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The Forum > Article Comments > A mountain valley with a big footprint > Comments

A mountain valley with a big footprint : Comments

By Brian Holden, published 10/9/2009

Not enough of us today see ourselves as custodians of the land, but rather the land that we simply walked into is seen as a windfall to be spent.

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Has anyone noticed the interesting juxtaposition here. This is an essay re the topic of sustainable living, and environmental stewardship.

On the right side of the Opinion Online website is a dramatic add, for a dramatic film which claims that Al Gore is completely wrong on climate change, and by extension the environment altogether.

This film is heavily promoted by all of the usual right-wing outfits, of which Online Opinion is a fully paid up subscriber, being effectively sponsored by the IPA etc etc.
Posted by Ho Hum, Thursday, 10 September 2009 10:34:28 AM
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My wife when a little girl lived in what is now the Gold Coast. There were beautiful sands of different colours in distinct areas on the beach. Sand mining has destroyed the beauty and towering buildings come up to the beach. What she experienced has gone and cannot be restored. However, much money has been made from the destruction. We are poorer for it.
Posted by david f, Thursday, 10 September 2009 10:37:28 AM
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Having traveled much of this country I am amazed how beautiful it still is. Thankfully due to developement more of us have the opportunity to see it. On top of that we have good housing, heating and cooling. I suspect Brian's assessment of the aboriginals taking such good care of this land is more mythology than anything else. He starts on a ridiculous evolutionary basis and then dreams on. Why am I surprised.
Posted by runner, Thursday, 10 September 2009 12:05:30 PM
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You did not mention that 100 years ago there was a thriving community and a very large shale oil mine and refinery in the Newnes Valley. Also a standard gauge railway linked to the western line near Lithgow. It is hardly undisturbed wilderness.

You said they introduced electricity to the valley. Is this power generated by the resort or are they connected to the power grid. If I understand there is an old pub in Newnes and quite a few farms. Im pretty sure they all have grid electricity.

I doubt the resort will be viable for long. How many filthy rich people want to go to a private resort in the middle of nowhere? A typical arab sheiks waste of their peoples oil money and will be sold off to local syndicate within 20 years. Probably for a great loss. If they really do regenerate the area and protect it then good on them. It would be any future new owners I would worry about. And future developers eyeing off the still plentiful oil shale in the region.
Posted by mikk, Thursday, 10 September 2009 12:28:31 PM
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I'm still trying to get the point of this article.

The developer's aim to return it to a more natural state - but that's bad, because it should be left as a monument to the pioneers who cleared it in the first place, which was bad as it should have been left in its natural state.

Add some New Age waffle about the spirit of the land, Aborigines, and how wicked we White Australians are, stir in some poor grammar (the pioneers used just the one axe?), and we've got the usual Baby Boomer platitudes and not much else.
Posted by Clownfish, Thursday, 10 September 2009 12:35:34 PM
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mikk

The shale mining community of Newnes finally folded up in 1932. It was made of locally made bricks which have been scavenged. From old photos it seems as if only about 10% of all construction remains. Almost the entire railway has been removed. To my thinking these monuments to a lost past which are now largely covered in overgrowth add to the charm of the place.

There was no grid electricity in the valley until the resort came
Posted by Brian Holden, Thursday, 10 September 2009 5:15:19 PM
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