Gooseberry Hill paving, about 24 km from Landsdale
Gooseberry Hill is about 24 km from our base in Landsdale in a straight line, at the top of the scarp above Maida Vale. IBP Paving takes on work here by arrangement, and the first step is for you to send the job details: the address, the size of the area and photos that show the slope and the access for machines. We then tell you whether it is a job we can do and when. Up here that usually means steep driveways, retaining and terraces, stone and clay paving and drainage that copes with fast runoff, with over 20 years in the trade and a lifetime workmanship warranty behind it.
Lateritic duricrust on the plateau edge
The suburb sits on the western edge of the Darling Plateau, and the City of Kalamunda cites the Ledger Road Reserve as an example of the lateritic duricrust that caps the ground here. Duricrust is a hard, cemented ironstone layer. Once you reach it, it is a firm foundation, but it is slow to excavate, may need a rock breaker, and lets very little water through. Below it, the scarp face drops steeply toward Helena Valley.
That shapes how we build. Driveway bases are cut and shaped into the duricrust rather than dug deep, fill on the low side is compacted in thin layers and held by retaining walls, and every paved surface is given a fall to a collection point so water does not run across it in sheets. Groundwater on the plateau is limited, and at roughly 29 km from the coast there is no salt to consider.
Detention, not retention, on most hills lots
The City of Kalamunda's stormwater guidelines draw a line between the sandy foothill areas and the hills. Where the soil is unsuitable for retention, as on the hills, the City applies on site detention with a restricted discharge instead. That means holding water briefly and releasing it slowly, rather than relying on soakwells to absorb all of it.
Where a soakwell is used, its base must have an infiltration rate of 1.0 to 5 metres per day and sit 500 mm above the maximum groundwater level. A crossover needs an approved Crossover Application before any work, with the site plan showing at least 3 m from any existing tree to the crossover. Its sealed surface can be asphalt, concrete, new or cleaned recycled bricks or block paving, or two coat chip seal, and a brick crossover needs a concrete beam between the road seal and the paving. On the verge, paving, gravel and synthetic turf may cover no more than half the area, with no loose pea gravel, and LPP 33 keeps a crossover 1.5 m from a verge street tree, with digging near the tree limited to 150 mm below natural ground.
Source: City of Kalamunda, Stormwater Design Guidelines for Infill Small Subdivision and Property Development (Ver 3.2); Crossover Guideline (Ver 3.2); Verge Landscaping Conditions for Residential Property (v1.0); Local Planning Policy 33 Tree Retention.
We design the drainage under the paving to suit the approach the lot needs. For a comparison across councils see Perth soakwell requirements.
Large lots and steep driveways
Gooseberry Hill was gazetted in 1959 and its lots are large, many of them set into the slope. The job we expect most often is a driveway that is steep, long, or both: one that needs a grippy surface, edge restraint that will not creep downhill, and somewhere for the water to go at the bottom. Terracing comes next, cutting level outdoor space out of the hillside with walls and steps. Our retaining wall cost guide covers what drives that price, and natural stone suits terraces and paths where looks and grip both matter.
A national park in the suburb
Gooseberry Hill National Park lies within the suburb and carries the formation of the old Kalamunda Zig Zag railway. The suburb itself was named in 1878 for the cape gooseberries that grew here. With scarp bushland and a national park this close, much of the suburb is likely to be bushfire prone, so check your address on the DFES map. Near the house we lay non combustible surfaces, such as clay pavers, concrete pavers and stone, and avoid mulch or timber edging against walls.
Close to Gooseberry Hill
Maida Vale sits below to the west, Helena Valley to the north and Forrestfield along the foothills to the south west, with Kalamunda and Lesmurdie further up the plateau. See areas we service for every suburb we cover.
