Cane country on the lower Richmond, between Ballina and Broadwater, where the river is wide and the land beside it is very flat and very low. Where the container goes matters here more than what it is.
Out at Wardell the pattern is cane and farm equipment storage, fertiliser and chemical storage, machinery and workshop gear on the river blocks, storage during repairs and rebuilds on properties along the flat, boat and river gear, and household storage on the smaller residential blocks in the village. Each of those is a slightly different specification and it sorts out faster by voice than off a price list. One call covers grade, availability and cartage to Wardell.
Choosing a grade comes down to one question — does the contents have to stay dry? If yes, cargo-worthy is the floor. If you would rather see it, ask — photographs of your unit go out before delivery.
| Size | Used from | New from | Hire from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10ft Containers | $4,350 | $6,400 | POA |
| 20ft Containers | $2,200 | $3,300 | $27/wk |
| 40ft Containers | $2,600 | $5,500 | POA |
Those are starting figures, ex GST, and the grade you choose moves them more than the size does. What you are quoted for a Wardell address already has the delivery in it.
Wardell sits on the lower Richmond and much of the surrounding land is only a little above the river. That does not stop anyone owning a container here and it does change how one should be placed.
Two things are worth saying plainly, because we would rather you heard them from us. A container is sealed against rain from above; it is not sealed against water rising from below. Floodwater reaches the bottom of the door seals — the lowest and least sealed part of the box — and gets in, and a container then holds it. And an empty or lightly loaded container is buoyant enough to float in enough water, which makes it heavy debris rather than a fixed object.
What that means practically is that height is the only real lever you have, and it costs nothing to use. Put it on the highest useable ground on the property rather than the most convenient. Build the pad up if you can. Keep it clear of the drain lines and the low corner where water gathers, and set it with a slight fall away from the doors so the threshold is not sitting in a puddle after ordinary rain, let alone anything else.
There is a longer explanation of what steel actually does and does not do in our guide on containers and flood risk, and it is worth ten minutes if you are on this part of the river.
The farm work here follows cane and the container demand follows the farm work. Equipment that has to be kept dry between seasons, fertiliser and chemical that has storage rules attached, spare parts and workshop gear a long way from a supplier.
Chemical storage is worth doing properly rather than improvising. A bunded, ventilated, correctly signed unit is the straightforward answer and it can be relocated if the operation changes. On this country, site it high and clear of any drain or watercourse — that is not a formality here.
For general storage, cargo-worthy is the sensible grade. It is checked wind and watertight before it goes on a truck, and on flat country with weather coming across it, a good seal is worth the difference.
The physical access at Wardell is usually easy and the ground condition usually is not. Farm entries are wide, tracks are long and straight, and there is level ground everywhere — right up until it has rained. This is alluvial river flat and it holds water for days after the sky has cleared, and a track that carried a tractor yesterday will not necessarily carry a loaded truck today. The one genuinely useful thing you can do is talk to us about timing rather than pushing for a date. In the village the blocks are generous and the streets are quiet, which makes for straightforward deliveries. On the river side, the other consideration is where on the property the container should sit rather than whether the truck can get there — and that is a conversation worth having before the delivery rather than after.
The rest is universal — firm ground, a straight run and clear air. Send a photo of the gate, one down the approach and one of the spot, and we can usually confirm the truck without a site visit. Full guide: delivery access.
Evans Head · Bangalow · Mullumbimby · Nimbin · Coraki · Woodburn
Grade, size and access for your Wardell address, in about five minutes on the phone.