Georges River Macarthur Contact and Information Page

Georges River Macarthur

General longwall mining

• longwall mining process - damage, cause and effects
• backstow - mining subsidence - backstow reduces surface damage, our politicians don't legislate for it
• Cataract river - Cataract river during the seventies
• Georges river dieing - Georges river greatly reduced water levels
• Iluka Creek - Iluka Swamp - Iluka Creek, Iluka Swamp, Georges River catchment
• Macarthurs rivers - Bargo, Georges, Cataract rivers - Broughton Pass Dam, Marhnes Hole, Appin
• Mine subsidence - mine subsidence in the Upper Nepean river catchment
• Georges River photographs - photographs of 7 km downstream of Freres Crossing
• Stokes Creek Wedderburn - Stokes Creek, Wedderburn, Georges River, Campbelltown
• Wedderburn - Wedderburns rivers, creeks and properties
• Wedderburn gorge - Wedderburn gorge, Georges River catchment, environmental damage
• Woolwash - The Woolwash junction with O'Hares creek Wedderburn - Minto
• O'Hares - Iluka - Georges River, O'Hares Creek, Dharawal State Recreation Area, Iluka Creek, Iluka Swamp, Maddens Creek.
• O'Hares - Wedderburn - Georges River, O'Hares Creek, Campbelltown, Wedderburn.
• Dharawal State Recreation Area - Georges River, O'Hares Creek, Darkes Forest.

• gr_punchbowl_kentlyn - Punchbowl Creek at the Basin Georges River NSW
• broken promises - longwall mining - deceit, denial and broken promises
• Cost clean coal - Clean coal, is it too costly to consider
• Longwall Mining - Global Climate Change, letter to Kevin Rudd, Prime minister Australia
• The hidden costs of clean coal - The environmental and human disaster of longwall mining - Multimedia from The Center for Public Integrity Washington DC. Video filmed in the mine and the effects above ground.
• BHP Billiton environmental damage - BHP Billiton, Fly river, Ok Tedi river, copper mines, Irian Jaya, Barrow Island, deforestation Indonesia, environmental damage, longwall mining
• BHP Billiton misinformation - BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal - Rio Tinto misinformation and the publics wrong impression of mining
• Politicians and approvals - These politicians approve longwall mining licences which pollutes our atmosphere, damages our rivers, water catchments and your homes
• Mine subsidence - longwall mining and its impact on water resources
• When longwall mining comes to your town - When longwall mining comes to your town, your home is in the hands of the mining company- from the US and applies here in Australia

Georges River Macarthur Website

The Georges River Macarthur website is an ongoing project created and funded by Absolutely Stylish Website Design with photographs and information supplied by the Macarthur Bushwalkers / Bicycle Users Group

The websites purpose is to inform the people of Macarthur and Campbelltown of the damage to local rivers and dams which supply water to our taps.

We decided to do this believing that most Australians do care about the environment they live in. We felt that given the facts, many would try to protect it as they have in the past.

Our focus is on water, not its quality or degree of pollution but the amount available to sustain life. Polluted water can be treated, we do it on a personal basis as bushwalkers. We carry filters, pumps and chemicals to clean water and make it drinkable. Some methods use the same technology as the SCA.

Availability of water

As the world warms up and we experience climate change it is said that Australia south of Brisbane will heat up and become very dry. Rain fall patterns will alter and we may experience water shortage and droughts for longer periods of time.

I won't experience this but my grandchildren will. Surely this is a time for preparation and develop better methods of collecting and storing water. it's not a time to fritter our water away by cracking creeks and river beds as the mining companies are doing.

By monitoring the Georges River which has its base in the Woronora Catchment we can determine what is happening to other rivers like the Waratah Rivulet, Woronora River, Cataract River and the Nepean River which start in the same area.

Over a period of time we have seen a pattern emerge in the water flow of Georges River. A river that used to flow all year round no longer does. We are able to compare what happened in the late 70's, 80's and 90's because members have lived here in Campbelltown for that length of timee. We can compare flows now with the past and have started to create a photographic data base of water levels.

We are now monitoring by the season and rainfall.

What can you do?

Many environmental groups are lobbying government and creating submissions which appear to be dismissed on a regular basis by polticians like Mr Ian Macdonald - NSW Minister for Primary Industries and Minister for Mineral Resources. Another course of action is to wait until the next election and cast your vote for another party. By that time the rivers may be gone, the third course of action is to contact the people on this page mining politicians.

There is also a fourth option which is to come and help Macarthur Bushwalkers, learn navigation with the use of a compass, map and GPS. We have no fees or charges, we get out and about and generally enjoy ourselves.

Contact 02 46282528 or email

Environmental destruction by BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal

There is little point in dwelling on damage to property, bridges, roads, railways, above ground buildings or even the flora and fauna of our country. The mining companies simply shrug it off, make excuses, deny the existance of the problem or blame it on some act of nature.