The Long road to the Maules Creek Mine site

Taking the long road

Whitehaven’s Maules Creek mine threatens to annihilate 1664 hectares of bush

Leard State forest, North West Slopes of NSW, Australia.

The bulldozers are waiting to move in. The site is being scoured for Indigenous artefacts and road and rail links being prepared. Despite serious questions being raised about the effectiveness and truthfulness of Whitehaven’s rehabilitation plans in a court case bought by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment (NICE), the company is giving every indication that they are about to move ahead with their Maules Creek project, stating that they expect their first coal shipments to go ahead in 2015.

The Maules Creek Project Area. The background forest will be occupied by an open cut mine while the foreground will be occupied by machinery.

Investigating the site of the future mine we meandered through low woodlands in a small valley. Bird calls filled the forest with song and lizards darted from our path. The valley had a good feel, with potential for water on a small creekline and more shade then the surrounding dry ridges. An abundance of flagging tape indicating indigenous heritage sites confirmed the hospitability of the area. There seemed to be scar trees and artefact deposits in the area, and we’d been told to look out for grindstones. As we travelled up the valley the forest opened out into sprawling elysian fields of native grass.

Looking over part of the site that will be occupied by the rail and loading facilities

We neared a vast open area with some white vans in the distance. Lines of despondent looking traditional owners trudged across the field staring at the ground, hired to find anything they could of their ancestors heritage before the whole area was destroyed. Rumour had it that Whitehaven’s supervisors had instructed them to march single file in order to decrease artefact finds.

Ephemeral Creekline in the forest. This will be bulldozed, blasted, and excavated to form a giant pit.

Traversing a ridgeline bought us to a perch on a ridge with panoramic views of the forest. We looked across the valley with mournful hearts, fully cognizant that Whitehavens plans involved destroying everything we could see. Birds darted past in the bright sunlight, oblivious to the oncoming destruction. This area is home to 130 species, 34 of which are endangered and will become permanently threatened if the project goes ahead.

The vast majority of this scene will become an open cut mine. On a clear day another nearby natural refuge is visible, in the form of Mount Kaputar.

The longer you spend in this forest the more life you notice. As we wearily made our way back the shadows lengthened and the chorus of birds intensified to farewell the day. Ultimately all of this forest was to be flattened for money. What is energy really worth? And money? and when will it be enough?

A bird’s nest on the planned site of the Maules Creek mine