For homeowners and prospective buyers in Victoria who want to check whether a property is on or near a current or former landfill. Last reviewed June 2026.
The fastest way to check is Victoria Unearthed, the free public map run by the Victorian Government, which lets you search an address for potentially contaminated land and current or former landfills. Type in the property address, look for any landfill, priority site or environmental audit records on or near it, and note the distance. A clear result is reassuring, but it is not a guarantee — many old, closed tips are poorly documented or never made it onto a register. For a purchase decision or a development proposal, a short professional desktop review fills the gaps.
Victoria Unearthed brings together several state datasets in one map. Searching an address shows you whether the site or surrounding land carries any of the following:
To use it, search your property address, then zoom out a little and look at the land around it as well as the parcel itself. Landfill gas is a concern not only on a former tip but on land near one, because gas can migrate through the ground. Historically, around 500 metres is the distance within which landfill gas risk to a nearby development is typically considered — though whether your specific site needs anything depends on your council and EPA Victoria's guideline, not a single hard number. So if there is a current or former landfill within a few hundred metres, it is worth a closer look.
This is the most important point on this page. Victoria Unearthed is an excellent first filter, but its records are only as good as the history that was captured. Many landfills closed decades ago, before modern record-keeping. Small council tips, quarry-pit infills and informal dumping grounds were often never formally registered. So a clean Victoria Unearthed result reduces the likelihood of a problem — it does not prove there was never a tip on or near your land.
This matters because landfill gas is approximately 50% methane and approximately 50% carbon dioxide, plus trace gases. Methane is flammable in air between about 5% and 15% by volume, and both methane and carbon dioxide can displace oxygen in confined spaces. The concern is gas migrating into enclosed or below-ground spaces — a basement, an underfloor void, a service trench — not gas in open air, which disperses. A property with no enclosed below-ground spaces is generally lower concern than one with a basement.
Where a map search is inconclusive, or where you are making a significant decision such as buying or building, an environmental consultant can carry out a desktop review that goes beyond the public registers. A typical review looks at:
The consultant uses these to build a Source–Pathway–Receptor picture: is there a credible gas source, a pathway for it to travel, and a receptor (you, your home) at the other end? If all three are plausible, the next step would be a fuller landfill gas risk assessment, and sometimes ground gas monitoring on site. If any link is missing or weak, you get clear, written reassurance instead.
If you are buying, a landfill nearby is not automatically a deal-breaker — plenty of homes sit comfortably near former tips with no issue. What it changes is your due diligence. A nearby former landfill flagged on Victoria Unearthed is a reason to get a professional opinion before you commit, not after. The same applies if you plan to extend, add a basement, or develop the land later: any new development on or near a current or former landfill may trigger a landfill gas assessment as a condition of a planning permit, with the council as the planning authority applying EPA Victoria's landfill buffer guideline. Knowing this up front protects your budget and your timeline.
If you'd like to know whether your property is affected, the simplest first step is a professional check — you can request a free quote and we'll tell you what (if anything) your site needs. You can also read more about our landfill gas risk assessments. Automated Environmental is a Victorian specialist in this work.
Start with Victoria Unearthed, the Victorian Government's free public map. Search your property address and look for any current or former landfill, priority site or environmental audit record on the property or the surrounding land. Because the public registers can miss old, poorly documented tips, the next step for a purchase or development decision is a professional desktop review that checks historical aerial photographs, council records and the local geology.
Victoria Unearthed is a free online map run by the Victorian Government that lets you search a property for potentially contaminated land and current or former landfills. It brings together several state datasets, including the landfill register, priority sites and environmental audit locations, so you can check one address against all of them in a single search.
No. Many old or closed tips are poorly documented or were never formally registered, particularly small council tips and informal dumping grounds that closed decades ago before modern record-keeping. A clear result on Victoria Unearthed reduces the likelihood of a problem but does not guarantee there was never a landfill on or near your land. That gap is exactly what a professional desktop review, using historical aerial photographs and old council records, is designed to fill.
A nearby former landfill is not automatically a reason not to buy — many homes sit near former tips without any issue. It is a reason to do your due diligence before you commit. Get a professional opinion on whether landfill gas could realistically reach the property, especially if the home has a basement or enclosed below-ground spaces, or if you plan to develop the land later, since that can trigger a landfill gas assessment under a planning permit.
Do not panic — outdoor gas disperses, and the concern is specifically gas entering enclosed or below-ground spaces. The practical next step is to have an environmental consultant carry out a desktop review to work out whether there is a credible source, pathway and receptor. If that review finds the risk is plausible, they may recommend a fuller landfill gas risk assessment or ground gas monitoring. If it finds the risk is low, you get clear written reassurance.
Related reading: Is it safe to live near a landfill? · Building near a former landfill · Do I need a landfill gas risk assessment for a planning permit?
This article is general information, not legal or professional advice. EPA Victoria guidance should be read in full and professional advice obtained for your specific site and circumstances.