Can you provide coordinates for my property boundaries?
In a simple answer, No.
In Queensland property boundaries are not defined by coordinates or GPS points. The Queensland titling system is based on the Torrens system, which provides certainty of title to land. The Torrens System ensures that a person purchasing land is able to acquire a secure title to that land in a process that facilitates timely and effective land dealings. Under the Torrens Titling system certificate of titles describe land referencing survey plans. Survey plans do not contain coordinates for property corners. Survey plans define property boundaries by a series of lines of bearings and distances measured by a surveyor with a list of marks that has been placed at each of the boundary corners (usually white pegs).
A surveyors job is to define and/or redefine the land boundaries using the best available evidence for establishing the intention of the parties at the time the boundaries were created and the greatest weight must always be given to lines and corners marked on the ground.
Therefore it is the survey marks that define your property boundaries, not coordinates.
Many maps are produced that show coordinates on them. Sometimes the property boundaries are plotted or overlaid onto these maps. These maps merely provide a representation of where the boundaries might be, and are approximate only. It is also important to note that handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates are not accurate in terms of repeatability and reliability (usually +-10m). In urban areas this means by using approximate coordinates and a handheld GPS you could be on your neighbour's lot! If you live on a rural property, sometimes approximate GPS coordinates from a map overlay may assist you in locating any visible survey marks (e.g. pegs or reference trees) at your property corners. Please keep in mind that TerraModus Surveying have performed rural surveys where the boundary overlay on maps were hundreds of metres out of position. It is common for rural fences to be built where it is easiest to build a fence for livestock and therefore fences in rural areas are often “working fences”and not “boundary fences”.
You may see surveyors use survey-grade GPS (millimetre accuracy with reliability). We use Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which are multi-constellation satellites of which the GPS system is the most well known. Survey-grade GNSS is a great tool to assist surveyors in their jobs but for most urban cadastral surveys GNSS is not suitable for land boundary measurements and that is why you see surveyors using total stations to accurately measure bearings (angles) and distances.
TerraModus Surveying are experts at defining boundaries and re-marking property corners. If you need to know where your property boundaries are please contact us for a boundary identification survey.