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.
About · Family-run arborists, based in Apollo Bay
A family business, led by a qualified arborist
Otway Tree Care is run by Tom Kleindienst, a qualified arborist with more than 12 years’ experience working on trees across Colac and the Otways.
- Qualified arborist
- $20M public liability + WorkCover
- SWMS on every job
Why Otway Tree Care exists
Honest advice, the right gear, and a job finished properly
“I started Otway Tree Care to bring something different to this region — honest advice, qualified expertise, and a team that actually cares about the result. I don’t just see a tree as something to cut down. Every job gets the right assessment, the right plan and the right equipment.”
— Tom Kleindienst, founder
That still describes how we work. Most jobs start with Tom walking around the tree with you, explaining what he sees and what the options are. Sometimes the answer is a full removal. Sometimes it’s a reduction, some deadwood out, or — like the limb we turned into a nesting hollow — something you wouldn’t expect.
The view from work
Coast, farms, town and forest — often in the same week
Tom has a habit of taking a photo from the top of the tree. Between them, they’re a fair map of the region we work in.
How we work
What you can expect from us
Qualified judgement
Advice before cutting
We explain what’s happening with the tree and why before recommending any work. People trust decisions they can follow — and sometimes the right answer is less work, not more.
Local knowledge
We know the conditions
Salt wind on the coast, cypress windbreaks on the farms, steep and slippery blocks, and tall timber in wet gullies. Based in Apollo Bay, we work across all of it.
The right equipment
Gear matched to the site
Our own chipper, tracked stump grinder and loader-mounted mulcher, plus trucks to cart material away. When a job needs an elevated work platform or a crane, we bring one in.
A complete finish
Fixed price, safe work, clean site
A fixed-price quote before we start, a Safe Work Method Statement for every job, and a clean-up that’s part of the job — not an extra.
The crew
A small crew, and the next generation of climbers
Tom works alongside a small crew, including an apprentice arborist learning climbing, rigging and machine work on real Otways jobs.
Hiring We’re looking for a climbing arborist or an apprentice arborist to join the crew.
Equipment
The kit that does the heavy lifting
Insurance and safety
Covered, documented, and careful
- $20 million public liability insurance for arboricultural work.
- WorkCover for our staff.
- A Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) prepared for every job before work starts.
- ABN 65 763 136 633 — a registered Australian business.
Recent work
All projects
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.
An old cypress windbreak makes way for a native garden
An overgrown cypress windbreak along a rural driveway was removed, chipped and ground out to make way for a native garden that’s easier to manage.
Talk to us about your trees
Free site assessments and fixed-price quotes across Colac, Apollo Bay and the Otways. Storm damage? Call any time.