The urban and rural communities of the North East Maitland hinterland and Paterson River Valley are under threat from hard rock mining expansion

Martins Creek Quarry was established in the early 1900's and was operated by the crown as a rail ballast quarry. In recent years the quarry operation has changed from one that exported rail ballast on rail in to a construction material quarry that transports product primarily by truck.

Output from the quarry has allegedly been illegally intensified by the previous operator Railcorp and the current operator Daracon; from the 1991 EIS consent annual limit of 300,000 tonne to a 2014 record of +1,400,000 tonne.

If the Independent Planning Commission grant an approval to a proposed 1,100,000 tonne per annum expansion for the Martins Creek Quarry, this will result in;

• the loss of safe neighborhood streets for children to play on after school

• the depreciation in property values impacted by pit operations and mining haul roads

• a down turn in local businesses trading in goods & services, hospitality, tourism and wedding functions along haul roads

• a loss of amenity for surrounding residents of the site who will be further impacted by vibration, lighting, noise and dust

• a loss of EPBC listed threatened species habitat and corridors

Communities and commerce within the existing Maitland Hinterlands and Paterson Valley districts are thriving; with local agriculture, residential construction, equine industry and services, tourism, wedding venues, hospitality and agricultural tertiary education all providing jobs and economic support to the region. According to 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics for the Dungog Shire these sectors provide 1719 local jobs. An expansion of hard rock mining which pays no state royalties and contributes little to the local economy will place at risk many of these local jobs and local businesses. 

Learn what you can do now to TAKE ACTION against this possible development and get added to our email list to be kept up to date with regular news and information on the issue.