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What a blocked drain costs in the Redlands

Updated October 2026

Prices below are typical 2026 ranges for the Redlands and South East Queensland. Every job is different, so treat these as a guide and get a fixed price before work starts. A QBCC-licensed plumber should always quote before clearing.

Quick price guide

• Standard blocked drain clear (plunger, auger or small jet): $150 to $400, with most jobs landing around $280
• CCTV drain camera inspection: $249 to $600
• CCTV inspection plus jet blasting: $350 to $900
• Tree root clearing: $250 to $600
• Pipe relining after root damage or collapse: $3,000 to $8,000 and up, depending on length
• Septic or treatment system work: priced separately, because pump outs, pump repairs and disposal area work are not drain clearing

What moves the price

The three things that change a drain bill are access, cause and damage. A blocked toilet with an obvious cause at the S-bend is the cheap end. A sewer line blocked by tree roots 20 metres from the house, under a driveway, is the expensive end.

In the Redlands, the old bayside suburbs push jobs towards the expensive end for a specific reason. Clay and earthenware line laid in short jointed sections, under mature figs, eucalypts and melaleucas, is the combination that turns a clear into a camera inspection and then a relining conversation. Cleveland, Ormiston, Wellington Point, Birkdale, Thorneside, Alexandra Hills and the older parts of Victoria Point and Redland Bay all sit in that category.

Long private drain runs on acreage at Sheldon, Mount Cotton and rural Redland Bay add time, and so do the canal frontages at Raby Bay in Cleveland and Aquatic Paradise in Birkdale, where access down the side of the house is often tight and corroded metal fittings add work. After-hours and urgent call-outs cost more than a booked weekday visit, so if the drain is slow but still draining, booking ahead saves money.

What it costs on the islands

There is one honest answer here, and it is that an island job carries the cost of getting a vehicle to the island. Work vehicles, trailers and equipment cross on a booked vehicle barge: the southern bay islands from Weinam Creek at Redland Bay, and North Stradbroke Island from Toondah Harbour at Cleveland. The passenger ferries do not take work vehicles.

This site publishes no barge fare, deliberately. A state subsidy, an operator discount and a fuel surcharge all apply to vehicle bookings, and the figures move. Check the current fares with the operator at SeaLink and treat the crossing as a line item the plumber will quote, not a number you can look up here.

The practical consequence is worth knowing before you ring around. A mainland plumber will usually price an island job as most of a day, because that is what it is. A plumber who already lives on the island does not have the crossing in their costs at all, which is why island-based trades are often both cheaper and sooner. We will tell you honestly which we are passing your job to.

Why plumbers quote after a camera

If a drain keeps blocking, clearing it again without finding the cause wastes your money. A CCTV camera run through the line shows exactly what is happening: roots at a joint, a bellied section holding water, or a cracked pipe. That is why many plumbers bundle the camera and the jet blast together. You pay a little more once, instead of paying for the same clear every six months.

When relining is worth it

Relining makes sense when the camera shows a broken or root-infested pipe but the line is otherwise sound. It costs thousands, not hundreds, but it is still usually cheaper than digging up a driveway, a tiled patio or an established garden to replace the pipe. In the Redlands it has a second advantage. Most of the mainland sits inside the state's koala mapping and the council's own vegetation controls, so cutting roots out of a pipe and relining it keeps the tree where it is and takes the permit question off the table. A good plumber will show you the camera footage and let the pipe make the argument.

There is a third thing to raise before anyone digs on low-lying bayside land. The Redland City Plan maps potential acid sulfate soils, and deep excavation or dewatering below the natural surface can trigger management requirements. It is the contractor's job to confirm that before quoting, not a surprise to find halfway through.

What if the property is not on sewer

Plenty of the Redlands is not connected. Russell, Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra islands are entirely unsewered. Amity Point is unsewered, and the council says about half the urban areas of Dunwich and Point Lookout are too. On the mainland, the council states that rural non-urban properties in the Redland Bay area and in the Native Dog Creek, Serpentine Creek and Upper Tingalpa Creek catchments use septic or on-site systems.

A backed-up fixture on one of those properties is often a system problem rather than a blocked pipe, and the pricing is different. Pump outs, pump repairs, blower and aerator faults and saturated disposal areas are all priced separately from drain clearing. Say which arrangement you have when you request a quote, and say whether it is a septic tank or an aerated treatment system if you know.

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