Victoria’s highest mountain, Bogong (Warkwoolowler in the Waywurru and Dhudhuroa languages) is protected in the Alpine National Park. It sits high above the town of Mount Beauty and is a drawcard for hikers, skiers and backcountry snowboarders. There are no roads on the mountain, and access is slow because of the steep climb up from the valley. It is an alpine wonderland of wildflowers in summer and deep snow in winter.

However, surrounding areas continue to be logged. And now a series of logging coupes are proposed along the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) between Bogong and Mt Wills. Additionally, a coupe is planned in the headwaters of the Mitta Mitta River, a major river which starts on the Bogong High Plains.

If this concerns you, please join us for a walk to Mt Bogong on Friday January 20. We will walk up Staircase Spur. We will take a group photo with banner on the summit as part of our campaign to build awareness about this new threat to mountain forests.

Full details will be shared here soon, but in the meantime, have a think about joining us in January to defend our mountains from destructive logging. This is happening as part of a week of events to highlight the threat of logging to high country forests.

Organised by Friends of the Earth.

Background

There is a threat posed by logging in the area where the AAWT/ Long Spur track starts the climb up to Mt Wills at Big River Saddle, which would create a large clear cut area of more than 100 hectares.

There are four coupes in total planned for the Long Spur area:

  • three where the AAWT starts the climb up into the intact snow gum woodlands of Mt Wills and
  • one closer to Bogong itself. This last one is a worry because it is in the headwater area of the Big (Mitta Mitta) River, which flows from a valley between Mt Bogong and the Bogong High Plains. The Mitta is one of the most important rivers in the state and feeds the Dartmouth Dam, and then the Murray River.

The coupes are listed in the Victorian government’s Timber Release Plan, and scheduled for logging any time between now and 2026. You can find maps on the state government’shttps://maps.ffm.vic.gov.au/fip/index.html?viewer=fip Forest Information Portal.

With all the damage caused by the 2019/20 fires across the mountains and East Gippsland, there is just no excuse to be cutting older forests like these.

Please take action

Please add your voice to the call to protect these forests: Please contact the environment minister and urge her to protect the Mt Wills coupes by removing them from the Timber Release Plan: lily.dambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au

If you’re short for time, please sign this letter to the Minister.

Alpine forests

Background information on the logging can be found here.

Logging threat to Victoria’s high country