Where Council's sewer meets yours
Council's sewer page says maintaining private sanitary drainage lines is solely the property owner's responsibility. Your point of connection, marked by an inspection shaft, should be somewhere on the edge of your block, in the front or back yard.
Between that point and the main there is a short Council inspection shaft line, and blockages can sit there too. Council's test is the water level in the shaft. Low water means the blockage is probably in your own pipes and you need a private plumber. High water means ringing Council's 24 hour emergency callout service.
Our guide to who owns the sewer pipe shows how other water authorities draw the same line.
Bundaberg facts that change a plumbing job
Roots, and what Council will clear
Council removes tree roots blocking its own sewer mains without charging you. It will also cut roots inside your pipes for a fee, but it won't repair a homeowner's sewer pipe. Figs, gums, willows and jacarandas are on its list of trees not to plant near sewers.
River water and bore water
The Bundaberg supply area draws on the Burnett River and town bores. In Council's 2024-25 testing, total hardness ranged from 49.9 to 195.1 mg/L across 36 samples. The Kalkie area, which includes Bargara and Burnett Heads, ranged from 65.8 to 111.7 mg/L.
Roof water needs a lawful outlet
Council expects roof water to drain to a lawful point of discharge: the kerb and channel, an inter-allotment drainage pipe, or a Council drainage easement, each with Council approval. Runoff between neighbours is a civil matter for the owners.
A town of houses
At the 2021 Census, 85.0% of occupied homes in the Bundaberg council area were separate houses, and 40.1% were owned outright, against 29.1% across Queensland. Most drains here serve one household and belong to its owner.
Hot water, gas and licences
Any new or replacement hot water system in Queensland needs a temperature control device, and heat pumps and solar need an installer with the QBCC solar and heat pump endorsement. Our Bundaberg hot water page puts that next to the local water figures.
Natural gas reaches parts of town through the Wide Bay network, which covers Bundaberg except the port. The Bundaberg gas fitter page explains the separate gas work licence.
For plumbing, search the business and the worker on the QBCC registers through myQBCC. A plumber licensed in Queensland should give you a licence number without fuss.
Bundaberg specialists
Pick the page closest to your problem: hot water in Bundaberg, a Bundaberg gas fitter, blocked drains, tree roots in drains, stormwater or an emergency plumber. Queensland rules are on our Queensland page.
What we would do
When a drain backs up, find the inspection shaft at your connection point and lift the cap if you can do it safely. If it's full, ring Council first, since the blockage may be in its line. If it's empty, call a drain specialist and ask them to camera the pipe before cutting roots, so you know whether a root clearing will last or the pipe needs repair. And if you're planting near the sewer line, leave the figs and gums off the list.