Between two towns, and quite different from both
The Shire of Capel runs along the coast between Bunbury and Busselton, and it takes in Capel townsite, the coastal estate at Dalyellup, semi-rural Gelorup and Stratham, Peppermint Grove Beach, and inland farming country around Boyanup and Elgin. That is four distinct kinds of tree job in one local government.
Tuart country
This stretch of the Swan Coastal Plain is tuart country — Eucalyptus gomphocephala — and the remnant woodland through the shire is some of the better-preserved on the plain. Tuart is a large, long-lived, heavy-limbed eucalypt. On a big block it is an asset. Within a few metres of a house it is a genuine hazard, because limb failure in a mature tuart is not a small event.
Peppermint fills in underneath on the coastal side, marri appears as you move inland, and the farmland around Boyanup has the usual mix of windbreak rows, planted sugar gum and remnant paddock trees that have been standing alone in the open for a century.
Four kinds of work
Dalyellup is new housing on sand. Small blocks, young trees, mostly pruning for clearance from roofs and solar, and removals where a fast species went in too close to the slab. Grinding in that sand is quick and cheap.
Gelorup and Stratham are semi-rural lots in remnant bush, and this is where most of the shire's firebreak and hazard reduction work happens. Heavy fuel loads, a real ladder-fuel problem under peppermint and tuart, and an annual compliance date. These blocks should be booking in late winter.
Capel and Boyanup townsites are ordinary residential work — over-mature planted trees, stumps left by previous owners, storm damage.
Farmland is clearing, fence lines, and dealing with old paddock trees that have started shedding limbs over stock and machinery.
Sand, mineral sands and access
The coastal strip is deep sand, which grinds easily and carries a machine well in summer. Inland toward Boyanup the soil picks up gravel and clay and holds water through winter, which limits machine access in the wet months.
Semi-rural driveways through Gelorup are often long, sandy and under canopy — worth mentioning when you call, because a loaded tipper on soft sand under low branches is a planning problem, not a surprise to discover on the day.
Getting it priced
Rural and semi-rural jobs need a site visit; suburban Dalyellup and Capel townsite work can usually be scoped on the phone. Ring (08) 9785 0207 or send the details through. The cost guide explains what moves a quote, and removal and stump grinding cover the two most common jobs. Nearby: Bunbury, Eaton and Busselton.
Frequently asked questions
Are tuart trees protected in the Shire of Capel?
Tuart woodland is significant remnant vegetation on the Swan Coastal Plain and much of it sits in reserves or on lots with retention conditions from subdivision. A tuart on a private block with no condition attached is generally yours to manage, but clearing native vegetation still requires a permit unless an exemption applies. Ask the shire before you book.
Do Gelorup and Stratham blocks need firebreaks?
Most do. The Shire of Capel issues an annual firebreak and fuel-load notice, and the semi-rural lots through Gelorup, Stratham and the Capel River corridor are squarely within it. Requirements scale with lot size. Read the notice the shire sends rather than assuming last year's requirements still apply.
What is the tree situation in Dalyellup?
Dalyellup is a relatively new coastal estate on sand, so the private trees are mostly under twenty years old and the work is clearance pruning, formative shaping and the occasional removal of something planted too close to a slab. The retained tuart stands and street trees through the estate are managed by the shire, not by residents.