I attended a large conservation rally in part of the Gardens of Stone Stage 2 Proposal. The event was organised by the Colong Foundation, The Gardens of Stone Alliance and the Blue Mountains Conservation Society.
Around 150 people came along for the event. The main activity was to unfurl two large banners near the rock pagodas in the area.
We travelled to the venue via the State Mine Gully near Lithgow and tuned off at the top to assemble. We walked a short way along a ridge where a more formal part of the activity took place. This included a Welcome to Country by Aunty Helen, one of the traditional owners of the land. Then some speeches that included updates on the campaign. It finished with poems and songs.
Next we moved down to a pagoda ridge where the two large banners were opened up and photos taken.
After this, we moved back up the ridge for some lunch and were able to join one of a number of workshops that addressed issues with the campaign.
The last part was another photo session on the pagodas – getting photos of one of the banners with Lithgow in the background. An enlarged Gardens of Stone National Park will bring many economic benefits to the hinterland of the park, and to Lithgow in particular – but only if the area is not allowed to be further ruined by coal mining.
At present, underground coal mining has resulted in cliff collapse and damage to pagodas due to subsidence. Also many hanging swamps have been badly effected – drying up due to water seeping into cracks caused by the mining. Its important that those swamps that remain be protected. They are habitat to many threatened species and also provide drought proof water supplies to the creeks below them.
Also, an open cut coal mine is proposed. If this goes ahead, then it would go very close to the magnificent pagoda landscape of the Gardens of Stone.
Here is a short video from the Gardens of Stone Alliance that shows this amazing landscape. It was made from footage supplied by Tim Harris using a UAV –