Pre-wet-season yard and gutter checklist for Cairns

Cairns Regional Council's cyclone page is the local starting point. It links Council's Preparing for Cyclones guide and its Household Emergency Kit page. It also explains the three warning levels (Advice, Watch and Act, Emergency Warning) and points to the Cairns Disaster Dashboard for updates during an event.

Get Ready Queensland's protect your home page keeps a year-round maintenance list: fix loose or broken fittings, corrosion or termite damage, repair loose or cracked roof tiles and flashing, clear gutters and downpipes, and trim overhanging branches. The Queensland Government's prepare your home page says the best time to act is before storm, cyclone and monsoon season.

If you live near the coast or a tidal creek, look up your address with Council's storm surge zone search. Council advises evacuation by zone, not by street or suburb, so check your own address even if you already know your area well, whether that is Holloways Beach, Machans Beach or Clifton Beach.

October is the month to do it. Cairns Aero averages 47.2mm of rain across about six rain days in October, against 404.8mm across about sixteen rain days in January and 437.5mm in February. A gutter that coped with a few dry-season showers cannot move a February downpour with a season of leaf litter sitting in it, and the overflow goes into fascias, walls and ceilings.

Clear the downpipes as well as the gutters. The blockage that causes overflow is often in the downpipe throat, where it can't be seen from the ground or from a ladder at the gutter line.

One clear before the wet is the minimum. If trees hang over the roof, check again after big storms, because fresh leaf and twig can refill a clean gutter quickly. If working at height is not for you, book gutter cleaning for October rather than waiting until the first heavy rain shows where the gutters overflow.

1. 1October: the big jobs. Gutters and downpipes, green waste out, branch work over the roof by someone qualified, roof repairs booked, the lawn and fence lines tidied.
2. 2November: the season opens on 1 November. Council lists a free green waste drop-off from 14 to 22 November 2026 for domestic loads (checked on 29 September 2026). Council runs four free green waste events a year, listed on its free waste drop off page, so confirm the dates before you load the trailer.
3. 3December to April: after each big storm, check the gutters, pick up fallen branches and fronds, and keep mowing so the yard stays easy to clear.
4. 4When warnings start: no ladders, no roof work and no chainsaws. Tie down or bring in the loose items you planned for, and follow the Cairns Disaster Dashboard and local ABC radio.

The November 2026 event offers sandbag collection as well as free green waste drop-off, at the same transfer stations. If your yard floods near the house, it is worth collecting them then rather than waiting for a warning.

The Residential Tenancies Authority's guidance on drains and gutters and on lawns, gardens and trees, along with its storms, cyclones and flooding podcast, splits the pre-season jobs roughly like this. The tenancy agreement can change the detail, so read it first.

• Owner or property manager: gutter cleaning, where the tenant has done nothing to block the gutters; major work such as lopping or pruning trees; larger fallen branches that need specialist equipment; and repairing damage caused by fallen branches.
• Tenant: generally the mowing, edging and weeding; clearing small, manageable fallen branches; and removing loose garden or tree debris that could blow around or block gutters.
• Both: talk about the season before it starts. The RTA suggests recording maintenance agreements in writing so there are no surprises, and says the tenant plays an important role in identifying issues and risks and notifying the owner or property manager.

For owners and property managers, the simplest approach is to book the gutter clean and any green waste run for October as a standard pre-season job. Tenants moving out over the wet can see our end-of-lease yard clean-ups.

If the house will sit empty for any of November to April, do the whole checklist before you leave rather than leaving it for a spare weekend that may not come. Store loose items inside or in a locked shed, get the green waste off the property, and have the gutters cleared close to your departure date.

Leave a key and your contact details with a neighbour or someone local you trust, so someone can check the yard and gutters after a storm. A regular lawn mowing booking keeps the grass down through the fastest-growing months, which makes the place easier to inspect and clean up if something does come down.

Stay inside until authorities give the all clear. Council's advice when you do go out is to watch for debris and fallen power lines, and to avoid flood water, which can be contaminated.

Keep well away from any tree touching power lines. Ergon Energy's trees and powerlines guidance is to stay at least 10 metres away, warn others and call Triple Zero (000), because an energised tree can give a life-threatening shock.

Small branches and fronds on the ground can be cut down and stacked for removal. Large limbs, hung-up branches and anything still attached high in a tree are a job for an arborist. In a rental, the RTA says larger branches that need specialist equipment may be the owner's responsibility, and the owner or manager handles repairs after a disaster.

Domestic green waste can go to Council's Portsmith, Smithfield, Gordonvale or Babinda transfer stations, open seven days from 8:30am to 5:15pm. Outside the free events, charges apply. The November 2026 free offer covers domestic cars, utes, trailers and light trucks up to 4.5 tonnes GVM, and Council states that normal rates apply to green waste brought in by garden maintenance contractors. If you would rather not hire a trailer, our green waste removal clears palm fronds, prunings and storm debris from the property, and the disposal is inside the quote.