It’s dead, dying or dropping branches
Dead eucalypts only get more brittle. We’ll tell you whether it can be made safe or needs to come down.
Tree removal
Family-run arborists · Colac, Apollo Bay & the Otways
Tree care for the Otways, from backyard to national park.
Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and land clearing from a family-run team based in Apollo Bay. We look at the job first, quote a fixed price, and leave the site clean.
- Experience
- 12+ yearsTom’s years as an arborist
- Insured
- $20 millionPublic liability, plus WorkCover
- Storm line
- 24/7For trees down or dangerous
- 5.0 ★From 6 reviews
Start with the problem
What’s going on with your tree?
Pick whatever sounds closest. We’ll work out the right job together — sometimes that’s less work, not more.
It’s too big, too close or shading everything
Deadwooding, reductions and clearance from roofs, gutters, lines and solar panels.
Tree pruning
There’s a stump in the way
Ground out below ground level so you can plant, pave, park or build.
Stump grinding
A storm has brought it down
Trees on houses, cars, fences or roads — the line is answered around the clock.
Storm & emergency
The block is overgrown, or summer’s coming
Scrub, blackberry, tracks, fence lines and firebreaks, mulched on the spot.
Forestry mulching
The hedge has got away from you
Garden hedges, tall screens and old cypress windbreaks, trimmed or removed.
HedgingNot sure what it needs? Book a free site assessment and we’ll look at it with you.
How assessments work
Where we work
From backyard to national park
The Otways change quickly — from town blocks to salt-blown coast, open farmland to tall wet forest. The work changes with them.
Town trees usually come down piece by piece — climbed, cut in sections and lowered on ropes so nothing touches the roof, the fence or the garden.
Colac · Elliminyt · Birregurra
Tree removal
Along the Great Ocean Road the gums and cypress take a beating from the weather, and sites are often steep and tight. We know the conditions.
Lorne · Wye River · Skenes Creek · Apollo Bay · Marengo
The Skenes Creek removal
Old cypress windbreaks, overgrown tracks and fire-season clean-ups, with the chipper, tracked loader and stump grinder on site.
Forrest · Barwon Downs · Beeac · Alvie
The windbreak removal
In the ranges, big eucalypts and tree ferns grow side by side. Hazard trees on bush blocks and tracks need careful reading before anyone cuts.
Gellibrand · Beech Forest · Lavers Hill
Tree assessmentsSwipe to see more
Recent workAll projects
Real jobs, start to finish
A removal that needed a different kind of access, a limb we kept for wildlife, and a tree that had to come down over a house.
A dead eucalyptus too dangerous to climb
A huge dead eucalypt stood on a hillside above homes, a driveway and the road. Climbing it wasn’t safe, so Tom worked from a hired spider lift instead.
A dead limb kept as a home for wildlife
A dead limb was due to come down for firewood. After a chat with a regular client who loves birdlife, we carved a nesting hollow into it instead.
A liquid amber that kept flooding the gutters
A towering liquid amber was blocking gutters, causing flooding and mould inside, and had already failed onto the house once. It came down with rigging over the roof and service line.
How it works
You’ll know the method, the price and the clean‑up before we start
Tell us what’s going on
Call or send the form. Photos help, and so does knowing what’s near the tree.
Free site assessment
We look at the tree, the access and what’s around it, and talk through the options with you.
A fixed‑price quote
A written scope: what we’ll do, how, the clean-up, and what happens to the wood and stump.
The work, done safely
Planned with a Safe Work Method Statement, carried out as quoted, and cleaned up when we finish.
Family-run · Apollo Bay
More than 12 years up trees across the Otways
Otway Tree Care is a family business led by Tom Kleindienst, a qualified arborist with more than 12 years’ experience in Colac and the Otways. Tom looks at the jobs himself, so the advice you get on site comes from someone who knows how the work will actually be done.
- Qualified arborist with 12+ years in the region
- $20 million public liability insurance and WorkCover
- A Safe Work Method Statement for every job
- Our own chipper, tracked stump grinder and mulcher
Customer reviews
What people say after the job
Read our Google reviews (opens in a new tab)Worked with us? Leave a review
“Could not be any happier of the job Tom and his crew did removing our trees, you would not have even known we had trees removed after their very thorough clean up of the site.”
Glenn D. · Google review, August 2026
“Tom gave a very fair price on removing the large tree and pruning some of the overhanging branches … Tom arrived the next morning with his team … to complete the job and make the area safe again. Everything went smoothly.”
Chris · Google review, July 2025
“The guys at Otway Tree Care are simply the best in the business. (Best organised and best value for your money). Highly recommend these guys for your next job.”
Steve T. · Google review, April 2024
From our Google reviews. Read them all on Google.
Service area
Based in Apollo Bay, serving Colac and the Otways
Town blocks, coastal holiday homes, farms and bush blocks across the Otway Ranges and the Great Ocean Road.
Colac & district
- Colac
- Elliminyt
- Alvie
- Beeac
- Birregurra
Great Ocean Road
- Lorne
- Wye River
- Skenes Creek
- Apollo Bay
- Marengo
Otway Ranges
- Forrest
- Barwon Downs
- Gellibrand
- Beech Forest
- Lavers Hill
Further out
- Winchelsea
- Camperdown
Are quotes and site assessments free?
Yes. We come out, look at the tree and the site with you, and then give you a fixed-price quote for the work you want. There’s no charge for the visit and no obligation to go ahead.
What does a fixed-price quote cover?
Everything written in it: the work, the method, the clean-up, and what happens to the timber, chips and stump. The price we quote is the price you pay. If you ask for extra work on the day, we’ll price it with you before doing it.
Do I need a council permit to remove or prune a tree?
Often, yes. Most native vegetation in the Otways is protected, many properties sit under extra overlays (landscape, vegetation or landslip), and since September 2025 some large trees on town blocks need a permit too. Whether your tree needs one depends on the tree and exactly where your property is.
Check with council before work is booked — Colac Otway Shire (03 5232 9400) for most of the region, or Surf Coast Shire (03 5261 0600) for Lorne. If we think a permit is likely when we look at the job, we’ll tell you. Our plain-English permit guide explains the main rules.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry $20 million public liability insurance for arboricultural work, and WorkCover for our staff. Every job is planned with a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before work starts.
What should I do if a tree comes down?
Get everyone clear, then call 0448 762 058 — the line is answered 24/7. If power lines are involved, stay at least 10 metres away and call Powercor on 13 24 12. If anyone is in danger, call 000. More on storm and emergency work.
Which areas do you cover?
We’re based in Apollo Bay and work across the Otway Ranges and the Great Ocean Road — including Colac, Elliminyt, Birregurra, Beeac, Alvie, Lorne, Wye River, Skenes Creek, Apollo Bay, Marengo, Forrest, Barwon Downs, Gellibrand, Beech Forest and Lavers Hill, plus Winchelsea and Camperdown. If you’re just outside these areas, ask. See the service area.
How quickly will you get back to me?
We aim to reply to every non-emergency enquiry within 24 hours. For anything dangerous — a tree down, split or hanging over the house — call 0448 762 058 any time. The line is answered 24/7.
Free site assessment · Fixed-price quote
Tell us about your trees
Tell us what’s going on and where. We’ll call to talk it through, then come and look at the job — free — before giving you a fixed price.
- 0448 762 058Office Mon–Fri 7am–5pm · emergencies 24/7
- otwaytc@gmail.comWe aim to reply within 24 hours
- Based in Apollo BayServing Colac, the Otways and the Great Ocean Road
Tree down or dangerous right now? Don’t wait for a reply — call 0448 762 058. Stay at least 10 metres from fallen power lines and call Powercor on 13 24 12, or 000 if anyone is in danger.
Thanks, — your enquiry has been sent.
Here’s what happens next:
- We aim to reply within 24 hours, usually by phone on .
- We’ll arrange a time for a free site assessment in if the job needs one.
- You’ll get a fixed-price quote for the agreed work — no obligation.
Photos help us prepare. Text photos to 0448 762 058 or email them to otwaytc@gmail.com with your name.
Something urgent? Call 0448 762 058 — 24/7 for storm damage and dangerous trees.