Not sure whether a tree needs to come down, needs pruning, or is actually fine? Weighing up two conflicting quotes? Trying to plan a garden around what you've already got? Book a consultation and get an honest, on-site opinion from a qualified arborist, before you spend money on the wrong thing.
A consultation is a conversation, not a document. You get a qualified arborist standing in front of the actual tree with you, talking through what's going on and what your realistic options are. Sometimes that means "prune it back in spring and you're fine." Sometimes it means "honestly, this one's not coming good, here's why." Either way, you leave knowing more than you did when we arrived.
This is different to a written arborist report. If you specifically need a formal document, for a council permit, an insurance claim, a pre-purchase settlement deadline, or a VCAT hearing, that's handled through our dedicated Arborist Reports service, which follows a different process and pricing structure. A lot of people book a consultation first to work out whether they even need a report at all, and quite often the answer is no.
Nathan Hawes, our lead consulting arborist, is Level 3 qualified, the highest field-based standard in the industry, and he's the one most people end up talking to. He's not paid on commission for recommending removals, so there's no incentive to talk you into work you don't need.
Different situations call for a different kind of conversation. Here's the ground we cover most often.
You've got a tree, or several, and you're not sure what to do about them. We walk the property with you, talk through what we're seeing, and give you a clear sense of priorities, what's urgent, what can wait, and what's not actually a problem.
Considering a property with a large tree close to the house? We'll walk it with you and give you a straight verbal read on structural condition and obvious hazards. Need it in writing for the sale? That's a job for our Reports team.
Been told a healthy tree needs removing, or a genuinely risky one is fine? A second, independent set of eyes is often the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy against an unnecessary removal or a missed hazard.
Thinking about what to plant, and where? We factor in mature size, root behaviour, proximity to structures and your soil, so you're not back here again in fifteen years dealing with the same problem in a different spot.
Before you lock in a design with an architect or landscaper, get an early read on which trees are worth designing around and which ones are realistically in the way. Saves redrawing plans later.
Larger gardens and bigger properties benefit from a periodic check-in, someone keeping an eye on how the trees are ageing over time, rather than only hearing from an arborist once something's already gone wrong.
Advice is only useful if you can trust who's giving it. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Nathan Hawes holds a Level 3 Arboriculture qualification, the top field-based standard in Australia. That's a genuinely different level of judgement to someone who just also happens to own a chainsaw.
No phone diagnoses from a blurry photo. A consultation means someone standing under the actual tree, looking at the actual soil, in the actual spot it's growing.
A consultation isn't a sales pitch dressed up as advice. If the honest answer is "this tree's fine, leave it," that's what we'll tell you, even though it means less work for us.
Soil type, wind exposure, species quirks, they all vary suburb to suburb across Melbourne. Fifteen years of doing this here means we're rarely guessing.
Most consultations are booked within a few days of your call. If you're mid-decision and just need a straight answer, we won't leave you waiting weeks for it.
You'll know the consultation fee before we book anything. If it turns out you actually need a formal written report, we'll say so, and hand you over to that team with a clear quote, not a vague upsell.
It's less formal than people expect. We turn up, you show us what's on your mind, and we spend real time actually looking, at the trunk, the canopy, the base, the soil, how close it sits to anything that matters. Then we talk it through with you on the spot, in plain language, not jargon you need to look up afterwards.
You'll walk away with a clear sense of what's urgent, what can wait a season, and what genuinely doesn't need touching. If it turns out you need something in writing for council, insurance or a legal matter, we'll tell you plainly and point you to our Reports service, rather than padding out a consultation into something it isn't.
These get mixed up a lot, understandably, since both start with someone qualified looking at your tree. The difference is what you walk away with. A consultation gets you a conversation and verbal advice, useful for decision-making, budgeting, and peace of mind. A formal report gets you a written, referenced document built to a specific standard, the kind council, an insurer, or a tribunal will actually accept as evidence.
If you're not sure which one you need, that's a completely normal place to start. Book a consultation, tell us what the situation is, and we'll tell you honestly whether a verbal opinion is enough or whether you should go straight to our Arborist Reports service instead. No point paying for a document you don't actually need.
Don't spend money on removal, pruning or a formal report until you know what you're actually dealing with. Book a straight-talking consultation first.
📞 (03) 9525 7667 — Book a ConsultationNot every tree question needs a formal process. Here's where a conversation genuinely earns its keep.
A tree's causing some concern, but you don't know if it's a prune, a monitor, or a removal. That uncertainty is exactly what a consultation is for.
One company says remove it, another says it's fine. A genuinely independent opinion, from someone with nothing riding on either answer, cuts through that.
Before you commit to a property or a design, understanding what you're working with, or around, saves headaches and redesigns later.
Choosing species and positions properly the first time is a lot cheaper than removing a poorly placed tree in a decade.
Before committing to expensive removal or extensive pruning work, it's worth an independent check that the spend is actually necessary.
Rather than waiting for a problem to become urgent, a periodic consultation helps you stay ahead of issues on a bigger property.
These are the conversations we have most often, regardless of which part of Melbourne you're in.
A tree can look alarming and be perfectly fine, or look fine and be structurally compromised. We give you a genuine read, not a guess from the footpath.
Buyers often notice a big tree during an inspection but have no real way to judge its condition on the spot. A quick walkthrough settles the question before the cooling-off period runs out.
Two companies, two totally different recommendations, and now you don't know who to believe. An independent consultation gives you a third, unbiased read.
A lot of removals happen because a tree was planted in the wrong spot the first time. Getting proper advice before planting avoids repeating the mistake.
Landscape and renovation plans sometimes get drawn up before anyone's checked which trees are actually worth keeping. Better to know early.
Some situations genuinely need a formal written report, plenty don't. We'll tell you honestly which camp yours falls into before you pay for one you don't need.
Consultations are priced separately from formal written reports, and are generally the cheaper starting point.
A standard site consultation, one property, a general walk-through and verbal advice, is our most affordable option, and it's often all people actually need. Consultations covering multiple trees, a larger property, or a more involved conversation around planning or planting take a bit longer and cost a little more.
If it turns out during the visit that you genuinely need something in writing, we'll quote that separately as a formal report, through our dedicated Reports service, rather than folding an undisclosed cost into the consultation fee.
Generic advice isn't much use when the soil in Bulleen behaves completely differently to the soil in Frankston, and a tree that thrives near the bay can genuinely struggle twenty minutes inland. Fifteen years of working across greater Melbourne means our consultants have a real feel for how trees actually behave in your particular pocket of the city, not just what a textbook says in general.
If your situation does end up needing formal documentation, whether that's for a council permit, an insurance claim, or a legal matter, we'll flag it clearly during the consultation and point you to our Reports team, who handle council-specific formatting and thresholds as their own dedicated service.
A few things local knowledge changes:
Every consultation is shaped around what you actually need it for, but the core visit looks like this.
Already know you need something in writing? Save yourself a step and head straight to our Arborist Reports service.
Go to Reports →Simple and low-pressure, from your first call to a clear answer.
Call or send a message with a rough idea of the situation. We'll give you a fixed consultation fee upfront, no surprises.
We schedule a time that suits you, usually within a few days. You'll know exactly when we're arriving.
You show us what's on your mind, we look properly, and we talk it through with you on the spot, in plain language.
You leave knowing what's urgent, what can wait, and what doesn't need touching at all, plus honest next-step recommendations.
If a formal written report is genuinely required, we'll say so and connect you with our Reports service, quoted separately.
Straight answers to what people ask us before booking.
A consultation is an on-site visit and a verbal conversation, useful for general advice, decision-making and peace of mind. A formal arborist report is a written, referenced document built to a specific standard, the kind needed for council permits, insurance claims or legal proceedings. If you already know you need something in writing, head straight to our dedicated Arborist Reports service instead.
A standard single-property consultation typically starts from around $150 to $250, depending on the number of trees and the size of the property. This covers the site visit and verbal advice. If a formal written report turns out to be needed, that's quoted separately through our Reports service.
Most consultations are booked within a few days of your call. If you're mid-decision and just need a straight answer before committing to anything, we'll try to get to you as quickly as we reasonably can.
Yes, and it's one of the more common reasons people book with us. We'll give you an honest, independent read on the tree in question, regardless of what you've already been told elsewhere.
Yes. We factor in mature size, root behaviour, soil and proximity to structures so you're choosing something that'll actually suit the spot long-term, not just look good for the first few years.
No. A consultation is independent advice, not a sales pitch. If a tree's genuinely fine and doesn't need work, that's exactly what we'll tell you. Plenty of our consultations end with "leave it alone," and that's a perfectly good outcome.
If you already know you need a written document for council, insurance or a legal matter, you can go straight to our dedicated Arborist Reports service rather than booking a consultation first. If you're not sure which one applies to your situation, book a consultation and we'll tell you honestly, sometimes people think they need a report when a conversation is genuinely all that's required.
Ready for a straight answer? Here's how to reach us.
Book a consultation and get a straight answer. Level 3 qualified, honest advice, no removal upsell.
📞 (03) 9525 7667 — Call NowA consultation is only as good as the person doing it. Every consultation is led by a qualified arborist who's actually trained to make these calls, not a labourer with an opinion. Here's who you're talking to when you book with Redback.
Nathan is our lead consulting arborist with over 10 years of hands-on arboricultural experience across residential, commercial, and council work. Certified at Level 3, the highest field qualification in the industry, he leads most of our on-site consultations and has genuinely no incentive to talk you into work you don't need.
Ben holds a Certificate V in Arboriculture, one step above the standard trade qualification, and often assists on consultations involving large or structurally complex trees where a closer, hands-on look adds real value.
Tom is a Level 3 qualified arborist with a particular strength in structural assessment, getting an accurate read on a tree's form and condition rather than a surface-level guess. He supports consultations where a technical eye matters.
Jason has been doing this work for over 25 years. That experience is genuinely useful in a consultation, he's seen how trees actually fail over time, not just how they look on the day you happen to notice them.
Matthew manages the day-to-day operations of our arborist crew and often coordinates the follow-up works once a consultation has settled on a plan.
Brayden's focus is tree removal, specifically the kind others find difficult, and he's often the one carrying out the works once a consultation has confirmed removal is genuinely the right call.
403-405 Lower Dandenong Rd,
Dingley Village VIC 3172.
Office 2/455 North Rd, Ormond VIC 3204.
32 Simms Rd, Greensborough VIC 3088.
