Tree Removal Snake Valley
Snake Valley stretches along the Carngham–Linton Road in the Pyrenees Shire, a long, straggling town built over the Snake Valley Lead, a buried gold-bearing riverbed. Between 1887 and 1913, the Jubilee mine alone produced around $80 million worth of gold, according to The Courier. State forest borders the town to the south and south-east.
This page is from Tree Removal Ballarat. It covers what the old lead workings, the forest edge and Pyrenees Shire’s rules mean for tree work on a Snake Valley property.
Living on the Snake Valley Lead
The Snake Valley Lead rises in Linton’s Hard Hills and runs north under the town. Companies sank shafts along it from the late 1850s. Several of those sites are now on the Victorian Heritage Inventory, including the Sherwood Co. on the Carngham–Linton Road and the Prince of Wales Co. at the lead’s southern end.
Because the town strings out along the road through old mining ground, some house blocks may sit close to former workings.
- ask about known shafts or soft ground on the property and next door
- check whether a recorded heritage inventory site falls on your land. Disturbing one may need Heritage Victoria’s consent.
- keep heavy machinery to known firm ground
- report any hole that opens up to Pyrenees Shire rather than filling it
Stump grinding is shallow and usually fine. See stump removal for when digging is involved.
The forest edge
With state forest to the south and south-east, many outer blocks back onto bush. Snake Valley CFA has warned residents that homes on slopes face faster fire, because fire speeds up as it runs uphill.
The useful work is close to the house. If your home qualifies under the 10/30 or 10/50 bushfire rules, clearing near it may not need a permit. CFA’s standard conditions also call for 4 m of clear height over driveways and at least 2 m under branches near the house. See canopy lifting.
Pyrenees Shire’s rules
Snake Valley is in the Pyrenees Shire, which is clear that removing, destroying or lopping native vegetation without a permit or valid exemption is illegal, and that native vegetation includes grasses. The council has also listed machinery clean-ups of fallen native trees that expose the soil as work that may need a permit. Our Beaufort page covers the council’s permit checklist and exemptions in full.
Nearby areas
Carngham, just north-west, shares the same goldfield, and by 1900 Snake Valley had effectively absorbed its township.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a gum tree in Snake Valley?
Very likely, unless it’s within the bushfire exemption distances of an existing home. Pyrenees Shire’s native vegetation rules are strict, so check before booking.
Is there likely to be an old shaft on my block?
Not necessarily, but parts of the town sit over the old lead. If you know of soft ground or mullock, mention it before any digging. The Victorian Heritage Database is a good place to check recorded sites.
A forest tree hangs over my fence. Who deals with it?
State forest is public land. Contact Forest Fire Management Victoria rather than cutting it yourself.
What should I send for a quote?
Photos of the tree, a rough height, what’s nearby (the house, sheds, fences, power lines), access, and anything you know about old workings or soft ground.
Get a quote in Snake Valley
Send photos and your address through the form, or call to talk it through.