In a major breakthrough for the campaign to save the Western Port Woodlands, Bass Coast will no longer be considered a priority sand mining area for Victoria.   The Victorian State Government has recently released draft planning controls for community consultation for potential Strategic Extractive Resource Areas (SERAs) in Lang Lang (Shire of Cardinia), Oaklands Junction (City of Hume) and Trafalgar (Shire of Baw Baw).

Most of the woodland corridor outside the nature reserves is designated Extractive Industry Interest Area.  That now has little weight under the new SERA proposed by the Victorian State Government and is likely to be removed by the Earth Resources Regulator once the SERA review is complete.

It doesn’t mean the closure of sand mines already operating in the woodlands in Bass Coast, but it will make it difficult for companies to get planning permits for new mines or extensions of existing permits. There is still work to be done. The Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve at the northern end of the woodlands (outside Bass Coast) remains vulnerable. The future of the Holden Proving Ground is still uncertain. We are still seeking an Environmental Significance Overlay over the entire Western Port Woodlands between Lang Lang and Grantville.

While the pressure on the woodlands in Bass Coast has been relieved, we know the Lang Lang community is fearful of what the SERA announcement means for them.

Residents are already suffering from hundreds of sand truck movements through their township every day from the early hours until late at night.

It’s vital that the community use the formal official consultation process to demand a Lang Lang bypass to get the sand trucks out of their township.

In the short term, they should also be seeking immediate restrictions on operating hours for trucks and improved safety measures, including pedestrian crossings and linkages to the new estates.

They need surety on groundwater supplies, that sand extraction operations will not affect Western Port or the Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve, and that quarry sites will be suitably rehabilitated when extraction is completed.

Since Lang Lang is being asked to supply the sand that’s essential for Victoria’s economy, this is also the time to demand community benefits and legacy projects in exchange. What does the Lang Lang community want to get out of this?

The Lang Lang SERA review is now open for consultation at Engage Victoria, and a community consultation session is set up for the 22^nd of October.

We’ve long suspected the former Holden Proving Ground is a biodiversity hotspot, and now we have the proof. From late February to July, Bass Coast Shire Council coordinated a team of volunteers to map the flora and fauna, and local ecologist Alison Oates has now documented these findings in a biodiversity report, confirming the site’s uniqueness.

At nearly 900 hectares, the proving ground is the largest patch of uncleared land in Bass Coast, forming the heart of the Western Port Woodlands. Having been surrounded by a three-metre security fence since Holden acquired it almost 70 years ago, it has effectively become a sanctuary for rare and threatened species that were once common in the region.

Key findings include:

• The most significant botanical discovery was more than 1,000 Strzelecki Gums, the largest stand in existence. This critically endangered tree is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the EPBC Act.
• Volunteers mapped six endangered ecological vegetation classes (EVCs) alongside five other threatened EVCs.
• The Wet Heathland/Sedge Wetland Complex, an EVC known to occur in just one other bioregion—the Glenelg Plains—is classified as ‘Endangered’.
• A total of 193 indigenous plant species were recorded.
• Two threatened orchid species—Cobra Greenhood (Pterostylis grandiflora) and Spurred Helmet-orchid (Corybas aconitiflorus)—were found, with expectations of more discoveries in spring.
• The very rare Tea-tree Fingers fungus was located at three sites.
• 89 bird species were recorded, with all but three being indigenous. Threatened species included Lewin’s Rail, Great Egret, Blue-winged Parrot, and Powerful Owl.

Special thanks go to Dave and Jackie Newman, who dedicated 280 hours (seven full working weeks!) to identifying birds from audio recordings on-site—a crucial contribution to this important work.

A coalition of 20 conservation groups, including Save Western Port Woodlands, is pushing for the eastern portion of the Holden Proving Ground to be acquired for conservation. As we understand it, a preferred purchaser is currently conducting due diligence, and we await further developments.