Bellingen councillors have unanimously called for a temporary “halt to all logging works” within the Never Never Creek catchment, over fears scheduled logging in Tuckers Nob state forest could impact a popular tourism destination known as the “Christmas Holes”.
“Once an ancient tree is gone, a cultural place damaged or a waterway polluted, regret cannot simply restore what existed,” said Gumbaynggirr man Bernard Kelly-Edwards during the council's public forum.
What is it: The Never Never runs through The Promised Land, a rural area 10km northwest of Bellingen, offering visitors rock pools and a crystal-clear stream surrounded by forest.
The creek’s catchment covers approximately 95 square kilometres, part of which is within Tuckers Nob state forest.
Conservationists say logging within the surrounding forest could harm the waterway, due to soil erosion and sedimentation.
Call for action: A petition carrying 346 names was submitted to council in January, calling for a review of forestry operations in the area and an analysis of the tourism and economic value of the Christmas Holes.
Last week, Council requested Forestry Corporation of NSW halt logging works, until a meeting is held between the two parties.
Local favourite: Councillor Jennie Fenton said “every person within cooee of this place” had spent time swimming in the “beautiful, beautiful” Never Never.
Despite being widely heralded by visitors on social media, the Christmas Holes are not formally designated as visitor areas and have no established facilities.
Significant sites: Aside from the tourism offering, Kelly-Edwards said The Promised Land is home to “ancient Guymbaynggirr birthing holes”.
“That beautiful, pristine Promised Land that we all celebrate and put up on our screens for tourism; imagine your mother giving birth to babies up there. Ancient ways of being were birthed in children up there.”
Gumbaynggirr Elder Aunty Alison Buchanan - who has applied for the forest’s protection under state Indigenous heritage laws - said sacred fertility sites and dreaming tracks are also nearby.
State land: While most state forests in the region have been protected from logging by inclusion in the new Great Koala National Park (GKNP), Tuckers Nob has not.
Its timber plantations were largely established on former dairy farms, but are now believed to provide key habitat for koalas.
State support: In a letter to the council in April, agriculture minister Tara Moriarty defended logging in Tuckers Nob, noting the importance of plantations given the reduction in timber harvesting areas available due to the GKNP.
According to a spokesperson for Forestry Corporation, harvesting operations within the state forest have been postponed.
What next: A meeting is being arranged between Forestry Corporation and the council, however no date has been set.
If harvesting takes place, Forestry Corporation says the plantations will be replanted.
Image credit: mywaterfallway.com.au.