As a new survey trainee, there’s a lot that is new and interesting about on the job experience. The team at Compass Consulting Surveyors has helped me gain a continually expanding understanding of the jobs surveyors undertake and, importantly, the tools used to undertake those jobs. From tape measures to total stations, there’s a [...]

What is Delimitation? Delimitation is the process of removing a limitation notification from a Land Title. A Plan of Delimitation is the survey plan that is lodged with NSW Land Registry Services in order to remove this limitation notification. It must be a plan of survey; it cannot be compiled or otherwise arranged. How [...]

Since 1788, the rapidly growing colony of Australia utilised land surveyors. Land surveyors were assigned the task of delineating new land rights as settlers spread out from Sydney. Early maps were prepared with the intention of showing the topography of the land to allow for planning of transport routes and potential settlement locations. Government [...]

When planning the Gallipoli campaign, the staff of Sir Ian Hamilton used a map scaled from a French map dated 1854, supplemented by information obtained by aerial reconnaissance. In the ten days leading up the 25th of April, flights over the area were performed to correct errors and update the Turkish positions and defences. [...]

Smoke from fires south of Denman NSW, 17 October 2013 The start of the bushfire season for 2013 was a wake-up call for most Australians. Sydney was blanketed in smoke while 56,000 hectares of bushland in the Blue Mountains was reduced to ashes. More than 200 properties were destroyed and many more buildings [...]

A surveyor is often asked some tricky questions. A common question we face is “Can I sell part of my land?” To answer this question, first you must establish whether your land consists of more than one parcel, or lot and DP (Deposited Plan). Online tools such as the SIX Viewer or even Google [...]

A common question posed to Surveyors is the old classic “Can my land be subdivided?” Often the answer to this question is relatively simple; however there are many factors which must be considered. The factors to be considered when looking to subdivide land include, but of course are not limited to the following items. [...]

In order to own land in New South Wales, the details of the land and the legal owner are noted on a Register maintained by Land Registry Services NSW. The most secure form of land title is a title issued under the Torrens title system. The Torrens title system is based on a single [...]

A Community Plan is a subdivision of a parcel of Real Property land into three or more separate lots. The first lot of the Community Scheme, Lot 1, is the Association Property. This is shared property between the other lots in the scheme and is similar to Common Property in a Strata Scheme. Association [...]

Coping skills Working in remote regions of NSW often involves solving problems. The best problems, of course, are the ones that aren’t yours! It’s much easier to solve somebody else's problems, especially when the solution falls into your area of expertise. The worst problems are your own, especially when the solution is beyond your [...]