Keilor's lie of the land
A valley township
Victorian Places describes Keilor as an alluvial basin with steep valley gradients. Upstream at Brimbank Park, the river runs 55 metres below the plains.
On the flood plain
Keilor sits on the Maribyrnong's flood plain, home to many market gardens. The heritage-listed Arundel Road Trestle Bridge was partly destroyed by floods in 2022.
Brick veneer, then bigger houses
From the 1950s the valleys and rises around the village filled with waves of mainly brick veneer homes. Most older village buildings, apart from the courthouse and hotel, have since been replaced, often with large and luxurious houses.
All houses, no flats
At the 2021 Census, 86.8% of occupied dwellings were separate houses and 12.8% semi-detached or townhouses. No flats were recorded.
Steep blocks and bigger roofs
On a sloping block, a roofer may need scaffolding or edge protection on the low side even when the front looks like a single storey. That's a fair line on a quote, not padding.
Larger newer homes often have complex roofs: many hips, valleys and sometimes box gutters. More valleys means more places for leaves and silt to collect, so a regular gutter and valley clean pays for itself.
The brick veneer houses from the 1950s and 1960s are at the age where ridge mortar and valley irons need attention. A roof inspection gives you a list before anything starts to leak.
When heavy rain is forecast
Check the downpipes
From the ground, make sure downpipes aren't blocked at the bottom. If gutters spill over in ordinary rain, they need a clean before the storm, not after.
Know your flood risk
If you're on the river flats, check council flood information and Victorian SES warnings. Roof work won't stop a river flood, so plan for that separately.
After the storm
Look from the ground for slipped tiles or dented gutters. Stay out of any room where the ceiling is sagging, and for storm damage emergencies call the SES on 132 500.
If it were our Keilor roof
We'd get the gutters, valleys and downpipes cleared and checked before winter, and ask for photos of the low side of the house where access is hardest. On a big newer roof, we'd have any box gutters looked at once a year. Send us the job and your postcode: we'll pass it to one licence-checked roofer for your area if we have one, and if we don't, you'll hear it from us right away.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.
