Monday, 3 October 2016
Historic Bulahdelah Mountain (long-term nickname: the Alum Mountain, traditional name: Boolah Dillah, the Great Rock), which previously attracted 7,000 (seven thousand) plus visitors per year (ref. Forestry Commission), has had much of its western mid-slopes blasted and excavated for the corruptly processed, fraudulently named, Bulahdelah Bypass – route Option E.
Extreme water runoff has severely eroded the road to the mountain's upper regions. They are now closed to vehicular access. Landslides have occurred at about 180 metres above sea level in the historic mining quarry adjacent to what was once an accessible and much used car park.
The northern area of the township has been massively scarred by the Option E northern interchange, so gargantuan a monstrosity that its size was questioned by the usually unquestioning Department of Planning. (Ref. Bulahdelah EIS Submissions Report.)
Historic Bulahdelah Mountain (long-term nickname: the Alum Mountain, traditional name: Boolah Dillah, the Great Rock), which previously attracted 7,000 (seven thousand) plus visitors per year (ref. Forestry Commission), has had much of its western mid-slopes blasted and excavated for the corruptly processed, fraudulently named, Bulahdelah Bypass – route Option E.
Extreme water runoff has severely eroded the road to the mountain's upper regions. They are now closed to vehicular access. Landslides have occurred at about 180 metres above sea level in the historic mining quarry adjacent to what was once an accessible and much used car park.
The northern area of the township has been massively scarred by the Option E northern interchange, so gargantuan a monstrosity that its size was questioned by the usually unquestioning Department of Planning. (Ref. Bulahdelah EIS Submissions Report.)
The community has been permanently disunified due to lack of transparency on the part of Roads & Maritime Services (RMS, the renamed Roads & Traffic Authority, RTA), with (but not limited to) attempted murders and other violent assaults having been incited and perpetrated by supporters of the (then) RTA’s intended destruction.
Now, Peter Kampfner, brother of renowned environmentalist John Seed, intends to destroy more of the Bulahdelah – Boolah Dillah – area with a 'highway service centre, 200 room hotel and a residential subdivision'.
Image from LJ Hooker’s “Mortgagee Sale” listing.prior to purchase by Peter Kampfner/Hamptons Property Services. Image accessed at: https://bulahdelahnsw.wordpress.com/local-government-great-lakes-council/
- THE MID NORTH COAST and HUNTER REGION TOWNSHIP OF BULAHDELAH LACKS THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT ITS CURRENT POPULACE. (At the time of the 2011 census, the locality population was 1,519, with 69% of said population living within the township.)
- A LARGE PART OF HISTORIC BULAHDELAH (THE ALUM) MOUNTAIN, INCLUDING (but not limited to) RARE AND THREATENED SPECIES HABITAT, HAS ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED.
- THE MOUNTAIN IS GOVERNMENT-DOCUMENTED AS BEING ‘PARTICULARLY PRONE TO MASS MOVEMENT (landslides) AND ROCKFALL’ (ref. Soil Landscapes of the Dungog 1:100 000 Sheet – Henderson, DLWC, 2000).
- A DECLARED ABORIGINAL PLACE IS ADJACENT TO THE AREA OUTLINED IN THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH.
The 'development' i.e. destruction proposal’s propaganda machine touts the intended 'highway service centre, 200 room hotel and a residential subdivision' as resulting in a '33 percent increase in population' plus 'an additional 800 visitors from the hotel each week' and states: ‘Bulahdelah would be heavily promoted to funnel people into the town’.
Parking at the local shopping centre has been almost halved (presumably to give the impression that the corruptly processed, fraudulently named, Bulahdelah Bypass - route Option E - has not caused a reduction in passing trade). Residents – including the elderly – frequently find that they can only find parking spaces well away from the shops they need to access. For some, if not many, this is not merely a frustrating process, the walk to and from the shops can be physically painful.
There is no longer a hospital (the hospital building has been turned into a so-called 'medical centre' which has two part-time doctors). People with serious conditions and suspected conditions have to wait days before being able to access a doctor. For those who are willing and able to travel away – instead of, as has already been the case, 'just' waiting, in pain, to possibly die – the closest hospitals are some 75 kilometres away at Taree or over 94 kilometres away at Newcastle. Even with an appointment, delays at the ‘medical centre’ can be considerable with the line-up of patients extending from the waiting room along the outdoor verandah.
Parking at the local shopping centre has been almost halved (presumably to give the impression that the corruptly processed, fraudulently named, Bulahdelah Bypass - route Option E - has not caused a reduction in passing trade). Residents – including the elderly – frequently find that they can only find parking spaces well away from the shops they need to access. For some, if not many, this is not merely a frustrating process, the walk to and from the shops can be physically painful.
There is no longer a hospital (the hospital building has been turned into a so-called 'medical centre' which has two part-time doctors). People with serious conditions and suspected conditions have to wait days before being able to access a doctor. For those who are willing and able to travel away – instead of, as has already been the case, 'just' waiting, in pain, to possibly die – the closest hospitals are some 75 kilometres away at Taree or over 94 kilometres away at Newcastle. Even with an appointment, delays at the ‘medical centre’ can be considerable with the line-up of patients extending from the waiting room along the outdoor verandah.
As at 2nd October, 2016, MidCoast Council's website does not have any search results whatsoever for Bulahdelah. The above image is a screen capture of search results of said date for Bulahdelah Development Applications.
Yet, according to a 21/9/'16 News of the Area article: 'Hamptons Property Services representative Mrs Kristy Hodgkinson said the land for the project had been purchased by two private investors in August last year and a planning proposal had been submitted to MidCoast Council. ...
Mrs Hodgkinson said MidCoast Council had appointed an Independent Consultant to examine the proposal'.
Meetings regarding the intended 'development' i.e. destruction have been taking place for some time but the community was not notified of same by letterbox drop (flyer) until Friday, 30th September, '16.
For more information regarding this please consult the following links
Bulahdelah (the Alum) Mountain - documentation
https://www.facebook.com/groups/630656100409609/
About the Bulahdelah Bypass - the Facts!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/165097633503/
Save the Alum Sacred Mountain, Bulahdelah
https://www.facebook.com/groups/121807998591/
For some of the scheme's history: https://bulahdelahnsw.wordpress.com/local-government-great-lakes-council/
My personal addition
I would add that many long thankless years have been spend by Adele the author of this article in documenting the corrupt nature of the actions of the now defunct RTA and the new RMS and the destruction of sacred sites and the mismanagement of places deemed special.
Roads and Maritime Services was the new name they gave themselves. We are under Maritime Law. I believe this is why this change occurred - perhaps we had them before and we didn't know it.
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