Most clearing around the Gympie district is charged by the hour rather than by the acre, because no two blocks push the same. Our 21 tonne excavator runs from $210 per hour + GST, plus float hire to get the machine to site. The number that matters to your budget is how many hours the block will take — and that comes down to a handful of things you can usually see from the ute.
What makes a block quick or slow
- Tree size and density — thick, mature timber takes far longer than young regrowth.
- What happens to the timber: windrowed, stacked for firewood, or pushed into burn piles.
- Slope and ground conditions — steep or wet country slows everything down.
- Stumps: leaving them, or lifting them out whole for a clean finish.
- Stick raking afterwards, if you want ground you can seed or fence straight away.
- Access — a gate a float can get through saves real money.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Bundle jobs into one mobilisation — clearing, a pad cut and a fence line in the same visit means one float fee.
- Be clear about the finish you need; paddock-tidy is cheaper than build-ready.
- Book outside the pre-fire-season rush when you can.
- Mark out anything that must stay — trees, pipes, tanks, survey pegs.
Getting a real number
For anything sizeable we come out and walk the block first. A ten minute look on site is worth more than an hour of guessing over the phone, and it means the quote you get is the price you pay. Call 0421 768 899 or send through the block address and what you're after.