Alone on the Road

Bulga Bridge

Denise woke up with a very sore throat this morning so she was made to stay in bed. I decided to go anyway as we didn’t think she would be better for at least a week. I had set up meetings with people who I knew would not be as readily available then. I decided to see what was happening in the Pilliga and then make up my mind about going further north to Queensland.

From Putty I passed through the village of Bulga where residents have twice won in the Land and Environment court to stop the expansion of the Mount Thorley-Warkworth coal mine. Despite this, the Planning Assessment Commission has approved the expansion and recommended that consideration be given to relocating the entire village at the expense of the New South Wales Government and Rio. The reason for the approval was economic, to boost the New South Wales economy by $1.5 billion, reducing unemployment in the region. Around 1,300 people are expected to retain their jobs but one bloke who works at the mine lives in Bulga so its a lose, lose situation for him.

Will they move the $3.6M Hunter Valley Rural Fire Control Centre opened in March 2015? Will they keep or move the historic Bulga Bridge across Wollombi Brook opened in 1912 and restored in 2012 for centenary celebrations? I waited on the southern side of the bridge to allow a car to cross before me, giving me time to appreciate this timber truss bridge, designed by Harvey Dare, a leading engineer in the Public Works Department, and a prominent figure in early 20th century New South Wales. Timber truss bridges were preferred by the Public Works Department from the mid-19th to the early 20th century because they were relatively cheap to construct, and used mostly local materials. Dare trusses were the last in a five stage design evolution of the state’s timber truss road bridges. The Bulga Bridge has very large supporting trestles, has the rare feature of trussed cross girders, and is the largest span Dare truss bridge built. I heard on the radio that Mike Beard was visiting Bulga tomorrow at 3pm.

Liverpool Plains

I travelled through vineyards in the Hunter, horse studs near Scone and stopped for lunch at the Who’d a Thought It Lookout, 1.5m from Quirindi. This gives a magnificent view of the, Liverpool Plains, prime agriculture land, under threat from mining. From Quirindi to Gunnedah the many grain silos prove it.

In Gunnedah I met and interviewed Robert Banks from SoilFutures Consulting Pty Ltd. In December 2014 they released a revised edition of a paper, Great Artesian Basin Recharge Systems and Extent of Petroleum and Gas Leases. It was prepared in response to a request from Anne Kennedy of the Artesian Bore Water Users Association.

I’m not very good at understanding science so after reading this report I had a few questions. The report concluded that –

1. Most of the groundwater in the GAB has taken thousands to many hundreds of thousands of years to reach its current position.

2. Modern recharge is not thought to add significantly to the volume of water but it provides the pressure head (or weight of water) needed to keep the bores flowing to the surface without the aid of pumps.

3. Only 6 percent of the area of the GAB has effective recharge zones providing more than 1 mm /yr.

4. 80% of the GAB currently has a gas, petroleum or CSG exploration or production license over it.

5. There is proven downwards connection between sub basins of the GAB and many of its underlying petrochemical rich basins (Surat has 10% connection; Eromanga has up to 50% connection). It follows that

6. Dewatering of aquifers under the GAB where proven connectivity exists between sub basins and underlying petrochemical rich basins, can ultimately reduce pressure heads in the critical recharge areas and reduce or halt water flow at bores and springs.

7. 69 percent of the critical recharge zones of the GAB are covered with gas or petroleum exploration or production licenses.

8. Studies, carried out for individual licenses on the impact of gas or petroleum extraction, do not assess the impact overall on the GAB.

9. The four states have no standard approach for issuing licence approvals.

10. Depressurisation of bores and springs may be caused by the dewatering of recharge zones.

And it recommends

1. A basin wide approach to management of the GAB for any development where water is extracted, then becomes a waste product.

2. Management needs to assess how the few critical recharge zones might interact with future water supplies.

3. CSG extraction needs to be given parity with groundwater irrigation users. It needs to be stringently monitored to ensure that the water resource, the recharge areas and the pressure is not affected.

Pilliga PotteryTree of Life
 made of broken pottery

4. Restrict land use in recharge zones and other areas to avoid potential catastrophic pressure losses.

Full report at www.gabpg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GAB-Report1.pdf

I then drove to Coonabarabran and to Pilliga Pottery where I am staying this evening. Mobile service does not work here and neither did their telephone which had been going on and off for a couple of days. I have not been able to log on to their wifi either and it is too cold to go out to the main building to check the password. I just hope Tim and Denise are OK.

This is an interesting place to visit. A pottery studio in the middle of nowhere. All the buildings have been built by residents out of materials from the property – timber, mud etc. Some live here permanently others are international visitors working on a rural property to extend their visas. It’s a good place for that. The food is good and everyone is very friendly. My accommodation in the ‘farm house’ was very clean. There is a variety of accommodation available.