Paving work in Gwelup, about 9 km from Landsdale
Gwelup lies about 9 km south west of IBP Paving's base in Landsdale, measured in a straight line. It is a suburb of two ages, a 1967 corner and a much larger spread of late 1990s estates, and a lake that has shaped how the ground behaves. We relay and replace driveways, lay alfresco and pool side areas, and install soakwells and drains that suit the lot, whether it sits on dry sand or near the old wetland. Each job carries a lifetime workmanship warranty and over 20 years of trade experience.
Lake Gwelup, the lake that shifts position
The suburb takes its name from the Noongar Gwelgannow, meaning the lake that shifts position. Lake Gwelup sits on the western side of the suburb inside a nature reserve whose bushland is mostly intact. The swamps around it were drained in the late 1990s, and water tables in the area have dropped since. Homes facing the reserve have a bushland edge, and on those lots we suggest non combustible paving up against the house in place of mulch or timber.
Peat, acid sulphate soil and the drainage plan trigger
Most of Gwelup is typically Spearwood sand, which drains well and compacts into a firm base. Around the lake the picture changes. The ground there includes reclaimed peaty soils, and a 6 hectare peat deposit under what is now The Willows Estate was mined in the 1960s. Peaty ground in Gwelup is an acid sulphate soil area, and lake fringe lots are likely to have a shallower water table than the rest of the suburb.
The City of Stirling requires all rain falling on a lot to be held on site, sized on a standard lot as impervious area in square metres times 0.015. Where groundwater is within 1.2 m of the surface, among other triggers, a drainage management plan is required and storage is designed for a 1 in 20 year storm. The City encourages permeable paving, and any soakwell under a driveway, carport or garage must be trafficable on an approved base.
Source: City of Stirling, On Site Stormwater Drainage Criteria (June 2024).
So on a dry Gwelup lot with 240 square metres of roof and paving, 3.6 cubic metres of soakwell does the job. On a lake fringe lot we check how deep the water sits first, and where peat or a high water table is involved we may recommend geotechnical advice, wider and shallower units, or surface drains feeding a permeable section of paving. The full criteria are on our City of Stirling soakwell requirements page, and soakwell installation explains the units.
1967 streets and 1990s estates
Gwelup was market gardens until the 1970s. Its oldest triangle opened in 1967, and the rest was built in the late 1990s as estates including Karrinyup Waters, Settlers Green and The Willows. That gives two quite different paving jobs.
In the 1990s estates the paving is around 25 years old. The pavers are often still sound, but driveways may have started to dip along the wheel tracks and alfresco areas have settled where they meet the house. A lift and relay on a recompacted base, or a targeted sunken paving repair, brings them back. On peat affected lots in The Willows we dig the base out further and replace soft material with compacted limestone so the settlement does not return. Owners often extend the alfresco at the same time.
In the 1967 section the paving is much older and usually due for full replacement, with a new base and a soakwell to current rules.
Salt and the coast
Gwelup is roughly 4 km from the ocean. That is far enough that salt exposure is light at most, so on most lots ordinary clay or concrete pavers are fine and the choice comes down to colour, size and budget. Natural stone such as limestone and travertine also suits the suburb, provided it is laid on a well compacted base. For west facing pool surrounds and outdoor areas we will still talk through sealing, covered on our sealing and cleaning page.
Gwelup's neighbours
We service Karrinyup, Carine, Stirling, Innaloo and Balcatta from the same Landsdale base. The complete list is on areas we service.
