Rural driveways and tracks, Tweed to Lennox Head
Gravel driveway repairs, re-sheets and regrading
Luke fixes potholes, washouts and worn gravel on rural driveways and farm tracks with his own posi-track, excavator and tipper, and preps the base when a drive is going to be sealed.
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
- ASV RT-60 posi-track shapes and levels the gravel
- Road base and gravel carted in on his own tipper
- 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
Why gravel driveways break up
Most gravel driveways fail because of water. Rain that sits in a flat spot softens the base, and the next car makes a pothole. Water running straight down the drive strips out the fines, cuts scours along the wheel tracks and carries your gravel into the table drain.
So Luke fixes the shape before he adds gravel. A drive needs a crown or crossfall to shed water, and somewhere for that water to go. New gravel on a drive that still holds water doesn't last. The guide to regrading a gravel driveway has more detail.
Driveway work Luke takes on
Rural driveways, farm roads and bush tracks, plus smaller repairs on gravel house driveways, anywhere from Tweed Heads and the Tweed Valley down to Lennox Head and Ballina.
- Potholes, ruts and corrugations dug out, reshaped and compacted
- Washouts after heavy rain, refilled and fixed at the cause
- Gravel re-sheets over drives worn down to dirt or rock
- Regrading to a crown or crossfall that sheds water
- Drainage: table drains, plus culverts or large drainage pipe on rural drives
- Base preparation before bitumen or asphalt, ready for the sealing contractor
- Road base, gravel and soil carted from the quarry on Luke's own tipper
What Luke doesn't do
Sealing and asphalt are done by a sealing contractor; Luke prepares the base. Pipe connections into a house or council stormwater system are done by a licensed plumber.
How Luke repairs and re-sheets a gravel driveway
Photos and a look
Send photos of the worst sections, the run from the road and the entry. Luke quotes from those or a quick site look.
Prep the surface
Potholes and soft spots are dug out, the surface is reshaped, and drains or culverts are sorted first.
Gravel through the tailgate
Road base or gravel comes from the quarry on the Fuso tipper, about 7.5 t a load. Before the tray goes up, Luke checks for overhead lines and tips only on level, firm ground.
Spread and level
The ASV RT-60 posi-track spreads the gravel and shapes the crown or crossfall across the full width.
Water it
Road base only binds with the right moisture, so a water truck is hired in to wet it down.
Roll it
A roller compacts it into a firm, tight surface: the finished drive, or the base a sealing contractor works on.
Drainage: crossfall, table drains and culverts
A regrade lasts as long as its drainage. A table drain along the low edge of the drive carries water away from the gravel, and where a gully crosses the drive, a culvert underneath lets the water through instead of over the top.
The Kubota U55-4 excavator digs the table drains and culvert trenches, and on rural jobs Luke lays the culvert or drainage pipe himself and backfills over it. Before digging near buried services, he checks the Before You Dig plans and exposes the services by hand first.
Long rural driveways and steep hinterland tracks
A long farm driveway is as much carting as grading. A re-sheet can take several quarry runs on the Fuso Fighter tipper, with the posi-track spreading each load before the next run. Luke runs all three machines himself, so one booking covers the carting, drainage and grading.
Water runs fastest down steep hinterland drives, which is why they wash out. On 6 April 2022, Tweed Shire Council reported crews restoring access to 62 isolated communities, many cut off by landslips and washed-away roads and bridges. On a steep drive, getting water off the surface at regular points matters more than gravel depth.
Driveways and tracks from Luke's jobs
What changes the price of a driveway job
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Length and width | More area means more gravel, spreading and rolling. |
| State of the base | A sound base may only need reshaping; a soft or washed-out one is dug out first. |
| Material and water | The tonnes of gravel or road base, the run from the quarry for each tipper load, and the hired water truck. |
| Drainage | Culverts and table drains add digging, pipe and backfill. |
| Access and slope | Steep or narrow drives, gates and overhead lines slow the carting and spreading. |
| Work near the road | Crossover work waits on section 138 approval, and its conditions can add to the job. |
Crossovers and council approval (section 138)
The crossover, the part of a driveway between your boundary and the road, sits in the road reserve. Under section 138 of the Roads Act 1993, building, repairing or changing a driveway crossing needs consent from the roads authority, usually the council. That approval is separate from any DA or CDC, and the owner arranges it.
Tweed Shire Council says all driveways within the road reserve need section 138 approval before work starts, and the application needs a site plan, longitudinal section, steep slopes plan, work safety plan and the owner's consent. Byron Shire Council requires a permit before any driveway work in the road reserve: a section 138 approval through the NSW Planning Portal, plus a DA if the driveway isn't exempt development. Driveways built in the road reserve without approval may have to be removed if the council deems them a safety or public liability risk. Luke works to the approved plan and its conditions. Rules as at October 2026; your council confirms what applies. See the guide to council approval to excavate.
Got a driveway that needs fixing?
Text Luke photos of the worst section, the whole run from the road and the entry, with a rough length of the drive. Or call 0488 987 325.
Driveway repair questions
Can you fix my driveway without new gravel?
Sometimes. If enough good material is left on the drive, Luke can dig out the potholes, reshape the crown or crossfall, then have it watered and rolled. If the gravel has washed into the drains or the drive is down to dirt or rock, it needs a re-sheet. A close-up photo of the surface helps show which.
How much gravel will I need?
Length times width times the depth of the new layer gives the cubic metres, and the quarry converts that to tonnes for the material you choose. Luke works it out when he quotes. The tipper carries about 7.5 t a load, so the tonnage tells you how many loads to expect.
Do you seal driveways?
No. Bitumen and asphalt are done by a sealing contractor. Luke prepares the base: shaped, drained, topped with road base from his tipper, then watered and rolled so the sealer has a firm, even surface. Tell Luke who your sealer is so the two jobs line up.
How long will a regraded driveway last?
It depends more on water than on gravel. A drive with a good crossfall, clear table drains and culverts where gullies cross it holds its shape far longer than one that was only topped up. Traffic, slope and heavy rain also play a part.
Who looks after the driveway between my boundary and the road?
The property owner. Tweed Council's driveway guide makes providing and maintaining vehicle access the benefitting owner's responsibility, and Byron Council says the driveway from the boundary to the kerb and gutter is the owner's. Repairing or changing that crossover needs section 138 consent first, which the owner arranges.
Service areas
Based in Murwillumbah, working the Gold Coast to Lennox Head
Gold Coast
Coolangatta, Currumbin, Palm Beach, Burleigh Heads, Robina, Mudgeeraba, Nerang, Southport, Helensvale, Coomera, Ormeau
Murwillumbah & Tweed Valley
Murwillumbah, South Murwillumbah, Bray Park, Uki, Tyalgum, Chillingham, Stokers Siding, Burringbar
Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads, Tweed Heads South, Banora Point, Terranora, Bilambil, Chinderah
Kingscliff & Tweed Coast
Kingscliff, Cudgen, Casuarina, Salt, Kings Forest
Pottsville & Cabarita
Pottsville, Cabarita Beach, Bogangar, Hastings Point, Mooball
Byron Bay & Brunswick Heads
Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores, Mullumbimby, Suffolk Park, Bangalow
Lennox Head & Ballina
Lennox Head, Skennars Head, Ballina
Not on the list? Call Luke on 0488 987 325 and ask.
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