Craigieburn plumbing facts
An expanding part of Hume
Hume describes Craigieburn, with Roxburgh Park and Greenvale, as one of its expanding areas. Its growth area plans, including Craigieburn R2 and Craigieburn West, cover greenfield land previously used for farming.
Houses and mortgages
At the 2021 Census, 89.2% of occupied homes in the suburb of Craigieburn were separate houses. 53.6% were owned with a mortgage, against 36.1% across Victoria, and 28.4% were rented.
Easements on private land
Some Council stormwater assets sit in easements on private property. Hume needs access to them and generally approves no habitable structures over any easement.
Frosty mornings
The Bureau's Melbourne Airport station, with 56 years of records, averages 8.2 days a year at or below 2°C and 1.1 at or below 0°C. Its lowest reading is -2.5°C.
Blocked or broken private drains
Hume says property owners are responsible for all drainage serving private property, that private drain problems should go to a licensed plumber, and that Council doesn't repair blocked or damaged private drains.
Its stormwater map shows Council's drains and, where it's on file, your legal point of discharge. It won't show the private pipes on your block, so a CCTV drain inspection is often the quickest way to find a break.
Cold snaps and exposed pipes
On those mornings, the pipes to watch are the exposed ones: an outdoor tap, copper on a shaded wall, or the pipework to a hot water unit. Lagging them is a small job. If a pipe does split, turn the water off at the meter and read our burst pipes page.
Water and sewer: Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap, and repairs the pipe from the main to the meter. The owner looks after every pipe from the meter to the house.
For the sewer, ask Yarra Valley Water where your part ends: it depends on the property. It won't reimburse repairs to internal pipes, so a blockage on your side is your cost.
Building new
From 1 January 2027, all new homes in Victoria will be built all electric. Existing gas hot water systems can be repaired, and the 1 March 2027 rule only applies when one reaches the end of its life. See hot water in Melbourne.
What we would do
Before you put a shed, deck or pergola over the back of your Craigieburn block, check the title for a drainage easement. Hume generally won't approve living spaces over one and needs access to the drain inside it. If your own stormwater line runs nearby, have a plumber locate it first, so the slab doesn't end up on top of a pipe you'll need to reach.