The short answer
Yes, McDermott Plumbing covers Greenmount, Boya, Helena Valley, Darlington and Glen Forrest for licensed plumbing and gas: burst pipes and leaks, blocked drains on sewered properties, hot water repairs and replacements, leak detection and gas fitting. Call (08) 6187 3999 or text 0406 882 648. We’re based in Ellenbrook, so the hills are a planned run east, and we’ll give you a real ETA when you ring. We don’t install, pump or service septic tanks or ATUs.
Greenmount, Boya and Helena Valley
Greenmount sits on the edge of the Darling Scarp. A convict depot was built on its slopes under Edward Du Cane in 1854, a government blue-stone quarry opened on the western slope in the 1870s, and Greenmount Hill is still the main ascent from the Swan Coastal Plain, either by Old York Road or Great Eastern Highway. The Shire of Mundaring groups Greenmount and Helena Valley, together with Bellevue, Midvale and Swan View, as one of its three communities.
Boya’s name is a Noongar word for ‘stone’, and quarrying is what it was best known for. It also had Cape Horn, a notorious curve on the old Eastern Railway where runaway trains derailed more than once. Boya has a lot of architectural variety because of the steep and rocky blocks, and being next to Greenmount National Park and the old quarry it has been threatened by bushfires in recent years. Helena Valley is a river valley with soils ranging from sand to loam and clay; it has many rural houses as well as six estates, and sits about 5 km from Midland.
Darlington and Glen Forrest
Darlington grew up unplanned around the Darlington Winery in the late nineteenth century. The old Mundaring loop of the Eastern Railway ran through it from 1890 to 1954, and it was a picnic and holiday-home destination long before it became a place to live all year. Orchards covered much of it in the early 1900s; the later break-up of farms and orchards into smaller lots is what pushed the population up. It sits on the escarpment of the Darling Fault and is bisected by Nyaania Creek.
Glen Forrest changed its name from Smith’s Mill in 1915 to honour Sir John Forrest. Forestry and the Stathams Brickworks, which worked a patch of white clay now used as a park, were its early industries. The Shire of Mundaring lists Boya, Darlington and Glen Forrest in its Hills community, known for forested properties and heritage character.
Sewer, septic and what we do
Whether a hills property is on Water Corporation sewer isn’t something we can guess from the suburb name. Water Corporation has a property search that shows whether a given address has sewer service. Where sewer isn’t available, the Shire of Mundaring requires an on-site effluent disposal system approved by the Shire, and only licensed liquid waste contractors can pump those out.
McDermott Plumbing does not install, pump or service septic tanks or ATUs. If your smell or backup is on a septic system, you need a septic contractor. On sewered properties we clear and repair the property drains as usual, and Water Corporation still owns the main. We’ll still help with the house side (toilets and fixtures, hot water, leaks and licensed gas) and tell you straight away if a job has crossed into septic territory.
What we see in the hills
Terrain and age decide most of the work:
- Steep, rocky blocks: pipe runs and hot water units in awkward spots, and access that needs planning. Tell us about steps, gates and where we can park.
- Older homes and holiday-home conversions in Darlington and Glen Forrest: original supply pipe and old fixtures joined to later extensions.
- Established gardens with big trees on sewered lots. Water Corporation notes that homes over 15 years old are less likely to have PVC sewer pipe and more at risk from roots, and this suburb has plenty of those.
- Estates in Helena Valley and the lower hills: newer plumbing, with hot water, leaks and kitchen or laundry faults the usual calls.
- Properties close to Greenmount National Park and the old quarries, where bushfire planning matters: exposed external pipework and gas fittings are worth a look while we’re already on site.
Jobs we do around Greenmount and Darlington
- Blocked toilets and drains on sewered properties
- Hot water repairs and replacements (gas, electric, solar and continuous flow)
- 24/7 burst pipe and leak call-outs
- Leak detection and high water bill checks
- Gas fitting and gas leak checks
- Bathroom and laundry plumbing for renovations
Common questions
- Which suburbs does this page cover?
- Greenmount, Boya, Helena Valley, Darlington and Glen Forrest. Mundaring, Kalamunda and Swan View have their own pages. If you’re not sure whether your address is covered, call (08) 6187 3999 with the street.
- Do you do septic tanks in Darlington?
- No. We don’t install, pump or service septic tanks or ATUs. For a sewered property we handle the property drains as normal. For a septic fault, use a septic contractor. We still do house plumbing and gas on those properties.
- How do I know if my Boya or Glen Forrest property is on sewer?
- Check the address on Water Corporation’s property search. If sewer is not available, the property needs an effluent disposal system approved by the Shire of Mundaring. We can tell you what we see, but we won’t guess.
- Our Darlington house has steep access. Does that change the job?
- It can. Tell us about steps, gates and parking when you book so we bring the right gear and give you a realistic ETA.
- How far is Greenmount from your base?
- It’s a planned run east from Ellenbrook up to the scarp. Traffic on the highway changes the time, so we’ll give you a real ETA when you ring.
Nearby
Northern suburbs next to this one.
The jobs we get called for most here.
Related pages
Official sources
Last updated 12 October 2026. General information only. Every property is different, so call us to talk about yours.