Month: December 2022

Area of Outstanding Biodiversity Nomination

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The Seven Mile Beach National Park, together with adjoining native vegetation on freehold and crown lands, forms a vulnerable, albeit disconnected island of biologically significant coastal vegetation.
We propose this area be considered as an Area of Outstanding Biodiversity Value due to its complex association of Endangered Ecological Communities that support a large number of threatened fauna species and one endangered population (as listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016).
The nomination area represents the largest parcel of coastal vegetation between the Shoalhaven River in the south and Royal National Park in the north and includes one of the most important coastal freshwater
wetlands in NSW.
These values make a significant contribution to persistence of biodiversity in New South Wales.

Protect Aboriginal Heritage on Minnamurra River from Boral’s Destructive Sand Mine

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By Howard H Jones

Traditional custodians are not finished with the fight to stop the Boral Dunmore sand mine along the Minnamurra River. Many thought the fight was over after the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) gave it the go ahead, but Aboriginal people who have historical connections with this land, are not giving up.

Dr. Brendan Corrigan has been appointed by Minister Ley to report on an application to protect heritage values under Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984. He will be reporting on whether the Aboriginal heritage values in this recently approved sand mine warrant federal protection.

In submissions to the inquiry our small environment group questioned the lack of due diligence in the Department of Planning and Environment heritage advice to the IPC that underpinned this approval. Traditional custodians presented further evidence of the rich heritage values and their cultural connections to the land in the hope that these values will be protected.

There is developing evidence the proposed mine is located on a major Aboriginal occupation site, which makes sense considering the Minnamurra is the largest river in the Illawarra and the river flats would have provided extensive food and other resources.

The full article can be found on the New Bush Telegraph at this site. (in a new window)

The submission to Dr Brendan Corrigan can be viewed here (in a new window)

Stories of Destruction and Regeneration at Seven Mile Beach

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Stories of Destruction and Regeneration at Seven Mile Beach

This is a tale of two stories. The first tells of a small environment group’s fight to stop environmental destruction by a sand mining company at Seven Mile Beach near Gerroa. It is a war story covering thirty-five years and with no end in sight. The other is the resurrection story about the regeneration of the land destroyed by this company during that war. Both are remarkable stories of community determination and resilience. 

Story one starts with the clearing of Baileys Island in the mid-eighties. This bushland adjoins Crooked River and Blue Angle Creek at Gerroa.

The vegetation on Baileys Island was remarkable. An assemblage of at least five Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs), it encompassed the only intact coastal zonation of vegetation in our area. The ecology ranged from freshwater wetlands through swamp forests, bangalay sand forest and littoral rainforest to coastal banksia and acacia vegetation.

Read the full story of destruction and restoration here (in a new window)