SERVICES & CAPABILITIES
High-output vegetation management, precision GPS earthmoving, and heavy infrastructure prep built for Gippsland conditions.
Our services
LAND RECLAIMING & VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
Paddock reclamation, invasive weed removal, deadwood clean-ups, and fence line clearing using heavy plant with hydraulic grabs and rippers.
- Paddock reclamation and fence line clearing
- Tea-tree, gorse, and dense woody weed removal
- Stump extraction and clean root raking
- Stick raking and organized debris stockpiling
FORESTRY & BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT
High-flow mechanical mulching and fire mitigation. Cutting fire tracks through thick bush so CFA fire appliances and emergency vehicles can access the property safely.
- High-flow hydraulic mulcher heads (up to 350mm dia)
- Fire track cutting for CFA appliance access
- CFA compliant 10/30 and 10/50 firebreak clearing
- Erosion-reducing protective mulch blanket left behind
CIVIL WORKS & BULK EARTHMOVING
Mass material shifting, precision subgrade leveling, and civil excavations using Tier-1 30-tonne excavators with 3D GPS laser grading.
- Heavy cut-to-fill site balance earthworks
- Trimble 3D GPS dual-plane laser grading
- Stormwater retention swales and culverts
- Rural subdivision access roads and easements
PROPERTY ACCESS ROADS & DRIVEWAYS
Engineered rural driveways, drain runs, and farm tracks designed to withstand heavy milk tankers, cattle trucks, and Victoria's wet winter conditions.
- Subgrade geotextile fabric installation
- Class 3 and Class 4 crushed rock road capping
- Cambered crowns and table drains for water shedding
- Drain runs and culvert pipes with reinforced headwalls
SITE PREPARATION & BUILDING PADS
Laser-leveled building pads and bench cuts for rural sheds, house builds, and agricultural infrastructure with certified compaction.
- Topsoil stripping and clean stockpile placement
- Engineered cut-and-fill pad excavation
- 14-Tonne smooth drum & padfoot vibratory compaction
- Retaining wall benching and foundation trenching
DAM CONSTRUCTION & REPAIRS
Keyline agricultural dams, gully storage, spillway engineering, and dam desilting to ensure long-term rural water security.
- Core trench excavation and clay pug compaction
- Engineered overflow spillways and rock beaching
- Heavy desilting of legacy farm dams
- Contour swales and natural catchment diversion
FIRE MANAGEMENT & FIRE PREVENTION
Reducing fuel before and during the fire season: strategic firebreaks along boundaries, fire tracks cut with the CAT D5R dozer for fire trucks, and fallen timber cleared with hydraulic grabs.
- Firebreaks along boundaries and fence lines
- Dozer tracks cut for CFA fire truck access
- Clearing fallen trees and logs with hydraulic grabs
- Pre-summer slashing, mulching and fuel reduction
FLOAT SERVICES & MACHINERY TRANSPORT
Heavy machinery float transport across Victoria. We float our own fleet to every job on low-loader trailers and transport contractor plant by arrangement.
- Low-loader transport for tracked and wheeled machinery
- Available across all of regional Victoria
- Reliable site-to-site machinery mobilization
- Booked independently or bundled with earthworks
ECOLOGICAL MULCHING
Environmentally sensitive mulching that shreds standing woody weeds and deadfall in-situ, leaving a protective organic blanket that suppresses weeds, retains moisture, and stops erosion.
- Zero-burn in-situ vegetation processing
- Protective organic mulch layer prevents hill erosion
- No off-site green waste haulage or burn permits
- Preserves native canopy while removing invasive scrub
HEAVY-DUTY RURAL SLASHING
High-output tractor and track-loader slashing for overgrown paddocks, rural verges, and fire access trails. Fast seasonal knock-down of heavy pasture and scrub.
- Pasture maintenance and fenceline clearing
- Pre-summer grass fuel reduction along boundaries
- Steep incline and rough ground capability
- Clean cutting around dams, sheds and tree lines
ROADSIDE CLEARING & DRAIN RUNS
Vegetation clearing along rural roads, private driveways, and road easements. Clearing encroaching scrub, overhanging branches, and table drain runs for vehicle safety.
- Road verge vegetation cutting and sightline clearance
- Drain run excavation and table drain de-vegetation
- Overhanging hazard branch removal for trucks
- Rural council and private access road compliance
POWER LINE CLEARING & ASSET PROTECTION
Vegetation clearance around overhead powerlines, creek buffers, and homestead perimeters to meet energy utility clearance codes and CFA Asset Protection Zone (APZ) standards.
- Overhead power line safety clearance corridors
- CFA Asset Protection Zone (APZ) around dwellings
- Riverbank, creek, and riparian buffer weed clearing
- Defensible space around sheds and infrastructure
BLACKBERRY & UNDERGROWTH CLEARING
Mechanical eradication of invasive Himalayan blackberry, gorse, and dense tangled scrub. Mulching heads shred thickets right to the crown to reclaim choked agricultural land.
- Total pulverisation of massive blackberry thickets
- Gorse, hawthorn, and woody weed eradication
- Ground-level crown mulching to inhibit regrowth
- Reclaims choked acreage back into productive pasture
GIPPSLAND CONTRACTING FAQS
Clear answers on regulations, equipment capabilities, council permits, and project pricing across regional Victoria.
Do I need a council permit for land clearing or forestry mulching in Victoria?
In Victoria, native vegetation removal is regulated under Clause 52.17 of local planning schemes. However, exemptions frequently apply for bushfire mitigation within 10 to 30 metres of existing dwellings (10/30 and 10/50 exemptions), maintenance of existing boundary fencelines, removal of declared environmental weeds (such as blackberry, gorse, and ragwort), and existing farm track upkeep.
We provide upfront site appraisals across Victoria to help property owners understand permit requirements before plant mobilization.
What is the difference between forestry mulching and bulldozer clearing?
Traditional bulldozer clearing rips out roots, leaves large burn piles, and severely strips topsoil, exposing steep Gippsland hills to severe erosion and weed infestation. In contrast, forestry mulching uses a high-flow drum mulcher that shreds standing timber, woody scrub, and stumps flush with ground level in a single pass.
The resulting organic mulch creates a protective blanket that holds topsoil in place, prevents soil erosion, retains moisture, and completely eliminates the cost and fire hazards of burning or timber cartage.
Can your machinery operate on steep slopes, gullies, and wet ground?
Yes. Our TL12R2 (with FAE mulcher) and TL12V2 (with slasher) are tracked loaders, and the CAT D5R is a crawler dozer. Tracks spread the weight, so they handle slopes, gully banks and wet ground where wheeled tractors cannot work safely. Every machine has a protective FOPS/ROPS cab.
How are earthmoving and land clearing projects quoted?
We provide transparent, fixed-scope project quotes as well as hourly and daily wet-hire rates with experienced, ticketed operators. For major rural, civil, and commercial projects, we conduct on-site inspections across Gippsland to assess slope, timber density, rock strata, and access before delivering a comprehensive scope with zero hidden fees.
What areas across Gippsland do you service?
We operate from depots in Skye, Traralgon and Drouin South and work across all of Victoria, including Baw Baw Shire, South Gippsland, the Latrobe Valley and East Gippsland. We are available 24/7, and we float our own machines to each job.
Are your operators insured and compliant with WorkSafe Victoria?
Absolutely. All machinery is fully compliant with current daily plant pre-starts, rollover protection (ROPS/FOPS), emergency isolators, and UHF communications. Our operators hold industry tickets and White Cards, meeting all commercial, council, and rural safety standards.
What are the requirements for bushfire access tracks and CFA firebreaks in Victoria?
Under Victorian CFA guidelines, emergency vehicle access tracks require a minimum cleared trafficable width of 4 metres and 4 metres of unobstructed vertical height clearance. For steep terrain or heavily timbered properties, we use our CAT D5R dozer and tracked mulchers to cut wide tracks, create passing bays every 200m, and clear fallen timber using hydraulic grabs, ensuring heavy CFA fire appliances can enter and turn around safely.
What is ecological mulching and how does it protect Gippsland topsoil?
Ecological mulching is a low-impact vegetation management method that shreds standing scrub, tea-tree, and deadfall in-situ without disturbing the underlying topsoil or root systems of mature canopy trees. The shredded wood creates a protective, organic mulch carpet that retains soil moisture, prevents erosion on steep Gippsland hills, and suppresses future weed germination without the need for burning or chemical treatments.
How do you permanently eradicate dense blackberry and gorse infestations?
We use high-flow drum mulchers on tracked loaders and excavators to pulverise dense blackberry canes, gorse, and woody weed thickets down to ground level. By grinding into the root crown, the mulcher severely shocks the plant and leaves a thick woodchip barrier that starves emerging shoots of light. This prepares the ground for follow-up spot-spraying or direct pasture sowing.
Do you provide vegetation clearance for overhead power lines and Asset Protection Zones (APZ)?
Yes. We clear vegetation around private overhead power lines, transformer poles, boundary fences, and dwellings in compliance with Energy Safe Victoria guidelines and CFA Asset Protection Zone (APZ) standards. Our machinery removes hazardous overhang and ladder fuels to eliminate electrical arc-flash fire risks.
Do you offer machinery float transport across regional Victoria?
Yes. We operate our own heavy low-loader float truck and drop-deck trailers from our depots in Skye, Traralgon, and Drouin South. In addition to mobilizing our own plant fleet to every project, we offer commercial machinery float services for third-party contractors and farmers moving excavators, dozers, and agricultural equipment statewide.