Cr Jim Doukas said he received dozens of complaints about unsealed roads in winter months and believed some could be prevented if maintenance was done earlier, based on traffic use.

"Some of these unsealed roads just aren't maintained early enough in the year, we aren't prepared because either we can't get around to them or the priority is wrong," Cr Doukas said. "Then when you get a lot of rain over a short period of time, the council is hamstrung."

Mailors Flat residents expressed disappointment this week at the state of Primmers Road, where large potholes appeared following heavy rainfall.

Resident Joanne Mark said she had contacted the council earlier this year to warn the road needed repairs before winter, but believed that request was ignored.

"I'm annoyed that it takes phone calls before they come and do anything," Mrs Mark said.

"It's a problem road, in summer it is extremely dusty and in winter we have the issues with the holes."

The council's acting chief executive Trev Greenberger said the council had a $1.5 million budget for maintaining unsealed roads, which were graded at least once a year, with some roads graded two or three times depending on the volume of traffic.

"Maintenance is on an inspection program and repairs happen in accordance with what is identified in the inspections or by way of service requests," Mr Greenberger said.

He said Primmers Road was graded twice a year, but a granitic sand cover meant it could not be graded in wet weather.

"(We) have advised the road will be graded as soon as possible. Unfortunately the weather has not been favourable, however a grader is in the area ready for when the weather clears," Mr Greenberger said.

Cr Daniel Meade defended the council's maintenance of unsealed roads saying he was "very impressed" with requests he had made.

"Our roads do cop a hammering from milk tankers, grain trucks, to tractors going from one kilometre to the next," Cr Meade said.

"We need to work hard to make sure they are up to standard."

Cr Doukas said he believed that more unsealed road should be sealed by the council, despite a council policy requiring a 50 per cent contribution from landholders.

"We can't seal every gravel road. But all those little roads around townships we should look at sealing them rather than this problem of coming back all the time," he said.

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