrician lays and connects.

Gravel driveway repairs

Base prepped, gravel tipped through the tailgate and levelled with the posi-track, then watered and rolled. Sealing is done by others.

Clearing, dams and tracks

Trees and stumps removed at the owner's request, farm dams, creek crossings and access tracks.

Soil and rubbish removal

Carted on the tipper to lawful tips or approved sites, with dockets.

Road base, gravel and soil delivered

From the quarry on Luke's tipper, then tipped or spread with the posi-track.

Digger and operator hire

Excavator, posi-track or tipper with Luke operating, including auger holes for fence posts and rural structures.

Rural driveways, dams and tracks around Mooball

Behind the coast, the creeks come out of steep country. NSW SES says Mooball and Crabbes Creeks rise and fall quickly because of their steep upper catchments, and Council said the 2022 flood hit Mooball, Burringbar and Crabbes Creek harder than previous floods. Water is what wrecks a gravel drive, so the drainage gets fixed before new gravel goes down. The driveway regrading guide explains how.

Dams and creek crossings come with water rules. In coastal-draining catchments the NSW harvestable right is 10% of rainfall runoff, and a harvestable rights dam can't sit within 40 m of a third-order or larger stream. Work on waterfront land, the creek bed plus 40 m from the bank, may need a controlled activity approval. Have any approval in place before work starts.

Newly graded gravel access track winding through eucalypt forest, with freshly cleared verges on both sides

What to check before digging on the coast

Check	Why it matters here
Acid sulfate soils	Common along the Tweed Coast. Council requires written approval in most cases before they're disturbed, and its minor-works plan doesn't cover digs likely to disturb groundwater or need dewatering. Ring Council on 02 6670 2400 first.
Close to a creek, lake or wetland	Exempt earthworks must be at least 40 m from natural water, so lots near Cudgen Lake or Mooball and Cudgera Creeks may need approval.
Flood-prone land	The 2022 flood inundated houses and businesses at Bogangar and Pottsville. Filling land needs development consent in most cases, so check before any fill comes in. Council's interim flood planning levels set the minimum habitable floor levels for new development.
Driveway crossovers	Any work in the road reserve, including a driveway across the verge, needs Council's section 138 approval before it starts.

Rules as at October 2026; Council confirms what applies. See the council approval guide.

Trenches, drainage and rural work from Luke's jobs

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.

Large black corrugated drainage pipe laid in a freshly dug trench, with the spoil heaped alongside — Big-bore drainage pipe laid in the trench, ready to backfill.

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

Newly dug farm dam holding water beside a freshly formed dirt track, with forested hills behind — New farm dam with a pipe in the bank and a fresh access track around it.

Got a job in Pottsville, Cabarita or Mooball?

Text Luke your suburb with a photo of the spot and the access from the street, or use the quote form.

Call 0488 987 325 Send the job details

Pottsville and Cabarita questions

Can you deliver road base to Hastings Point?

Yes. Luke collects road base, gravel or soil from the quarry on his Fuso tipper, about 7.5 t a load, and tips on level, firm ground after checking for overhead lines. If it needs spreading, the posi-track levels it. Send the area and depth, or the tonnes, when you ask.

Do you do rural driveways around Mooball and Burringbar?

Yes. Luke preps the base and lays any culvert or drainage pipe the drive needs, then tips gravel through the tailgate and levels it with the posi-track. A hired water truck wets it and Luke's roller compacts it. Sealing is done by others. Any crossover in the road reserve needs section 138 approval from Tweed Shire Council, which publishes standard drawings for rural driveways.

Can you dig service trenches in sandy coastal ground?

Yes. Luke digs and backfills the trench, and your licensed plumber or electrician lays and connects the pipe or cable. He checks Before You Dig plans and potholes by hand near services first. Sandy trench walls can slump, so open trenches are barricaded and nobody goes in while the machine digs. For trenches deeper than 1.5 m, SafeWork NSW requires a Safe Work Method Statement and benched, battered or shored sides, unless a geotechnical engineer advises in writing that all sides are safe from collapse.

Can you remove trees on my block near Pottsville or Cabarita?

Yes, once any permit is in place. Luke removes trees and stumps at the owner's request. Under Tweed DCP 2025, trees within 5 m of an existing house on the same lot can usually come out without a permit, but not large trees (40 cm or more across), preferred koala food trees, hollow-bearing trees or threatened species. Council's 2011 habitat study found the remaining viable Tweed Coast koala population was restricted to a small area between Bogangar and Pottsville. Check with Council on 02 6670 2400 first.

Sources (checked October 2026)