Gordonvale
Tree removal in Gordonvale
Tree removal and pruning in Gordonvale, on the Mulgrave floodplain south of Cairns.
Tree work in Gordonvale
A floodplain town with old trees
The Bureau of Meteorology says Gordonvale is the only urban area threatened by flooding in the Mulgrave, and its records show the largest flood occurred in early 1967. Trees on low blocks here can stand in wet ground for days.
The town has some of the oldest planted trees in the district. A Cairns Post extract from May 1937 records that 10 trees were planted at the front of the hospital, including a fig, to mark the coronation of King George VI.
In late 2024 council confirmed that fig was a tree of significance to be kept, pruned and managed.
Services in Gordonvale
Big roots and floodplain ground
Tree pruning
Large crowns reduced and managed the way Gordonvale's hospital fig is, so a big tree can stay.
Stump grinding
Stumps and surface roots ground out on soft floodplain soil.
Tree removal
Taken down in sections where the house, the shed and the fence leave no room to drop it.
How it works
From the first message to a written quote
The council question is settled before any price, and nothing is booked until you have said yes to a quote in writing.
- 1
Tell us what the tree is doing
Where it stands, what it hangs over and what you would like done about it.
- 2
A contractor comes to see it
A tree contractor who covers your suburb looks at the tree, the access and what is underneath it.
- 3
The council question is answered
Whether it is pruning council lets you do, or a removal that needs approval, is settled before the price.
- 4
You get it in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date on one page, and nothing is booked until you have said yes.
Gordonvale questions
Floods and the highway
Can a flood stop a job in Gordonvale?
It can. The Bureau notes Mulgrave flooding can cut the Bruce Highway and the main rail link to the south at Gordonvale, so a booked job may move after heavy rain.
Do fig roots under a path mean the tree has to go?
Not always. Council chose to keep the Gordonvale hospital fig and install root barrier where roots have already grown underneath the footpaths. Root barrier is worth asking about before a big tree comes out.
Does a tree that stood in floodwater need checking?
It is worth it. Saturated ground loosens a root plate, and a lean that appears after a flood is easier to deal with early.
