Helena and Aurora Range north of Southern Cross in WA
Submitted: Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 11:50
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KMP
Has anyone heard of the Helena and Aurora Range north of
Southern Cross in WA? It is a stunning banded ironstone range surrounded by woodland and sandplain. You can
camp and 4WD,
wildflowers are stunning at the moment and on the top of the range is 360 degree
views of natural bush. It also has high biological values with rare plants only found on that range and habitat for the peregrine falcon. However, with the recent government change in WA, there has been intense lobbying to explore and
mine the range for iron ore. If this happens, there is be no
camping or access throughout the entire area during and after the
mine (there will be a massive hole where there was once a stunning range). Huge haul roads will break up one of the few remaining intact landscapes and you will be able to see the
mine for
miles.
I am all for mining for economic wealth, but in areas that have high biological diversity, and valuable for
recreation and public use for now and future generations then these areas must be left alone. We need public support for this to stop. We need letters sent to the new Minister of the Environment, Donna Faragher, to let her know that the public value this area more that just for a few mining years and we want to maintain it for future generations. Public support stopped mining in others areas, we can do it for this one. Please write a letter directly to the Minister to let her hear your
views, not just the mining company
views.
Reply By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 13:44
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 13:44
yep got in touch with the company (I forget their name now ) and confirmed the ranges will be mined
- what happened to them being an A class
nature reserve?
it seems te DEC is to concenrned with locking
places out from low impact
recreation and doing little with the big picture
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: KMP - Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 19:24
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 19:24
Whatever you have been told by the mining company, there has been no decision that mining is allowed, hence all the lobbying. DEC are trying to protect area by proposing to make it a National
Park (which is for conservation and
recreation use, not mining) but people forget they are a government agency often restricted by Minister and Cabinet decisions. Ministers are the ones that need to be informed by the users of the area what they really think. You ask about what happen to A class reserve - that was a Labour Government Decision which Liberal can overturn if they want. This is the most important time for people to give their
views rather than resign it is going to happen.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Rod W - Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 15:04
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 15:04
The mining mob is Portman Mining from Kooyaknobbing.
Yep its like when the libs were last in power the Minister went against her department's recommendation not to
mine the Windarling Range and Mt Jackson. Windarling has/had an extremely endangered plant named Tetrateca Paynteri in it as
well as fabulous iron
pinnacles on it, I walked the range and took lots of photos of them. You can see the scare of Windarling on Goggle earth maps.
Windarling had far greater and long term tourism potential than the short term
mine.
Mining mobs are also trying to
mine the Mt Manning Range for its banded ironstone.
I find that whole Yilgan Region to be very fascinating and have been and explored the area many many times and I've only touch the surface. There is so much to see out there but one has to get off the main/beaten road/tracks and get your vehicle scratched.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 21:27
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 21:27
no its not portmans cant remember the name but have posted it and can look it up
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 09:44
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 09:44
Yep you're right Dave. This is from Portmans 30 June report;
During the half-year Portman made an agreement with Polaris Metal NL and
Southern Cross Goldfields
Limited, whereby Portman obtained non-magnetite iron ore rights to a number of tenements in the Yilgarn
region, in exchange for unencumbered access to the Bungalbin tenements. Consequently, Portman no
longer has any interest in the Helena and Aurora range/
Bungalbin Hill areas.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 10:06
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 10:06
yea thats them I rung them up a while back when this came up on CWA and got told ther were plenty of other
places I wold have to find to go
camping
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Reply By: equinox - Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 at 19:46
Reply By: Flywest - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 00:01
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 00:01
What worries me is this.
We aren't mining this ore for the benefit of future generations but instead for the benefit of largely offshore multinational corporations balance sheet bottom line and shareholder dividends/executive bonuses.
When all this country's finite resources are dug up and shipped out - then what?
What worries me is we aren't using these funds/ royalties etc for drought proofing Australia with a national
water grid - huge dams like
Lake Argyle, built on the Fitzroy and other large rivers in the tropics, across the NT and Qld also.
IF we were to develop such a forward thinking scheme as a National
Water Grid we could drought proof Aaustralia - the driest continent on earth.
Think of the arable land in the interior of Aus that could be used to grow crops to feed the world and produce renewable fuels for our needs into the future when our FINITE mineral oil and gas
reserves are exhausted.
If we don't have the long term vison, leadership and political committement to use the funds wisely then we should leave the ore in the ground until we do.
Our kids and their kis - won't thank us for what we have done in this country or allowed to be done in our name largely by foreigners!
We have a long way to go before we are grown up enough to be trusted with depleting all the God given finite natural resources of this nation.
If we cannot develop the
infrastructure for future renewable resources with our mineral bounty now - then - personally I hope a nation like China invades us and does it for us - yes we will live on a bowl of rice a day and so will our kids- but at least they will have renewable resources like rice - under our current type of stewardship -our grandkids will be eating dust, and turn into a bunch of pillow biters judging by the TV they watch!
Leave the ore where it is for now until we grow up enough to use it wisely!
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 01:17
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 01:17
so exactly why would anyone thank our generation for destroying whats left in a blaze of land
clearing and mono culture, farming has already destroyed much of OZ . - dont forget bio fuels would be the greatest envoromentle tradgedy the world could see
we certainly dont need more of it after seeing what we have got has done
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Follow Up By: Alan H - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 11:01
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 11:01
I don't think we want to see the
Kimberley destroyed by dams just for agriculture, power generation or for the
water to be sent to
Perth to keep the grass green.
I'd rather see a darn sight less teeming hordes in the world and a sustainable
population in Australia rather than ruin everything to satisfy the profit grasp of multi nationals and the insatiable demand for more and more taxes from the vast bureaucracies and governments we fund.
Alan.
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Reply By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 14:45
Reply By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 14:52
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 14:52
This is Bungalbin and the Helena and Aroura Range and what they want to destroy
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bungalbin+Hill&sll=-30.460512,119.131966&sspn=0.139682,0.187111&ie=UTF8&ll=-30.361915,119.672699&spn=0.139823,0.187111&t=k&z=12
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Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:23
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:23
Site Link
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Follow Up By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:27
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:27
Yep they're better shorter links... thanks Richard
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Reply By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 14:56
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 14:56
And this is Mt Manning that they want to get their shovels into as
wellhttp://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mt+Manning+Range&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=70.989864,95.800781&ie=UTF8&ll=-29.960289,119.633217&spn=0.140394,0.187111&t=k&z=12
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Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:21
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:21
Site Link
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Reply By: Rod W - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:10
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:10
And this is the Windarling Range. If you zoom out you'll see the before and when you zoom in you'll see the horrible after scars which when one is physically out in the region they can be seen from Mt Geraldine and Pigeon Rock
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Windarling+Range&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=70.989864,95.800781&ie=UTF8&ll=-30.006977,119.288864&spn=0.140328,0.187111&t=k&z=12
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:24
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 at 15:24
Site Link
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Follow Up By: Rod W - Monday, Nov 03, 2008 at 09:48
Monday, Nov 03, 2008 at 09:48
G'day Richard,
Have you done any trips/exploring of the Die Hardy Range?
Cheers
Rod W
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Monday, Nov 03, 2008 at 21:40
Monday, Nov 03, 2008 at 21:40
Hi Rod
No we haven't got up that way let. but is on the list
Cheers
richard
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