Dust-up over new quarry divides coastal town that’s become a hit with tourists

Atop the rolling hills of Fish Creek, the panoramic South Gippsland coast stretches out below in stunning glory. The Strzelecki Ranges, Wilsons Promontory, Corner and Shallow inlets are among the world-class landscapes that greet both travellers and locals alike.

For more than 30 years, this treasured landscape has drawn in residents and small-scale farmers who have built homes and livelihoods within Fish Creek’s lush green hills.

But soon, the view may also include a gaping hole in the ground , with plans to build a new quarry among the idyllic farmland triggering alarm in the community amid concerns about dust, noise and environmental damage.

But the operator, which runs an existing mudstone quarry on the same parcel of farmland, insists it is aiming to address legitimate concerns through good design and appropriate operating controls.

Fish Creek Quarries says it is planning to begin constructing a new quarry near its existing pit, which is reaching the end of its life. The current quarry produces primarily mudstone and shale rock, which is typically used for farm tracks, laneways and access roads.

Richard Gange is among the residents who fear the proposed quarry will be harmful to the environment and their health.

Having bought his property, which neighbours the quarry, about 30 years ago, Gange has raised his three daughters there together with his wife.

“It’s catastrophic for us,” he said of the proposed quarry works, which will be metres from his house.

Gange said he has watched the existing quarry grow from a small operation several decades ago into a large worksite with frequent truck movements. While tree planting and the deep level of the existing quarry helped mitigate some dust and noise over the years, he said the new plans ignited fears locally about exposure to crystalline silica dust, which can result in the lung disease silicosis.

Land surrounding the quarry had also been subdivided, he said, which had brought a higher population density to the area and made resource extraction no longer appropriate in the Fish Creek hills.

“This is not a small quarry,” he said. “The town has changed. We’re a tourist destination now.”

Oil producer and Golden Creek Olives co-owner Rima O’Sullivan said the new quarry would loom over her farm, which is home to about 1000 olive trees, and she fears dust from the proposed resource extraction could contaminate her oil production process.

“It’s windy here,” she said. “There’s no doubt the dust is going to blow off that hill.”

O’Sullivan said the quarry currently produced little noise because it was surrounded by trees and workers were quarrying deep beneath the surface, but the new proposed site would decapitate a large hill and kick up dust plumes.