Welcome to Friends of the Earth Melbourne April news. Delburn wind farm to go ahead, walk to Mt Willis in May, tix for the Backcountry Film Festival, Barngarla vs nuke dump, nuke free artists call, residents demanding better buses, Gas Bagging plus more!
Delburn wind farm validation
Friends of the Earth welcomes the Supreme Court's decision that the Delburn wind farm is valid and can go ahead. The Delburn project will be the first wind farm in the Latrobe Valley, it will also be the first wind farm built in a plantation in Australia. Building a wind farm in a plantation site is an effective way to protect the natural environment as the plantation is already a highly modified industrial site. Hopefully the court's decision today puts the false claims about this project to rest. Read more.
May guided walk to Mt Willis
Victoria’s highest mountain, Bogong (Warkwoolowler in the Waywurru and Dhudhuroa languages) is protected in the Alpine National Park. Mt Wills itself is a magical ‘island in the sky’ of isolated snow gum woodland, largely dominated by older trees. While it is connected by the long and high ridge back to Bogong, mostly the land around the mountain falls away to deep river valleys and forests that are initially dominated by Alpine Ash. In recent years there has been substantial logging to the north and north west of Mt Wills, along the edge of the Omeo Highway. These new coupes will push further into the wilder country of the higher mountains and will directly impact on the AAWT. The old forests of Mt Wills are of incredibly high ecological value, and having fire prone regrowth forests down hill on the north western side of the mountain poses a significant long term threat to these forests. If this concerns you, please join us for a walk to Mt Wills on Saturday May 20. It is about a 90 minute walk up a good 4WD track to reach the summit, where we will explore the old growth snow gum woodlands. We will then lead interested people to visit some of the forests along the AAWT that are listed to be logged. Read more & register.
Mountain roadtrip report back
Much of FoE’s work happens in regional communities. In 2023 we think its time to be catching up with our allies in the regions, meet new friends and supporters, and build the profile of some of our key campaigns. So we will be hosting a series of road trips to different parts of the state during the year. The first one, held from March 14 to 19, focused on north eastern Victoria. We visited Bright, the upper Big River valley, and Mt Wills and met with a range of local conservation groups active in the region. Here is a quick diary from the trip. Read more.
Backcountry Film Festival May 2023 tix on sale
The Winter Wildlands Alliance presents their annual Backcountry Film Festival. This year’s screenings will showcase human-powered adventure in the backcountry. The films will cover stories of outdoor stewardship, grassroots advocacy, backcountry adventure, and snow cinema by human-powered advocates, athletes, brands, activists, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts. These films are shown all over the world. This year, Friends of the Earth is once again delighted to be the local host for Backcountry film festival in Melbourne. The festival will screen at RMIT in the city on Thursday 4 May, tickets $8 concession and $15 waged, purchase tix here. Read more.
Nuke free art auction call out
Celebrating 25 years since Jabiluka Blockade Art Auction. Call for artists! Friends of the Earth's Nuclear Free Collective is holding an auction late May/June and we'd love your creative contributions! Please register your art work here.
Barngarla vs nuke dump
The Federal government is spending millions of dollars fighting Traditional Custodians over their right to be heard. Read how you can support the Barngarla people. Read more & actions.
Demanding better buses
Residents from one of Melbourne's most isolated estates, Mount Atkinson, in the Western suburb of Truganina, are fed up with being left behind by the state government, and are demanding the buses and other services that they deserve. On Saturday 18 March, the Sustainable Cities collective met with a group of residents from the Mt. Atkinson Estate in Truganina, in the City of Melton. The energy in the room was palpable, as the residents shared their frustrations with us, and ideas for how we can enact change, and get Better Buses for their community. Read more.
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