Is Tullamarine in Hume or Brimbank?

Both. Hume City Council names Tullamarine among its established suburbs, and the ABS boundary layers show part of the suburb inside Brimbank. Your rates notice says which council covers your property.

Who pays when a Council tree's roots block my stormwater pipe?

In Hume, the owner maintains the stormwater pipe from the kerb back to the property connection, so blockages and repairs on that run are the owner's. Tell Council before roots of its tree are cut outside the pipe.

Plumbers in Tullamarine: townhouses, roots and two councils

Plumbers in Tullamarine Two councils, one water company.

Tullamarine is on Yarra Valley Water's supply list, but the suburb crosses a council boundary: Hume City Council counts it as one of its suburbs, and part of it falls in Brimbank. Check which applies before a drain job. Tell us the problem and we'll match you with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in it.

Tullamarine facts worth knowing

Lots of townhouses

At the 2021 Census, 39.6% of occupied homes in the suburb of Tullamarine were townhouses, terraces or semis, against 13.9% across Victoria. 59.2% were separate houses and 34.1% were rented.

Hume, and some Brimbank

Hume City Council names Tullamarine among its established southern suburbs, with Broadmeadows, Campbellfield and Gladstone Park. The ABS boundary layers show part of the suburb in Brimbank's area as well.

Yarra Valley Water

Tullamarine is on Yarra Valley Water's list, in the Glenroy sampling area, where mean hardness in 2025 to 2026 was 17 mg/L.

Roots get into weak pipes

Hume says well built pipes withstand normal root loads, but roots get into pipes in poor condition through cracks or joins and then block them.

Which council is yours?

Your rates notice tells you. It matters because drainage rules, permits and tree controls are set council by council. The rules below are Hume's; if your rates go to Brimbank, ask Brimbank instead.

Roots from a street tree

When a nature strip tree's roots are in your stormwater pipe, Hume says a licensed plumber can check the pipe's condition, remove the roots and repair it so they can't get back in. The owner maintains the stormwater pipe from the kerb and channel back to the connection on their land, so blockages and repairs along that run are the owner's.

If roots of the Council tree outside the pipe will be damaged or cut, tell Council first. You'll also need Hume's consent to work in the road reserve, and a Council arborist can advise on root pruning. Our pages on tree roots in drains and pipe relining in Melbourne explain the repair options.

Townhouses and shared lines

With so many townhouses, a blocked drain in Tullamarine can be a shared problem. Before work starts, find out whether the pipe serves one dwelling or several, and whether an owners corporation is responsible for it. If the blockage turns out to be on your side, you arrange and pay for the plumber, says Yarra Valley Water, and it doesn't reimburse internal pipe repairs.

For the water supply, Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap and repairs the pipe from the main to the meter. Pipes from the meter to the house are the owner's. Where its sewer responsibility ends depends on the property, so ask Yarra Valley Water about yours.

What we would do

If a Tullamarine drain keeps blocking with roots, ask for a camera inspection before paying for another clean, since roots usually point to a crack or failed joint. Check your rates notice for your council, and if a street tree is involved, call Council before anyone cuts outside the pipe.