Wombat State Forest
-
Who’s going to clean up this mess?
A Woodend mountain biker has expressed frustration after being shuffled between three state government agencies while trying to report illegal rubbish dumping in the Wombat State Forest. Matthew Connor was appalled to discover several piles of bathroom and kitchen renovation waste dumped along forest tracks last month. “A group of us know the bush very…
-
State forest surveillance increases
Vic Police shut down an illegal rave in the Wombat State Forest earlier this month, which had more than 1000 people in attendance. The Conservation Regulator is working in conjunction with police to increase surveillance in state forests and prevent illegal raves, amid the ongoing fire danger period. It identified the Loddon Mallee region and…
-
Locals mourn logging destruction
Members of the Wombat Forest community joined with Extinction Rebellion to draw attention to what they describe as environmentally damaging salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest. Theatrics took place on the roadside at the Forest Fire Management Victoria log storage site near Daylesford last Tuesday. Large volumes of logs are stored from nearby salvaging…
-
Timber removal challenged
Environmental activists have called out the removal of large volumes of fallen timber from the Wombat State Forest as being done “under the guise of reducing fire risk”. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action is removing trees and debris that fell during the 2021 storms but environmental groups argue the works are destructive…
-
Kyneton rallies for the forest
About 500 Kyneton locals joined Victorian Greens Senator, Janet Rice, and comedian Arj Barker in an organised protest march last Sunday against salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest.
-
Sheep rescued after eight years in the Wombat State Forest
The fourth lost sheep survivor of a truck rollover near Daylesford eight years ago has been located and reunited with its mates at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary.
-
‘Legislate the parks’: Enviro groups call for end to logging
More than 50 regional, state and national environment groups have signed an open letter to Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, calling for an immediate end to logging in the west of Victoria and the legislation of three promised National Parks.
-
Protesting anti-protest laws
Victoria’s anti-protest laws targeting forest protectors were contested through a state-wide survey action for threatened flora and fauna on Saturday. Under new laws that came into effect on Saturday, people conducting surveys within a safety harvest zone may receive fines up to $11,095, which they could receive in the mail anytime within the next 12…
-
Forest conservationists fear union wants logging to return
An alliance of local conservation groups has condemned a proposal made by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union to source sawlogs for paper production from the Wombat State Forest. In an open letter to the Opal Paper Mill in Maryvale, Gippsland, the union states “We understand there are potentially viable options for alternative timber…
-
Campaign to protect the forest
In just six weeks Wombat Forestcare has raised more than $12,000 for a campaign to stop VicForests’ salvage logging operations in the Wombat State Forest. Spokeperson Gayle Osborne said the local community cared deeply for the forest and was greatly distressed by the damage caused by the industrial-scale extraction of the fallen timber by VicForests.…
-
Snap rally to stop logging
More than 50 people attended a snap rally in Gisborne on Friday to voice their concerns about VicForests’ salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest. Members of landcare and friends groups, Wombat Forestcare members and the Sybil Disobedients (Extinction Rebellion Ballarat) rallied to demand that the Victorian Government cease the logging and legislate the promised…
-
Forest furore
Victoria’s Conservation Regulator is assessing a number of allegations of non-compliance with timber harvesting laws in the Wombat State Forest. A Conservation Regulator spokesperson said the action was prompted by the department’s proactive coupe inspection program and reports from the community. “It is our standard practice, proportionate and within our powers, to gather information while…