We'll Move Mountains For Your Property.
Retaining walls engineered to AS4678. Excavation on blocks other contractors refuse to quote. Drainage designed for 1,400 mm of annual rainfall. CFA compliant access tracks. All from one operator who lives in the hills and works them every day.
Retaining Walls. Rock Solid.
A failing retaining wall moves. Slowly at first, then all at once. Soil pushes through, drainage backs up, and what started as a hairline crack becomes a full rebuild. In the Ranges, wet clay and steep terrain accelerate everything.
We build to AS4678 (the Australian Standard for earth retaining structures). Galvanised steel H-beam posts at maximum 2.4 m centres, sunk to a minimum of one-third wall height plus 100 mm gravel drainage bed. Every wall gets 100 mm slotted ag pipe in geotextile sock behind the base, 20 mm scoria backfill, and weep holes at 1.2 m spacings. The drainage does as much work as the wall itself.
Walls over 1 metre need a building permit under Victorian Building Regulations. Taller walls or walls near boundaries need engineering certification. We coordinate the engineer, lodge the paperwork, and build to the approved drawings. You get one point of contact from quote to sign-off.
Wall Types We Build
Rock / Boulder
Natural stone placed by excavator. Strongest option for bushland blocks. Blends with the landscape. Unlimited lifespan when built on proper footings.
Concrete Sleeper
40 to 60 MPa reinforced panels in galvanised steel posts. Walls up to 4.5 m with engineering. 60+ year design life. The workhorse for serious height.
Timber Sleeper
Cost effective for walls under 1 m. Treated pine rots in 10 to 15 years in wet, shaded Ranges soil. We recommend hardwood or concrete if longevity matters.
Gabion
Welded mesh cages filled with local rock. Free-draining by design, so hydrostatic pressure never builds. Modern industrial look that weathers naturally.
Height doubles, cost triples. A 2 m wall costs roughly three times what a 1 m wall costs, because post depth, engineering, and soil pressure all increase exponentially. We quote honestly so there are no surprises. If a shorter wall with proper drainage solves the problem, we'll tell you.
Excavation & Site Prep.
Compact machines (1.7t to 5t excavators) that fit where bigger rigs can't. Hydraulic rock breaker for the basalt that sits under every second block in the Ranges. If you've been quoted “impossible,” call us second.
Site Cuts & Bench Cuts
Cutting into hillsides to create level building platforms. Houses, sheds, decks, extensions, granny flats, car parks. Laser levelled to plan on every cut. We handle the steep gradients, underground rock, and restricted access that come standard on Ranges blocks.
Cut & Fill
Redistributing soil on site instead of carting it away. Cut the high side, fill the low side, compact in 75 to 100 mm lifts. Reduces tip fees and truck movements on narrow hill driveways. Every fill layer gets a pass with the roller.
Land Clearing
Vegetation removal, stump grinding, topsoil stripping. Most Ranges properties sit within Vegetation Protection, Environmental Significance, or Bushfire Management overlays. We work within council requirements. No shortcuts with compliance, no nasty letters from the shire.
Trenching & Services
Footings, water mains, gas, electrical conduit, stormwater pipes, septic systems. Clean trenches at the right depth and fall. We locate existing services with a cable locator before we dig, because hitting a gas main on a hill is not a learning experience you want.
Rock Breaking
Basalt and granite sit under the clay across Melbourne's east. You hit rock at 300 mm on some blocks, 2 metres on others. Hydraulic rock breaker on the excavator handles what picks and mattocks can't. No blasting required, no vibration damage to neighbouring structures.
Pool, Shed & Arena Pads
Level pads for in-ground pools, horse arenas, tennis courts, and sports surfaces on sloping sites. Proper subgrade preparation, compaction testing, and drainage so your slab or surface sits on solid ground for decades. We also prep shed and garage pads with service trenches ready for the concretor.
Drainage. Half The Job.
The Dandenong Ranges get 1,000 to 1,400 mm of rain a year, roughly double inner Melbourne. Water is the number one reason retaining walls fail, driveways erode, and foundations move. Without proper drainage, every job we do is temporary.
We use 100 mm slotted ag pipe in geotextile sock for all subsurface drainage in clay. Unsocked pipe clogs within a few years up here. Trenches are cut to a minimum 1-in-400 fall (0.25%), bedded in 12 to 20 mm scoria for rapid infiltration, and backfilled with gravel to within 100 mm of the surface. 100 mm laterals feed into 160 mm collector drains on larger sites.
Surface drainage is just as important. We crown driveways at 1 to 2% cross-fall so water runs to the edges, not down the middle. Spoon drains and culverts intercept runoff before it reaches structures. Every retaining wall gets ag pipe behind the base with weep holes at regular spacings.
Hills Specialist.
Living and working in the Ranges means dealing with problems flat-land contractors never see. Clay that turns to slush in winter. Basalt shelves 300 mm under the surface. Single-width entries with overhanging trees. These are the jobs we handle that others won't quote.
Bushfire Compliance & CFA Defendable Space
Most properties in Cockatoo, Gembrook, Upper Beaconsfield, and the surrounding hills sit within the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO). CFA requirements for defendable space, access tracks, and water supply are conditions on your planning permit. They are not optional and they are not suggestions.
We clear and grade defendable space zones (10 m, 30 m, or 50 m depending on risk level). We build CFA compliant access tracks: minimum 3.5 m trafficable width, all-weather surface rated to 15 tonnes (to support a CFA tanker), with 8 m radius turning circles and 20 m passing bays every 200 m on longer driveways.
We also prepare level tank pads and grade access so your CFA water supply (minimum 10,000 litres, above-ground concrete or metal tank) sits within the required 4 m tanker access distance.
Built to pass CFA inspection the first time.
Dam Construction & Repair
New farm dams, ornamental ponds, and desilting existing dams that have lost capacity over the years. Semi-rural blocks around the outer Ranges often have ageing dams that hold less water every season.
We handle excavation, clay compaction for waterproofing, spillway construction, and access track work to get machines in and out. Under the Water Act 1989, dams on blocks under 8 hectares in Rural Living, Low Density Residential, or Green Wedge zones need registration with Southern Rural Water. Larger or higher-risk dams need a construction licence and engineering supervision. We check your requirements before we quote so you don't get caught out.
Every dam job starts with a regulatory check.
Tight Access & Steep Block Work
Single-width driveways. Overhanging trees. 1-in-5 gradients. Entries so narrow you fold the mirrors in. That's most of the Ranges. We run compact machines (1.7t to 5t excavators, under 1 m track width) that fit where bigger rigs physically cannot.
We know which angles work, which slopes need benching, where to stockpile spoil so it doesn't end up in the neighbour's yard, and how to get a machine down a driveway without taking out the retaining wall on the way in. Power lines, underground services, tree roots, rock shelves. We assess all of it before we start.
Two other contractors said no? We're the third call you should make.
Landslip Remediation
Melbourne's east has well-documented slip-prone areas. Heavy clay, steep terrain, and 1,400 mm of annual rainfall are the recipe. If ground is moving on your block, it needs retaining walls, subsurface drainage, and regrading before it takes out structures or crosses a property boundary.
We stabilise ground movement with engineered retaining solutions (rock, concrete sleeper, or gabion depending on site conditions), subsurface ag pipe networks to relieve water pressure, and surface regrading to redirect runoff away from the slip zone. Early intervention stops a small slip becoming a $50,000 rebuild.
Act early. Ground movement only gets worse.
For Builders & Trade.
We work alongside builders, landscapers, and property developers across eastern Victoria. One operator, reliable scheduling, no subbies of subbies. You call Paul, Paul shows up. Same bloke, same machine, same standard every time.
Site Prep for Builders
Level pads, service trenches, temporary access tracks, spoil removal. Turn-key site ready for your build team. We work to your engineer's drawings and hit the levels first time.
Subdivision & Civil
Road construction, drainage infrastructure, lot preparation, crossover construction to council spec. We handle the dirt, you handle the build.
Emergency & Storm Work
Landslip stabilisation, fallen tree access clearing, storm damage, washout repair. Available at short notice when winter hits and properties need urgent access restored.
Ongoing Partnerships
Regular builders get priority scheduling and consistent pricing. One phone call, one bloke, no quoting delays. We're already on half a dozen builders' speed dial across the Ranges.
Between A Rock And A Great Place.
Got a project in mind? Call or fill in the form and we'll come out for a free on-site quote. No obligation, no pressure, no subbies.