First-year landscaping apprentice tool list

What you buy yourself in first year

Most landscaping employers expect a first year to turn up with PPE and a basic hand tool kit. Ask your boss before you start what they expect, because some supply nearly everything and some supply almost nothing.

• •8 metre tape measure
• •1200 mm spirit level and a small boat level
• •String line, line pins and a can or two of marking paint
• •Rubber mallet for pavers and a club hammer
• •Bolster and cold chisel for cutting and trimming
• •Brick trowel and pointing trowel
• •Utility knife, carpenter's pencil and a small square
• •Knee pads, because you will be kneeling on road base all year

What your employer usually supplies

The expensive, heavy and specialised gear is normally the employer's. You will use it every day, so learn to clean it, check it and report damage.

• •Skid steers, mini excavators, trailers and tippers
• •Plate compactors and rammers
• •Wet saws, demo saws and grinders
• •Concrete mixers, screed rails and concrete finishing tools
• •Laser levels and dumpy levels
• •Wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes and crowbars on most crews
• •Cordless drills, drivers and saws for timber work

Budget versus pro options

For hand tools, buy mid range and look after them. For anything you might buy later in your apprenticeship, like a cordless drill or a level you trust, a pro brand pays off over years of daily use.

• •Budget power tools: Ozito and Ryobi from the big hardware chains are fine for light personal use
• •Pro power tools: Makita, Milwaukee and HiKOKI are common on Australian landscaping crews
• •Levels: Stabila is the pro favourite, cheaper house brands are fine to start
• •Digging tools: Cyclone and Spear and Jackson are widely sold Australian brands
• •Outdoor power equipment: Stihl and Husqvarna dominate the pro market
• •Hammers and bolsters: Estwing and Stanley are common choices

PPE you cannot skip

Landscaping has real dust, noise, heat and crush risks. Cutting pavers, concrete and stone creates respirable crystalline silica, and Safe Work Australia lists cutting and laying pavers as work that can generate it.

• •Steel capped boots: brands like Steel Blue and Oliver are common on site
• •Safety glasses with clear and tinted lenses
• •Earmuffs or plugs for saws, compactors and machines
• •A fitted P2 or better respirator for cutting and dry sweeping
• •Rigger and nitrile gloves, and wet cement gloves for concrete
• •Broad brim hat, long sleeve shirt and sunscreen
• •Hi vis for commercial and civil sites

Tool allowance under the award

The Gardening and Landscaping Services Award (MA000101) includes a weekly tool allowance for tradespersons. It does not apply where the employer provides all the tools reasonably needed for the job. Whether and how it applies to you depends on your award, your classification and what your employer supplies.

We do not quote the dollar figure here because it changes. Check clause 17.4 of the award and the Fair Work Pay Calculator, and look for the allowance on your payslip.

Claiming tools at tax time

The ATO lets you claim tools and equipment you use for work. Items costing $300 or less can generally be claimed in full in the year you buy them, and dearer items are claimed over time as a depreciating asset. Protective gear like steel caps, glasses and sun protection used for work can also be claimable. You must have paid for it yourself, not been reimbursed, and you need receipts. If something is used partly for personal stuff, you can only claim the work part.

State tool rebates and other help

As at October 2026, the Northern Territory runs a workwear and workgear bonus for first year apprentices and trainees with a registered NT training contract: $300, or $1,000 if your trade is on the NT skilled occupation priority list. Check the NT page for whether landscaping is on the current priority list. It is paid after your contract is lodged with your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider.

We could not find a currently open state tool rebate for landscaping apprentices in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS or the ACT. Schemes open and close, so ask your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider what is available when you sign up.

Federally, Landscape Gardener is on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List (from 1 April 2026) in the Housing Construction stream. That can make eligible apprentices eligible for the Key Apprenticeship Program Apprentice Incentive and the Australian Apprentice Training Support Payment, which you can put towards tools and costs. The Priority List changes from 1 January 2027, so check eligibility when you start.

Look after your kit

• •Clean cement and concrete off tools the same day, before it sets
• •Mark your tools with paint or tape so they do not walk off site
• •Keep your level in a case or padded spot in the ute
• •Lock the ute and trailer, tool theft from sites is common
• •Replace cracked handles before they snap mid swing