On the weekend of 17-18 May, Save Wollar Action Group (SWAG) hosted visitors from Sydney and Hunter community organisations who were keen to learn more about the expansion of coal mining near Wollar, 50km northeast of Mudgee.
There were 16 Nannas from Sydney and the Hunter, some school strikers, Rising Tide activists and a contingent of mostly young people from Voices for Power. Voices for Power brings people from diverse backgrounds together in Western Sydney to inform communities about the transition to renewables and how they can be part of it.
We were all responding to a callout to save critical ecosystems in danger of irreversible damage by proposed mine expansions around Wollar.
Meeting the locals
We arrived on Saturday and were welcomed to Wiradjuri country by Alisha Lonsdale of the Mudgee Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Bev Smiles and Dr Julia Imrie gave us the background to their current campaign against the two parts of Yancoal’s Moolarben operations. There is an open cut mine extension in the planning system, and an approved underground mine threatening The Drip, the Goulburn River and the Goulburn River National Park.
Bev explained how Wollar was a thriving community of 300 people when in 2006 the Wilpinjong mine was approved, followed by two other massive mines, Moolarben and Ulan. The mines’ 24-hour operations with noise, including from blasting, pollution and light eventually drove residents out of the village. The mining company bought up the land, the shop and the school and demolished many of the houses.
Dr Julia Imrie told us about becoming a resident on the Goulburn River 50 years ago. She was motivated to become involved in the campaign against the first mine when she observed its impact on the Goulburn River as it flowed through her property. She decided to gain expertise in water issues through studying for her doctorate. Her knowledge of water issues has been a great resource for the community campaign.
The Nannas were very impressed by Bev and Julia’s teamwork in explaining the environmental and social impacts of the mines, and their many years of working together.
Tour of the area
Part of our weekend was a bus tour of the mine sites. We were shocked by the vast deep voids created by the three major mines. We learned a lot about the irreversible effects on the water table and the surrounding ecology.
We saw maps of the proposed expansion, and when we visited The Drip, an amazing natural sandstone gorge, we saw for ourselves how vulnerable the sandstone escarpments were to subsidence if there was to be major geological disturbance nearby. This area is a popular part of the Goulburn River National Park for good reason. It has magical beauty.
Beside our visit to the gorge, we visited Munghorn Gap Reserve, the second oldest in the state, and learned more about the natural springs surrounding the river, which would be destroyed if the Moolarben Open Cut Mine Extension is approved. Both this area and the gorge are cool wildlife refuges for many critically endangered species, especially as they face global heating. The native species most at risk from the Moolarben mine are koalas, regent honeyeaters, broad-headed snakes, large-eared pied bats and eastern cave bats.
At this reserve we saw maps clearly showing the impact the proposed expansion would have on three sides of the reserve, seriously disturbing its viability as a nature reserve. The best outcome would be for the area proposed for mining to be incorporated into the reserve.
The current situation
The Memorial Hall remains in community hands and is a valued centre for gatherings of local people, most of whom live on surrounding properties.
The mines have all extended since their first approvals and all have new extensions in the planning system. At present, they cover well over 200 km2. Nannas were horrified to see the scale of the mines: their depth as well as the huge expanses of devastated land.
Since the Mudgee area became part of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone a few people have returned to the area, hoping to rebuild the community. But the coal mines already have approval to mine thermal coal until 2038, which no doubt is a conflict of interest with the development of the REZ.
The community campaigners are worried that the restoration bonds due to be paid by the mining companies are inadequate, and sadly there will be no way to restore the lost ecosystems.
For the community it has been a full-time job to keep up with the mining companies’ plans in detail, and then plan protest actions and write submissions.
The Drip is close to the edge of the Goulburn River in the Goulburn River National Park. Very close to the National Park is Moolarben Underground 4 Mine, which was approved in 2007 and has had many modifications in the intervening 18 years.
The underground longwalls are now reaching the area near the river and The Drip, and if the company’s extraction plan is approved, mining could go as close as 100-200m from the National Park.
Action Plan – Step One
We need to act now! Please send an urgent short message expressing your support for a 2km buffer zone from the edge of the National Park to stop any underground mining near The Drip Gorge and the Goulburn River. A letter-writing campaign to NSW Ministers about this will be our first action to follow our trip to Wollar.
Final decisions on the Mine Extraction Plan are being made now.
Special request
Dr Julia Imrie has made a special request to Knitting Nannas and our friends. She writes:
Underground 4 Moolarben Mine represents the greatest mining threat so far to integrity and stability of The Drip Gorge and the Goulburn River.
Moolarben Coal (UG4) Extraction Plans threaten cliff stability, groundwater, the long-term resilience of the river ecosystem. It could also mean an end to public access to the gorge.
The risk of underground mining closer than 2kms from The Drip and Corner Gorges and the Goulburn River cannot be permitted. UG4 proposed longwalls 408-414 need to be shortened to avoid further damage to this iconic area.
More information see: https://mdeg.org.au/yancoals-moolarben-ug4-extraction/
Send your messages via the NSW Ministers page:
Penny Sharpe: https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-environment-heritage
Paul Scully: https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-planning-and-public-spaces
Trish Doyle: bluemountains@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Organisers
This event was hosted by the Save Wollar Action Group (SWAG) and we enjoyed hearing many stories about Wollar past and present. SWAG was assisted by Manjot Kaur, the Nature Conservation Council’s coal campaigner, who grew up in Mudgee. Manjot facilitated discussions, story-telling sessions and mapping out the next steps to save Wollar.
A film maker was also working on a documentary about the campaign. When the film is finished, it will be available for screenings in Sydney community venues and homes. Gathering people to watch the film will help build campaign momentum and encourage people to make submissions regarding the assessment to the Independent Planning Commission, which is likely to be in late June or July.
Our thanks to our hosts for bringing us together, for good food, great company and for the opportunities to truly understand why and how we must win against the Moolarben mine.