Shipping containers Bunbury.

Older streets near the city centre

The inner suburbs close to the CBD have older houses on narrower blocks, often with a single driveway beside the house leading to a carport at the back. A 20ft rarely fits down that kind of driveway; a 10ft on the front setback, or on the verge with council agreement, is often the workable option. Mature street trees and overhead power lines in some of these streets also limit how high a tilt-tray can raise its deck.

Around Marlston Hill, the slope of the driveway is the thing to photograph. A tilt-tray can only unload on a reasonably even surface, so a steep driveway may mean placing the container at the street end.

Port, Picton and Kemerton

Bunbury’s port moves alumina, woodchips and mineral sands, and the industrial areas at Picton and the Kemerton strategic industrial area near Australind host processing plants, fabrication shops and contractor compounds. Containers on these sites are usually tool stores, spares stores or shutdown equipment rooms. Most sites have inductions and gate procedures, so give us the site contact early.

Maintenance shutdowns bring a rush of contractors and a sudden need for lockable storage. If a container is for a shutdown, book the hire with the dates you know and let the site’s planners set the exact position, so it does not end up in a laydown area needed for something else.

New estates at Eaton, Dalyellup and Australind

The estates around Bunbury have produced a steady run of house builds, pool installs and landscaping jobs. Builders and trades on those jobs often want lockable storage for the length of the build. A hired container placed at the start and collected at handover keeps tools and materials secure without the daily run to a storage unit.

The ground is sandy in most of these estates. Put solid pads under each corner and keep the container clear of where the driveway and paths will go. If the estate has design guidelines, check them before leaving a container forward of the building line for months.

Shops, services and semi-rural blocks

Retail and service businesses in the city use containers for overflow stock or archive boxes behind the shop. Check your lease, and make sure the container does not take a car bay that the planning approval relies on.

On the edges of Greater Bunbury there are larger lots, hobby farms and small rural businesses around Boyanup, Dardanup and Gelorup. These often have unsealed driveways and paddock gates. Inland from the coast the soils are heavier, and a route that is easy in summer can be soft through a wet winter. Tell us the track surface and how it holds up after rain.

Clubs, events and the waterfront

The waterfront around Koombana Bay and the city’s sporting reserves host events through the year, and clubs and organisers use containers for gear and staging. On public land, the council managing the reserve sets the conditions for placement and truck access. Allow for soft sand near the beach and irrigated turf on ovals.

For a short-term hire, send the dates you are working to. The delivery date is set when the order goes in.

Renovations and moving house

Bunbury’s older housing in Carey Park, East Bunbury and South Bunbury sees steady renovation work. A container on the driveway holds furniture while floors, kitchens or bathrooms are replaced, and on hire it stays for the length of the job. For a move, it can hold belongings between one settlement and the next.

If the container is going on a front lawn, find any underground services first: reticulation, older sewer or septic lines and the power run to a shed. A truck wheel on a buried pipe is an avoidable repair bill.

What to send with your enquiry

The suburb and council, the driveway or track surface, site contacts and gate rules for industrial jobs, and photos of the approach and the spot.