Batemans Bay is about to lose one of its most beautiful nature walks as logging proceeds at Dunns Creek, despite pleas from locals and tourists to spare the tree fern lined nature trails and areas east of the creek.
I have lived in the area for over 30 years and have never seen destruction of the bush on the scale that’s now occurring with the current heavy logging regime said Adrian Warren of Mogo, formerly of Dunns Creek.
Being able to go for a bushwalk in such a beautiful area is one of the reasons I decided to settle here, all those years ago. I used to enjoy taking my young kids down to the creek to watch the tiny turtles and look for fresh water crayfish.
Of course you expect to lose areas of bush to development with the increasing population, but to lose them purely because NSW Forestry Corp wants timber for the Eden Wood Chip mill is devastating.
According to manager, Jarrod Wallis, The chip mill employs only 35 people directly and another 80 in the bush in harvest and haulage. The Australian Institute, reports the Native forest logging industry is running at a financial loss 1
To compound the issue, we (and the native animals) have recently lost massive areas of bushland to logging at the back of Batehaven & Catalina.They have really left nothing, other than a tiny patch around the dam.
I think it’s very important to set aside the eastern side of Dunns creek for the community and the wildlife dislodged by all the logging said Adrian.
As well as Dunns Creek, Forestry Corp is logging Buckenbowra Rd then Mogo, right up to the town, and out to Shallow crossing, under the same heavy logging schedule. These are all places locals and tourists love to visit.
Above: The remains of a nature trail behind Batehaven
Native forest logging is very damaging to our image of a nature coast. The government should be funding harvest plantations instead of allowing our forests to be destroyed.
