Strzelecki Ranges - June 2003: Blythmans Track/Buttners - Allotment 18 Parish of Bulga. No buffers on Cool Temperate Rainforest adjacent to Tarra Bulga National Park and Biosis Middle Creek Linkage. A minimum of 100 metres buffer is required at this site.
June 2003: Strzelecki Ranges. No buffer on Cool Temperate Rainforest adjacent to Tarra Bulga National Park. For more information on Tarra Bulga National Park click here.
July 2003: Strzelecki Ranges - Hatchery Road. Rodgers Road Coupe (Morwell River West Branch Catchment). Sub-standard roading at this site. More information can be found about this area here.
August 27 2003: Greens Senator Bob Brown addresses a crowd of 200 people on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne. This rally was organised in response to the State Government of Victorias' lack of response in committing to buying back land from Hancock for the establishment of a comprehensive National Park in the Strzeleckis.
September 2003: Maryvale Pulp Mill Log Dump. This is the destination for most of the trees being logged in the Strzelecki Ranges and Central Gippsland region. Hancock has a major supply contract with this company. The mill is owned by PaperlinX who also take timber from the Central Highlands region of Victoria. Click here for a map of their logging concession zone.
September 2003: Maryvale Pulp Mill in the Latrobe Valley. This mill has operated since 1937 and is the major manufacturer of office grade paper in Australia. The mill also makes a range of paper products including cardboard boxes. The mill is run by the Australian company PaperlinX. PaperlinX were formed when the packaging giant Amcor 'sold' off its interests in paper manufacturing to concentrate on packaging in the late nineties. PaperlinX sold off its 'plantation' assets to Hancock Victorian Plantations in August 2001. Hancock's logging operations in the Strzeleckis and Gippsland region were then renamed as Grand Ridge Plantations Pty Ltd. These operations included the Strzelecki plantations that were previously under the management of Victorian Plantations Corporation.
September 2003. Parish of Holey Plains - Central Gippsland (facing east). Pine plantation on left, with Holey Plains State Park on right. Recent clearfell plantation logging by Grand Ridge Plantations in the Crooke Creek Catchment/LaTrobe River Catchment. Several hundred hectares of plantations lie inside the Holey Plains State Park, with many more plantations surrounding the State Park. Weed invasion by pine wildlings is an issue with park management.
September 2003. Another photo showing extensive clearfelling inside the Holey Plains State Park region of Central Gippsland. This shot was taken in the Crooke Creek catchment. Click here for map of Holey Plains State Park.
September 2003 - Parish of Willung in Central Gippsland looking east into the Bayliss Gully catchment on left of photo, which is a tributary of Merrimans Creek. Merrimans Creek provides drinking water to the township of Seaspray. This recent clearfell extended for about 2kms. For more information about Merrimans Creek and other water supply catchments in the Gippsland region click here.
Central Gippsland - September 2003 - Parish of Coolungoolun. This photo shows a portion of the Skillion Creek catchment which ultimately flows into the Latrobe River via Boggy Creek about 1km west of the township of Longford. Widespread clearfelling extending over 4km has recently occurred in this plantation. Note retained habitat trees in foreground. Herbicides used in this plantation could eventually pollute groundwater. Hexazinone has been detected in groundwater in South Australia and Hancock Watch fears that groundwater pollution could eventuate in Gippsland, especially when Hexazinone is used on sandy soils. Click here for more maps on Gippsland groundwater.
September 2003 - Wetlands inside plantations in Parish of Glencoe South - Central Gippsland. Many frogs were heard at this extensive wetland. Wetlands and swampy country extend for much of this region. Widespread logging is occurring in this area and application of herbicides and fertlisers may impact on local flora and fauna. Pine plantations will also draw up alot of water as they grow, impacting on water yield in the wetlands. Heavy rainfall following herbicide application may wash off into these wetlands. Click here for more maps on Gippsland groundwater.
September 2003 - Parish of Glencoe South Central Gippsland. More widespread logging by Hancock of plantations that were established by Australian Paper Manufactuers (APM) in the 1970's. Hexazinone has been detected in groundwater in South Australia and Hancock Watch fears that groundwater pollution could eventuate in Gippsland, especially when used on sandy soils. Click here for more maps on Gippsland groundwater.
September 2003 - Central Gippsland - Parish of Wulla Wullock. Bush Pea flowering inside pine plantation. Many species considered to be weeds by plantation companies are indigenous species. These species will be likely to be poisoned by application of herbicides.
September 2003 - Central Gippsland - Parish of Wulla Wullock. View looking south over dried wetland. Note pine wildlings extending into wetland area. More extensive clearcutting taking place.
September 2003 - Parish of Stradbroke - Central/South Gippsland. Retained 'habitat' trees in recently logged plantation in the Merrimans Creek Water Supply Catchment. For more information on Merrimans Creek Domestic Water Supply Catchment click here.
Central Gippsland - Parish of Stradbroke. Recently established pine plantation being 'outcompeted' by Silver Wattle. This area will very likely be sprayed by aerial application of the herbicide Hexazinone in the near future to kill the silver wattle.
Central Gippsland - Merton Vale Road. The pine plantation on the left has been leased from the Crown since 1963 by APM (now PaperlinX). This particular lease includes 1063 ha and is spread over 9 allotments in the Parishes of Tong Bong and Rosedale. The plantation comes under the Land (Plantation Areas) Act 1959 whereby the company pays an rental fee of $180 to the Crown of $0.17 per hectare per year! The Land (Plantation Areas) Act allowed for the clearing of land for plantations if "the land proposed to be proclaimed is unsuitable for pasture, agriculture or other form of farming and that in the public interest, there is no objection to the removal of existing trees and vegetation and their replacement by trees of other species". (Division 9A - Plantation Areas (3) Land (Plantation Areas) Act 1959 No. 6521. PaperlinX still profits from other areas converted to plantations under the Land (Plantation Areas) Act.
Hancock will most likely log this plantation which is Allotment 304 Parish of Rosedale in the Merrimans Creek Water Supply Catchment. Holey Plains State Park is on the right of the photo.
Central Gippsland Parish of Holey Plains. Pine wildling growing inside Holey Plains State Park on edge of pine plantation.
Central Gippsland - Allotment 191 E Parish of Rosedale. Native forest area purchased by Hancock from Australian Paper Plantations in 2001. This is an example of the type of forest that would have been extensively cleared by APM in the 1960's and 1970's to establish vast holdings of Radiata pine plantations for use in the Maryvale Pulp Mill. This allotment also lies under the APEL Exploratory Licence Area which takes up approximately 6000 hectares of Hancocks land holdings.
September 2003 - Groundcover species known as 'Running Postman' (Kennedia prostrata). This groundcover species was seen growing abundantly in allotment 308D Parish of Rosedale (Central Gippsland). Plants such as this won't stand a chance when aerial application of herbicides occurs.
September 2003 - Parish of Holey Plains Central Gippsland. Young Plantation growing with a 'helping hand'.