How much does tree removal cost in Wollongong?
Most Wollongong tree jobs are priced on height first. In our table, felling a tree under 5 m costs $270–$865, one of 5–10 m $865–$2,700 and one of 10–20 m $2,150–$5,400, while anything taller is quoted case by case within $4,850–$16,200. Grinding out what is left is extra, at $270–$540 for a medium stump. Before any of that, find out whether Wollongong City Council lists the tree in its development control plan, because a listed tree needs a permit before it comes down. All figures include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Tree removal cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Tree Removal Cost in Wollongong 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $270per tree | $540 | $865 |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $865per tree | $1,625 | $2,700 |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,150per tree | $3,775 | $5,400 |
| Extra-large tree (20 m+) | $4,850per tree | $7,000 | $16,200 |
| Palm tree removal | $270per tree | $430 | $1,300 |
| Stump grinding (small <30 cm) | $160per stump | $215 | $325 |
| Stump grinding (medium 30–60 cm) | $270per stump | $380 | $540 |
| Stump grinding (large 60 cm+) | $430per stump | $650 | $970 |
| Tree pruning / trimming | $215per tree | $485 | $1,300 |
| Hedge trimming, maintained hedge up to 2.5 m (per m) | $5/m | $13 | $27 |
| Arborist report | $325per report | $485 | $755 |
| Emergency / storm damage | $540per job | $1,625 | $5,400 |
| Arborist hourly rate | $76/hr | $130 | $195 |
| Large palm (10 m+) or Canary Island date palm removal | $1,300per tree | $1,950 | $3,250 |
| Tree on house / structure, crane-assisted emergency removal | $3,250per job | $7,550 | $12,950 |
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Get Wollongong quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Wollongong metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What to Know About Tree Removal Work and Cost in Wollongong
Wollongong University averages 1,323.7 mm of rain a year, with March the wettest month.
A small tree (under 5 m) is $270–$865 to remove in the Wollongong table, and a medium stump (30–60 cm) $270–$540 to grind.
Wollongong trees: lopping, and moving a tree
Tree lopping in Wollongong
Our Wollongong table has no separate lopping row. The nearest lines are pruning or trimming at $215–$1,300 a tree and an arborist at $76–$195 an hour.
Relocating a tree in Wollongong
Our Wollongong table prices removal, pruning and stump grinding, and has no row for digging up and replanting a tree, so we don't publish a relocation price.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Tree Removal Costs in Wollongong
Height, spread and cranes
Wollongong leans toward the family home on its own block: 71.3% of dwellings are separate houses and 41.6% have three bedrooms, against 39% nationally (ABS 2021 Census). That means plenty of backyard trees with room to grow tall. Each height band brings a new price range, and a tree past 20 m, where a crane may be needed to lift sections clear of the house, falls in the $4,850–$16,200 band.
Sloping blocks below the escarpment
Suburbs on the lower slopes of the escarpment have steep and terraced yards, and a tree on a slope is slower to take down than one on flat lawn. When the truck and chipper cannot park close by, the crew carries every branch out by hand. Where it would land on a house, a pool or a neighbour's roof, the crew rigs it down in sections, and those hours run at $76–$195.
Council permits in the Illawarra
NSW leaves the detail to councils. Under the state policy for vegetation in non-rural areas, each council declares in its development control plan which trees need a permit, and it can do that by species, size or location. Outside the metropolitan council areas named in that policy, the rules apply by zone, and residential zones such as R2 Low Density Residential are covered. Check with Wollongong City Council, or an arborist who knows its controls, before you book.
What happens to the stump
The stump is usually its own line on the quote. Grinding a medium stump of 30–60 cm runs $270–$540 in our table, and a stump wider than 60 cm $430–$970. Ask whether mulching the branches and hauling off the trunk wood are in the price, or whether the crew will leave logs on site for you to deal with.
Palms, pruning and reports
Not every job is a removal. Palms, which Wollongong searchers ask about by name, carry their own band of $270–$1,300. Lopping or thinning the crown to keep a tree is $215–$1,300. If council wants an arborist report to support a permit application, allow $325–$755 for one; the same report tells you whether a tree close to the house is sound.
Wet late summer and storm call-outs
Late summer is the soggy stretch in Wollongong: February and March each bring over 150 mm on average at the university gauge (BOM averages). Sodden lawns rut under a loaded truck or a stump grinder, so a crew may push a planned job back. A tree or limb brought down in a storm is billed on its own emergency line, $540–$5,400, and the timing is out of your hands.
How to Save Money on Tree Removal Cost in Wollongong
- Search Wollongong City Council's development control plan, or ask the arborist to check it, before collecting quotes, so every price assumes the same permit position.
- Plan routine removals for the drier months: July averages 63.4 mm of rain at the university station, against 160.4 mm in March (BOM averages).
- Where a stump sits in a corner nothing will be built on, you can leave it and skip the $380 a typical medium grind costs.
- Thinking of moving a tree rather than felling it? Relocation is not in our table, so get it priced after a site visit and weigh it against the removal band for that height.
- If neighbours on the street also have trees to come down, have one crew do them back to back, sharing a single call-out for the truck and chipper.
- Get a copy of the crew's public liability insurance and confirm it is in date before the first cut, because a dropped limb can land on a roof, a car or a fence.
Tree Removal Cost in Wollongong by Tree Size
Say a medium tree comes down with its large stump ground out: $865–$2,700 for the tree and $430–$970 for the stump comes to $1,295–$3,670. Set that beside a large tree with the stump left in the ground: $2,150–$5,400. The sizes are the example's own assumptions.
Wollongong's family homes sit on their own blocks, so backyard trees have room to grow tall; a tree beyond 20 m, which may need a crane, falls in the extra-large row at $4,850–$16,200 a tree. On the steep yards below the escarpment, hours of hand carrying are billed at $76–$195 an hour.
Tree Removal Cost in Wollongong: What the Quote Should Include
Wollongong's suburbs below the escarpment have steep, terraced yards, and late summer is soggy, so slope and season both belong in a written tree quote. A quote that names the tree, the method and each added line can be read against the rows.
- Which band the tree sits in by height, with species if known, read against $270–$865 a tree for small, $865–$2,700 a tree for medium and $2,150–$5,400 a tree for large.
- Slope: a tree on a steep or terraced yard, where the truck and chipper cannot park close and every branch is carried out by hand.
- Rigging down in sections when the tree would land on a house, pool or neighbour's roof, with the hours at $76–$195 an hour.
- Grinding at $270–$540 a stump for medium and $430–$970 a stump for wider; mulching branches and hauling trunk wood as separate lines, or logs left in the yard.
- Palms as their own band at $270–$1,300 a tree, and lopping or thinning a crown to keep a tree against $215–$1,300 a tree.
- An arborist report as a line if the job has one, at $325–$755 a report, and whether it also says if a tree near the house is sound.
- Late summer: February and March bring sodden lawns, so the quote should say what happens if rain pushes the job back.
- A storm-felled tree on its own line, read against $540–$5,400 a job.
- Neighbours' trees booked back to back with one crew sharing a single call-out, public liability cover in date, and GST shown.
Frequently Asked Questions — Tree Removal Cost in Wollongong
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →