Curlewis is one of the fastest-growing pockets on the Bellarine, and almost every block we fence here is either a brand-new build or a property changing hands within five years of its first slab being poured. That changes what good fencing looks like. The standard advice for established Geelong suburbs — replace what’s there, match the neighbour’s line — doesn’t apply when there is no neighbour yet, the soil is freshly disturbed, and the developer’s temporary post-and-rail is the only thing between you and the paddock.

We’re based three kilometres east in Drysdale, which means our team is on a Curlewis site within fifteen minutes of leaving the yard. That proximity matters more on new estates than people realise — first-fence projects often need a return visit once neighbours fence the adjoining boundary, and being local makes that practical rather than expensive.

Why Curlewis Blocks Need a Different Approach

The Curlewis growth corridor runs across former farmland between Bellarine Highway and the bay. Three things about this ground change how a fence has to be built:

Disturbed and re-compacted soil. Most Curlewis blocks have had their topsoil stripped, services trenched in, and pads compacted with imported fill. The soil profile under your boundary line is rarely the natural soil — it’s a layered mix of native clay, builder’s sand, and rubble. Post footings dug into this profile need to go deeper than the standard 600mm to find consolidated ground, and the concrete needs to be wet-mixed and sloped to shed water rather than dry-mix that sets unevenly against disturbed sub-soil.

Brand-new boundary lines that haven’t been surveyed in living memory. Developer pegs get knocked out by builders, landscapers and earthmovers. Before we fence a Curlewis boundary, we cross-check the title plan against the visible pegs and, where there’s any doubt, recommend you get a registered surveyor to re-mark the line. A fence built 100mm onto your neighbour’s title is a fence you’ll be tearing down in three years.

Wind exposure that surprises owners. Curlewis sits on the rise between the bay and the You Yangs, and the prevailing south-westerly tracks straight across the open paddocks to the south. Until the next street is built out, your fence is taking unbroken wind load. We oversize posts on exposed boundaries here as standard, not as an upgrade.

The Three Common Curlewis Fencing Jobs

1. The new-build first fence

Handover happens, the builder’s contract ends at the slab edge, and the block is open. This is the most common Curlewis call and the one that benefits most from being done properly the first time. We work with the title plan, your landscaping intent, and the builder’s site survey to set the line, the gate locations, and the height (most Curlewis estates have a 1.8m residential cap unless your covenant specifies higher).

For first-fence Colorbond on a Curlewis block we use 65×65mm galvanised posts at 2.4m centres on standard runs and step that down to 2.0m centres on any boundary facing open ground. Sheets are full-height with capping; we don’t run rail-and-paling on a first-fence install because the wind exposure makes the seam a weak point.

Read more about what to organise before handover in our new builds on the Bellarine guide.

2. The dividing fence with a new neighbour

The block next door sells, the new owners move in, and within six months one of you wants the temporary fence replaced. Victorian Fences Act 1968 splits a standard dividing fence cost equally — but only if the process is followed. We supply the written notice template, walk you through the 30-day response window, and only quote the work once the paperwork is clean.

Background reading: our Victorian Fences Act explainer covers the common Curlewis scenarios.

3. The pool-and-courtyard fence

Curlewis has a high pool-installation rate because most blocks are large enough to fit one and the demographic skews young families. Pool fencing in Victoria has to comply with AS 1926.1-2012 and a current Form 23 from a registered inspector — we install the barrier; Local Pool Inspections covers the certification side. Our pool compliance guide walks through the rules everyone gets wrong, including the non-climbable zone calculation that catches most DIY installs.

Material Choice in Curlewis: What We Actually Recommend

Curlewis is far enough inland that salt air isn’t the dominant factor it becomes in Portarlington or down in Indented Head, but it’s close enough to the bay that fastener-grade matters. We default to:

• Colorbond for boundary fences on rear and side runs — Stratco or BlueScope sheets, full caps, hot-dip galvanised posts. Colour choice is open; popular Curlewis specs lately are Monument, Basalt and Woodland Grey. Our Colorbond colours guide covers what works against the typical Bellarine render-and-render-finish facade.
• Hardwood paling for street-facing and front fences where the architectural look calls for it. We use kiln-dried hardwood (merbau or spotted gum) over treated pine for any front fence — the dimensional stability matters when the fence is the first thing visible from the street.
• Glass pool fencing for in-ground pools where the layout has the pool in line of sight from the living area. Frameless 12mm toughened panels with 316-grade stainless spigots — 304-grade will pit on a Curlewis block within five years.

For a deeper material comparison see our Colorbond vs hardwood comparison.

Estate Covenants — Read Them Before You Quote

Most newer Curlewis estates carry design covenants that constrain fencing choices. Common clauses we see:

• Front fences either prohibited entirely or capped at 1.2m and required to be open-style (slat or vertical baluster, not solid).
• Side fences forward of the building line capped at 1.2m for the first 4–6m back from the front boundary.
• Colorbond colour restricted to a developer palette — usually Monument, Woodland Grey, Basalt, Surfmist.
• Gate hardware required to be powder-coated to match the fence.

Always check the covenant before commissioning the fence. A fence built outside the covenant can be ordered down at your cost. We hold copies of the active covenants for the major Curlewis estates and will check yours before we quote.

What a Curlewis Quote Looks Like

For a typical Curlewis project we measure the boundary on site, mark the line against the title plan, photograph any existing infrastructure, and provide a written quote within 48 hours. The quote breaks down materials, labour, post depths, gate count, and any dividing-fence notice work that needs to happen before installation.

We don’t quote sight-unseen, and we don’t quote over text. Every Curlewis quote starts with a site visit because the variation between blocks in the same estate — slope, soil disturbance, service locations, easements — is too large to estimate from the address alone.

If you’re choosing between contractors, our questions-to-ask guide covers the things worth checking before you sign anything.

Curlewis Service Coverage

We cover the full Curlewis 3222 postcode plus the immediate neighbours: Leopold to the west, Drysdale and Clifton Springs to the east, and the rural-residential ground south toward Wallington. For projects further along the peninsula we also service Portarlington and the north-Bellarine coastal strip.

Ready to fence your Curlewis block?

Site visit and written quote within 48 hours.

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Curlewis Fencing — Frequently Asked

How deep do fence posts need to go on a new Curlewis estate block?

We dig to 750mm minimum on disturbed estate ground rather than the 600mm we’d use on consolidated soil — the imported fill on most new Curlewis blocks doesn’t reach engineering compaction at standard depth.

Can I fence the boundary before my neighbour’s block is built on?

Yes. Once your title is registered and the boundary pegs are confirmed you can fence the boundary at your own cost. If the neighbouring block is later built on and the new owner wants a different fence, the Fences Act process kicks in and a fair share of replacement cost can be recovered.

What’s the maximum front fence height in Curlewis estates?

Most active estate covenants cap front fences at 1.2m and require open-style construction. The City of Greater Geelong planning scheme also caps front fences at 1.2m solid or 1.5m open without a planning permit — the covenant usually overrides if it’s stricter.

Do you handle the Fences Act notice for me?

We provide the written notice template, the response window calendar, and walk you through delivering it. The notice itself comes from you as the property owner, but we take the paperwork friction out of the process.

How long does a typical Curlewis boundary fence take to install?

A standard 30–40m three-side Colorbond install on a Curlewis block runs two to three days from post-set to final cap. Pool fencing or glass adds a day. We block contiguous days for a project rather than spreading the work — half-installed fences in coastal wind get damaged.