The Battle For The Pilliga, Australia's Largest Native Inland Forest
Resources giant Santos plans to sink 850 gas wells. The approval process is underway. What happens next is anyone's guess. Reporter: Anthony Sharwood. Video by Tom Compagnoni.
Produced for HuffPost Australia:
A day in the vast Pilliga Forest
???????? WHAT: A day in the Pilliga Forest. ???? WHERE: Just east of the town of Baradine in Western NSW. ❄ WHEN: We travelled in winter. Expect very cold mornings. Have a jacket handy. ❓❓ WHY: To see the largest remaining wild forest in NSW and see the beautiful Sculptures in the Scrub. ???? HOW: I travelled in the ever reliable little Suzuki Jimny (Suzuki Australia ) which more than managed the rough roads and sandy creek crossings. ⏰ TIME: You will need to allow a full day by the time you get there and meander about. ???? DISTANCE: I did at least 100km inside the Pilliga Forest plus to and from the forest to Coonabarabran. ???????????????? FOOD: You must take your own food and plenty of water. ???? TOILETS: There are toilets at Salt Caves and Sculptures in the Scrub. ⚠️ SAFETY: ????️ Let someone know where you are going. ☝️ Check in at the Pilliga Discovery Centre to check road conditions and get directions and a map. Stick to the main roads. ???? Mobile coverage is patchy. READ MORE:
THE FANTASTIC, SCULPTURES IN THE SCRUB. Pilliga region, NSW.
A day walk at Dandry Gorge, Pilliga Forest, NSW. The 3 km walking circuit includes five sculptures. This is one incredible experience, walking through bushland's and experiencing these sculptures in a nature environment.
LINKS:-
PILLIGA_PART_1.m4v
The Pilliga is a vast expanse of bushland, located between Narrabri and Coonabarabran in western NSW.
It is the largest forested area left west of the Great Divide, an amazing refuge area for wildlife that are in decline all around the state.
It is a truly iconic and precious place. Stretching across 500 square kilometres it bursts into flower in spring, carpeting the landscape with colour.
It is perhaps the only place left in NSW where you can look out across flat land and see only forest as far as the eye can see.
It filters the water that recharges our greatest inland water resource -- some of the sweetest water that you will ever taste lies beneath the Pilliga sandstones in aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin.
An amazing diversity of plants and animals live here, including threatened species such as the Eastern Pygmy Possum, Pilliga Mouse and Black-striped Wallaby.
But all is not well in the Pilliga. All this beauty is now threatened by the beast -- a massive coal seam gas development.
See the place for yourself. Ask yourself the question. Will you stand up for the Pilliga?
Sandstone Caves - Piliga Nature Reserve (New South Wales - Australia)
Piliga Forest Reserves on the Yamimba Trail/Trek just out of Narrabri in NSW.
Driving through the Pilliga Forest
Driving through the Forest, good times.
Driving through the Pilliga Scrub
The Pilliga Forest - Icons Under Threat Part 4
The Pilliga Forest is part four of a six-part documentary titled Icons Under Threat.
Icons Under Threat was produced by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW to raise awareness of the toll the coal and gas industries are having on communities, wildlife, and stunning natural areas across NSW. Most of the footage was shot in April 2013.
The video is a follow-up on a report 36-page report of the same title published in November 2011. A copy is available here: nccnsw.org.au/icons-under-threat-report
Baradine NSW
Baradine is the gateway to the Pilliga. A perfect place for a relaxing holiday.
Pilliga Scrub!
Stuck in a dead end dirt road in the Pilliga Scrub
gas well in the Pilliga Forest
Schwagers Bore Campground, The Pilliga
Schwagers Bore Campground is a dog friendly campground located within Piliga State Forest.
Pilliga National Park Salt Caves
850 coal seam gas wells for the Pilliga Forest in NSW?
Shocking! New footage reveals the devastation 850 coal seam gas will wreak on the environment.
Each well pad is a hectare in size, and unconventional gas extraction requires a grid of wells to be drilled across the gas field. Santos want to drill 850 gas wells in the beautiful Pilliga Forest and surrounding farm land, between Narrabri and Coonabarabran.
This area is an important recharge area for the Great Artesian Basin and farmers are concerned what drilling and fracking through the aquifers and extracting huge amounts of salty, chemical-laden water will have on water resources and agriculture.
The Pilliga Forest is also a renowned fire-prone area and there is concern gas operations and flaring may increase the danger of bush fires and the difficulty in fighting them.
Happily, farmers, activists and community members are coming together to resist this project.
Pilliga Scrub back roads
This video was taken 26/09/13 in Pilliga East forest just going on sundown. The first dirt road seen is Dangar road station creek turning left onto Burma Road. Sorry bout the rough roads causing shakes in video however will still give those who have not been to Pilliga a look deep in the scrub. Keep eye out for more videos to be posted as I travel through Pilliga my new home location. Enjoy all!
Cruising through the Pilliga Scrub June 2013
Cruising through the Pilliga Scrub June 2013
There's Something In The Pilliga - Behind The Scenes Day 1
Take 1 Day 1 from There's Something In The Pilliga behind the scenes. Filmed by Ben Brunnekreef - poor quality and poor audio.
Prime 7 report on protests on CSG in the Pilliga
Prime 7 News report on community protest with a local Coonabarabran resident chaining herself to a mining machine. The Pilliga site is the starting point for Santos to begin coal seam gas extraction through most of North West NSW, from the QLD border down to Dubbo. Local communities under threat from this have been standing up to the gas company, and will continue to do so because the current government will not listen to the communities wishes.
Pilliga - Mauls Creek Revisited: TOUR UPDATE 1
Mystery Dingo Environmental Tours takes a crew out to the Pilliga Pottery and to ancient cave sites in the Pilliga Forest.
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