What Noble Park's roofs are up against
Red gums overhead
River red gums shed leaves, bark and twigs, and Noble Park has plenty of them. Gutters under a big gum can fill faster than you'd expect.
Built in a rush
Noble Park was mostly market gardens, dairies and poultry farms until after the war. Housing went up quickly in the late 1950s and 1960s, tracked by new schools from Yarraman Park Primary in 1958 to Wallarano Primary around 1973.
Creeks built for floods
Most of Miles Creek through Noble Park is a concrete-lined flood channel, and Yarraman Creek on the eastern edge has retention ponds. Greater Dandenong also maps a Special Building Overlay where storms overwhelm the underground drains.
Houses, units and flats
At the 2021 Census, 65.0% of occupied homes were separate houses, 16.0% townhouses or semi-detached and 18.9% flats. 40.3% were rented.
When your gutters overflow in a storm
Stay inside and safe
Don't climb a ladder in wind or rain. If water is coming through near a light or power point, switch the power off at the switchboard. For storm damage emergencies, call the SES on 132 500.
Look from the ground once it's dry
Note where the overflow happened. Water spilling over the front of a gutter usually points to a blockage, a low spot or an outlet that's too small. Clear the downpipe grate at ground level if it's choked.
Take photos for the roofer
Photograph stains on the eaves or ceilings and note which corner overflowed. It saves time when a roofer comes to clean, re-fall or upsize the gutter.
Think about guards
Under a big gum, a gutter guard cuts down on cleaning, though it still needs clearing now and then.
What we'd do in Noble Park
If a big gum hangs over your roof, plan on cleaning the gutters more than once a year rather than waiting for the next overflow. Ask whoever does the clean to look at the ridge mortar and valleys while they're up there, because on a roof from the 1960s that's where leaks tend to start.
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.
