Earthworks is the groundwork almost every outdoor build sits on. Before a slab is poured, a pool goes in, a shed pad is laid or a retaining wall is footed, someone has to cut, level, trench or clear the ground first. Earthworks and excavation contractors in SE QLD run the machines that do it: excavators, skid steers (bobcats), tippers and augers, usually with the operator, so you are hiring the plant and the person together.
The common residential and trade jobs are site cuts for slabs and sheds, trenching for plumbing, drainage and conduit, post holes and footings by auger, cut and fill to level a sloping block, driveway and pad preparation, and property clearing after storms or before a build. Tight-access work is a category of its own: a 1.7 tonne mini excavator fits through a gate around one metre wide, which is what lets machines work in established backyards without dropping a fence.
Pricing in SE QLD is usually wet hire (machine plus operator) by the hour or day. A 1.7 to 5 tonne excavator runs $110 to $180 an hour, with half-day and full-day rates that work out cheaper. A skid steer is similar. A full site cut for a standard slab runs $1,500 to $6,000 depending on size, slope and how much spoil leaves the site. The single biggest cost driver people miss is spoil removal: trucking dirt away and tip fees can rival the digging itself, so ask whether the quote includes cartage. Rock, poor access and unmarked services also push the price up.
Excavation is not a licensed trade in QLD the way plumbing is, though operators need the right tickets for the machine and the site. ABN-verified listings with public liability cover and reviews are the practical trust signal here. About 1 earthworks and excavation contractors serve SE QLD on HelpSorted.
