Victoria’s highest mountain, Bogong (Warkwoolowler in the Waywurru and Dhudhuroa languages) is protected in the Alpine National Park. It sits high above the town of Mount Beauty and is a drawcard for hikers, skiers and backcountry snowboarders. It is an alpine wonderland of wildflowers in summer and deep snow in winter.
However, surrounding areas continue to be logged. And now a series of logging coupes are proposed along the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) between Mt Bogong and Mt Wills. Additionally, a coupe is planned in the headwaters of the Mitta Mitta River, close to the AAWT.
If this concerns you, please join us for a walk to Mt Wills on saturday March 18. It is about a 90 minute walk up a good 4WD track to reach the summit. We will take a photo of the group on the summit with Mt Bogong as our backdrop as part of our campaign to build awareness about this new threat to mountain forests.
We will then lead interested people to visit some of the forests along the AAWT that are listed to be logged.
Full details (including gear list) will be shared by February 24, but in the meantime, have a think about joining us in March to defend our mountains from destructive logging.
#ProtecttheAAWT #ProtecttheMitta
Organised by Friends of the Earth.
Background
There is a threat posed by logging in the area where the AAWT/ Long Spur track starts the climb up to Mt Wills, which would create a large clear cut area of more than 100 hectares.
There are four coupes in total planned for the Long Spur area:
- three where the AAWT starts the climb up into the intact snow gum woodlands of Mt Wills and
- one closer to Bogong itself. This last one is a worry because it is in the headwater area of the Big (Mitta Mitta) River, which flows from a valley between Mt Bogong and the Bogong High Plains. The Mitta is one of the most important rivers in the state and feeds the Dartmouth Dam, and then the Murray River.
The coupes are listed in the Victorian government’s Timber Release Plan, and scheduled for logging any time between now and 2026. You can find maps on the state government’s Forest Information Portal.
With all the damage caused by the 2019/20 fires across the mountains and East Gippsland, there is just no excuse to be cutting older forests like these.
You can find further information here.
There is a facebook event page here (but please remember to rsvp on this page).
Getting there
The turnoff to the walk is about a 5 hour drive from Melbourne via Wodonga and Mitta Mitta. (Search for ‘Mt Wills’ on google maps).
We recommend you come up the night before if travelling from Melbourne.
We are asking people to aim to arrive at the Tallangatta ski club lodge at 9.00 am, ready to leave on the walk at 9.30 am.
Accommodation options
You are welcome to camp with us in a local free camping site. Once you rsvp you will get details on that.
The closest accommodation is the Glen Wills Wilderness Retreat (website here).
There is a caravan park in Mitta Mitta, roughly a 50 minute drive away. And also the Mitta pub. There is free camping at Big River Bridge Campground in Glen Valley, about a 30 minute drive away.
Once you rsvp, we will send a logistics list and full travel details by friday February 24.
