Quarry expansion knocked back

Overlooking Fish Creek, Laver’s Hill has Aboriginal cultural significance and is a refuge for some of our endangered wildlife, such as koalas, lyrebirds and bandicoots.

Its combination of old forest and regenerated bushland are a vital part of the biodiversity of our area and a tourist attraction for the walkers on the Hoddle Mountain Trail.

Part of Laver’s Hill is under the control of our shire council and a portion of this has been leased for some time to quarry operators. The quarry is nearing the end of its useful life, so the operators applied to expand it.

The quarry adjoins the Battery Creek Reservoir, which is the source of water for the township of Fish Creek.

Because a quarry expansion would threaten the town water supply, as well as fragment the wildlife habitat, a group of Fish Creek residents contested the proposal through VCAT. It was a long and complex journey, but the quarry expansion proposal has been now withdrawn. This is a great outcome for our community and environment!

We can now look forward as a community and consider how best to use this resource once the quarry operations wind down. Our natural environments are a great tourist drawcard, bringing jobs and money into our community - perhaps an Indigenous and environment information centre could be built on the existing quarry site, with a few family-friendly walking trails?

Let’s start a conversation about it now - what are your ideas about it?

Anda Banikos.