On the Richmond south of Broadwater, in cane country where the highway now runs past rather than through. A small town on low ground, and a district where a container is usually part of a bigger job rather than a purchase on its own.
The standing demand at Woodburn comes from cane and farm machinery storage, fertiliser and chemical storage on the river blocks, tools and materials during rebuilds and repairs, fencing and fodder storage on the grazing land, contractor storage around the highway and infrastructure work, and household storage for people in the middle of a build. Whichever it is, you are quoted the container and the delivery as one number, and told honestly if a smaller unit is the sensible answer.
If in doubt on grade, take cargo-worthy — it is checked wind and watertight before it leaves, and it is the grade that regrets nothing. Photos of the container allocated to your job are available on request, 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 |
These are entry figures, ex GST. Better condition costs more and we will say so plainly. Getting it to Woodburn is costed up front, so nothing lands on the bill after the container does.
Woodburn is on the Richmond and it is low, and pretending otherwise would be insulting. So here is what a container actually does and does not do, without any gloss on it.
It keeps rain out. A cargo-worthy unit is checked wind and watertight before it goes on a truck, which means the roof does not leak and the door seals seat well enough to keep weather out. That is water from above. It does not keep out water that rises, because the bottom of the door seals is the lowest and least sealed part of the box, and once water is in, the box holds it. An empty container will also float in enough water and become something heavy moving around in a current.
What steel does offer is worth having, as long as nobody oversells it. You choose where it sits, so it can be put on the highest ground you have. It can be lifted and moved if there is warning and the truck access is still clear, which is not true of a shed. And it is dry, lockable, secure storage while a job runs — which for a lot of properties along this river has been exactly the need.
Site it high, keep it clear of the drains, put it on proper pads with a fall away from the doors, and keep the access to it open. The full reasoning is set out in our guide on containers and flood risk.
Woodburn's container work splits fairly evenly between agriculture and contracting. On the farm side it is the ordinary business of cane and grazing country: machinery and parts kept dry, fertiliser and chemical stored properly, fencing and fodder secured.
On the contracting side, the highway and infrastructure work through this stretch generates steady demand for lockable site storage, often on hire rather than purchase and often with a compliance schedule attached that specifies bunded and ventilated storage for fuel and chemicals before work starts.
For hire we quote the rate, the cartage in and the cartage out as one figure rather than a headline weekly number, because a project manager needs the whole cost rather than the attractive part of it. 20ft hire starts from $27 a week ex GST.
The highway upgrade has changed how heavy vehicles move through this part of the valley and on balance it has made deliveries here easier — the through traffic is off the old road and access to the Pacific Motorway is quick from both ends. What has not changed is the ground. This is lower Richmond river flat: level, productive, generous with space, and slow to dry. Farm tracks that carry machinery comfortably will not necessarily carry a loaded truck in the days after rain, and there is no clever vehicle that gets around genuinely soft ground. In town the streets are quiet and wide and the blocks have room, so the residential jobs are simple once the surface is right. As everywhere along this stretch, tell us if the intended spot is on fill or on ground that has been regraded, because that changes the pad conversation rather than the truck.
On top of the local quirks sit the constants — footing that holds, an approach long enough to line up on, and nothing hanging over the spot. Send pictures if any of it is uncertain and we will pick the vehicle before quoting. See the delivery access guide.
Ask and we will send pictures of the actual unit heading to Woodburn, marks and all.