October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face. A landslip has occurred on Red Hill Road adjacent to Hancock land (Allotment 3A Parish of Callignee) in the Stony Creek/Traralgon Creek catchment. Removal of roadside vegetation and plantations and recent rainfall probably worsened this situation.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee Allotment 3A. Stony Creek catchment landslip, just down from Red Hill Road. Photo taken on poorly maintained and built logging access track.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee Allotment 3A. Stony Creek catchment landslip.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face- Parish of Callignee Allotment 3A. Stony Creek catchment landslip, showing soil collapsed into head of gully draining into Stony Creek over poorly constructed logging access track. Hundreds of tonnes of soil has been dislodged at this site.
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October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee Allotment 3A. Photos revealing poorly built and maintained logging access track. Note collapsing batters which will lead to further soil erosion potential.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee Allotment 3A. Recent spraying of herbicides has occurred at this site. Regenerating bluegums as seen in the centre of this photo have also been poisoned.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee. Native forest just off Taylors Road. At this stage Hancock is refusing to covenant private land in their estate. This is a concern as future land sales could mean that companies such as Gunns Pty Ltd. could purchase such allotments.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee (probably allotment 24E or 24A Section C). Ex Australian Paper Plantations eucalypts now being cable logged by Hancock on the western side of the Traralgon Creek catchment.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Callignee (probably allotment 24E or 24A Section C). Eroding logging roads just off Taylors Road in the Traralgon Creek catchment.
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October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jumbuk and Jeeralang. Appalling roading off Taylors Road showing obvious signs of working in wet weather. Many of the public roads in the Strzeleckis are closed to all traffic bar log trucks.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face: Jeeralang Creek East Branch rainforest looking west into the 'Hidden Valley'. Probably Allotment 10 Section D Parish of Jeeralang. Recent logging near this rainforest could threaten its long term viability.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face: Track 16 Jeeralang Creek east branch. Probably allotment 11 Section D parish of Jeeralang. Recent clearfelling of plantation hardwoods for the Maryvale pulp mill.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face: Track 16 Jeeralang Creek east branch. Probably allotment 11 Section D parish of Jeeralang. Fertilisers are about to be applied in this plantation. Fertilisers can be contaminated with heavy metals such as Cadmium, lead, mercury and zinc.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Appalling roading and drainage off Taylors Road, Jeeralang Creek East Branch - Parish of Jumbuk Allotment 13D. Logs and soil had been dumped off the road at this site.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 13 of B Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Wipe out of head of gully just off Track 15. Local community consultation did not occur before this area was logged. Track 15 leads into the highly sensitive cool temperate rainforest of 'The Hidden Valley'.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 13 of B Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Wipe out of head of gully and associated logging just off Track 15.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 13 of B Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Hundreds of tree ferns have been damaged at this site.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 13 of B Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Logging within 30 metres of rainforest species Sassafras (with conical tree head in gully).
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 13 of B Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Associated logging and poor drainage just off Track 15.
October 2004: Close up of above photo. Hancock working in wet weather.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Recent burning of logging refuse has occurred at this site in very close proximity to retained gullies. A pile of logging debris lies on the edge of this gully. Such piles are a fire hazard and the results could be disastrous for the cool temperate rainforest if fire gets a hold. This practice in such close locations to rainforest must cease.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. More stockpiles of highly flammable timber lieing in close vicinity to cool temperate rainforerst buffers.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. This old logging track had been reopened, with logging debris cast aside within buffer zones.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Couldn't quite work out what was going on here.
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October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Appalling drainage with logging refuse lieing all over the place.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. This practice is quite deplorable.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Hopeless drainage on logging access track.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Jeeralang. Allotment 6/7 Section D Jeeralang Creek East Branch. Drainage line bulldozed.
October 2004: Strzelecki Ranges north face - Parish of Hazelwood Allotment 41A. This plantation lies less than 2km from the town of Churchill. Will it be aerially sprayed?
Melbourne Age article: "Conservationists, loggers sign deal to save Gippsland forest
The Age, Saturday, October 30, 2004 p12. (by Lorna Edwards).
Conservation groups have signed an agreement that will enable them to buy the logging rights to significant areas of the Strzelecki Forest in Gippsland. The Victorian Trust for Nature, backed by the world's largest conservation group, the Nature Conservancy, signed the agreement with Grand Ridge Plantations, which owns the logging rights. Trusts for Nature, funded by government and philanthropic sources, protects significant private land by buying it and placing covenants on it. Victorian director Michael Looker said between 8000 and 10,000 hectares of temperate rainforest in the Strzelecki Forest had been deemed of high conservation value.
Joel Fitzgibbon MP Shadow Minister for Forestry
Christian Zahra Federal Member for McMillan
Media Release 4 October 2004
$5 MILLION TO PROTECT HIGH CONSERVATION FOREST IN STRZELECKI RANGES
A Federal Labor Government will commit $5 million to protect forever high conservation value forest in the Strzelecki Ranges in Gippsland, Shadow Minister for Forestry Joel Fitzgibbon and Federal Member for McMillan Christian Zahra announced today.
Mr Fitzgibbon said that the $5 million would be used to support the efforts of the Trust for Nature and Grand Ridge Plantations to permanently protect important areas of native forest in the Strzeleckis.
The Trust for Nature is a respected non-profit environmental organisation that works to protect native bushland forever. It is backed by the Victorian Conservation Trust Act.
The funding will also support community access to the forest and allow better visitor facilities, directional and interpretation signage, walking paths, and environmental rehabilitation work.
Mr Zahra said permanently protecting the area is a crucial first step towards creating a possible future Strzelecki National Park. "This announcment is a great win for the community, local councils and environmental groups, which have worked cooperatively over the years to achieve this important local environmental initiative," Mr Zahra said.
"We’ve taken a very big step today in establishing a Strzelecki National Park." "This forest will create an important biodiversity link between the Gunyah Flora and Fauna Reserve and the Tarra Bulga National Park."
"This commitment will support cooperation between the forest industry and the local community to achieve good environmental outcomes and support the timber industry and timber workers’ jobs."
Mr Zahra said that if a Federal Labor Government is elected, and he is re-elected to represent McMillan, he would immediately begin working with the State Government, the company and local groups to get a fair and reasonable agreement that supports local jobs and protects the Strzeleckis for generations to come.
Labor’s commitment is fully funded.