Paving in Merriwa, by arrangement from Landsdale
Merriwa lies about 21 km from IBP Paving's base in Landsdale, in the City of Wanneroo just inland from Quinns Rocks. Because it is well beyond our regular run, we take Merriwa jobs by arrangement and ask for the details of the work first. We relay and replace driveways, lay new crossovers and verges, build paths and paved outdoor areas, and install soakwells. All of it carries our lifetime workmanship warranty and over 20 years of hands on experience.
From Hester to the Quinns Beach and Seagrove estates
Merriwa was first called Hester, a name that lives on in Hester Avenue along its southern boundary. Until the late 1980s it was bushland. Building began with the Quinns Beach Estate from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, and the Seagrove Estate followed in the early 2000s. The suburb also holds two RAAFA retirement villages.
Those three kinds of housing give three kinds of job. Quinns Beach Estate homes have paving 30 years or more old, and the choice is a relay if the pavers are sound or a replacement if salt and age have worn them out. Seagrove homes often sit on smaller lots, and their driveways are reaching the first round of settling. Retirement village settings call for level, firm paths with flush joints, where a lifted paver edge is a trip hazard that should be fixed promptly.
Two kilometres from Quinns Beach
Merriwa is about 2 km from Quinns Beach, close enough that salt carried on the sea breeze is a real factor for paving. Soft, porous pavers can pit, crust and fade over time at this distance. For driveways and outdoor areas we choose dense, low absorption pavers and recommend sealing them, with a reseal every few years. Below ground the story is simpler: the saltwater wedge in the aquifer reaches no more than about 250 m inland, well short of the suburb, so salt does not reach the soakwells.
Most of Merriwa probably sits on Spearwood sand, a yellow sand that compacts well and drains freely, with limestone often below. The City of Wanneroo maps its coastal neighbour Quinns Rocks on both the Quindalup and Mindarie units, the younger dune sands nearer the shore. Our sources show no major groundwater issue, and bushfire exposure appears limited to the odd edge, though the DFES bushfire prone map is worth a check.
City of Wanneroo requirements
Every Merriwa home has to keep its stormwater on site. The City expects soakwells, spoon drains or similar to take runoff from the roof and paved areas, with roughly one downpipe for each 15 square metres of roof and downpipes no more than 12 m apart. Its table of concrete soakwell sizes runs, for instance, from a 900 by 900 mm unit holding 580 L and draining about 47 m2 to a 1200 by 1200 mm unit holding 1300 L and draining about 111 m2, for normal rainfall.
Clay or limestone can cause a soakwell to overflow, says the City, and soakwells should be at least their own width from buildings and boundaries, not squeezed into narrow clearances. Specification WD5 also allows 1 m3 of soakwell per 60 m2 of impervious surface, at least 0.3 m above maximum groundwater, in engineering and subdivision work.
Crossovers can be brick paved or concrete, with heavy duty pavers of at least 60 mm on a 20 to 40 mm sand bed and a crushed limestone or rock base of at least 100 mm. They must be 3.0 to 6.0 m wide at the boundary, fall 2 percent across the verge, stand 1.0 m from the common boundary, keep 7.5 m from a street corner and stay 1.5 m from a City tree. A first crossover may earn a council contribution if you apply in writing within six months; no amount is given. Nature strips can be paved in brick or concrete at a positive 2 percent gradient but not in gravel, crushed brick or loose stones, and a tree in the way is not grounds for removal. See our City of Wanneroo soakwell requirements page for the full table.
Source: City of Wanneroo, Information Sheet, Stormwater Runoff (July 2019); Development Design Specification WD5 (June 2019); Information Sheet, Crossover Brick Paved, Residential (July 2025); Nature Strip (Verge) Treatment Guidelines; City Tree Policy (December 2024).
Merriwa's neighbours
Around Merriwa we also cover Quinns Rocks, Mindarie, Clarkson, Ridgewood and Butler. Find every suburb on areas we service.
