Hills of Gold Wind Farm

Please see attached submission.

Please find attached the submission from the Tamworth Residents and Ratepayers Association regarding the Hills of Gold Wind Farm.

I object to this project due to the damage this project infrastructure will do to the land and environment. I have recently visited Nundle, which I thought the scenery was beautiful and spectacular and I hope it stays that way. Thank you and please except my submission.

There are a number of concerns I have in regards to this project.

I will briefly detail these below:

The major impact this project will have on the water catchment area. The Head of the Peel, Barnard and Isis rivers will be detrimentally affected by groundworks needed to build the turbines. This will affect the water supply to the Tamworth and surrounding areas possibly impacting hundreds of thousands of people.

Aviation lighting needed as the planned turbines are so large will ruin the night sky from a vast area.

Also due to the huge size of the turbines aircraft will be unable to fly in the area, no firefighting aircraft to fight bushfires and local landholders will be unable to use aircraft for weed control or pasture improvement.

The disruption to the quiet villages of Nundle and Hanging Rock due to the large number of vehicles need to complete the project. We love our small village and our children are safe to walk, ride bikes and play in the village, if this project goes ahead where will our kids be safe to enjoy their home town? Damage to roads and potential safety issues for children travelling on school buses, to residents commuting and visitors to the area.

Potential noise form the turbines, there is not enough information regarding safe noise levels, shadow flicker and infrasound.

The name Hills of Gold has been used for many years to describe the beauty of the area I am appalled at the use of that name for this project.

The destruction of Flora and Fauna - The studies completed so far are inadequate and are not an accurate representation. The illegal land clearing that has already occurred in preparation for the project has not been dealt with by authorities.

The lack of consultation with the Nundle and Hanging Rock communities has made getting the correct information very difficult. The major landowner, who stands to gain hugely, has been very vocal but with incorrect information.

Landholders who are to be directly affected have not been contacted despite many being close to potential turbine sites.

Decommissioning - who is responsible? There is very little information available on when and how this will happen.

I chose to live in the area for it's slow pace, peace and quiet and friendly faces, the threat of this project has torn Nundle apart and has caused much heartache for many residents. We were told that if the community doesn't want it, the project won't go ahead. Over 70% of the community don't support it but here we are having to fight to keep our little bit of paradise.
The Nundle and Hanging Rock communities are not against renewable energy, however we do not support an industrial windfarm on OUR Hills of Gold.

I fully support the construction of the Hills of Gold Windfarm to be built near Nundle.
The construction will support hundreds of good jobs which will benefit the whole local community. When complete the wind farm will support the permanent employment of skilled electrical engineers who will live locally. The main benefit will be to reduce the burning of coal, which is causing rapid global warming and catastrophic climate change. For the good of humanity and the future of life on earth, this project must proceed as soon as possible. --

As a professional photographer i had worked for Australian Country Style Magazine mag for over 10 years
I was there Vic Tas and SA photographer for 5 of those years and the rest of the time there NSW photographer
I can tell you i’ve seen plenty of landscapes but this is a quintessential Aussie scape and stunning,
I was commissioned to shoot Nundle and the surrounding areas in the late 1990’s
I still get back there, it’s just one of those special places, the scapes, the range, the dams,.. the people, its my go to, for a chill and to shoot.
So when word got back to my that there’s a proposed 100 huge propellers visually polluting the skyline on the top of the range i was dumb struck
Have you actually been out there?
I wonder why some one would think this a smart energy idea, why don’t you just find a flat open paddock, THERE”S HEAPS OF THEM, and plant heaps of solar panels on that..
Only visible from the sky, so unless you’re a bird or you fly a drone it’ll never be seen..

As a landowner in the area of the proposed Hills of gold wind farm I'm writing this submission in objection to this development as in my personal opinion will destroy the character of Nundle in the way of visual pollution of the landscape and have an adverse impact on the rural character of the town. Significant parts of this development are worrying eg. The large amounts of water required for the proposed development coming from surrounding creeks and river systems that could have long lasting environmental affects, as some dams and water sources in the area have not yet returned to before drought levels. The possibility of losing some of the towns heritage through damage to the Black Snake gold mine remnants to mention one, as well as clearing of trees in the area to provide construction access and the development itself, some of these trees are known to be over 100 years old and some species of trees are unique to the region and once gone will never return, potential for the loss of bird life including some endangered species directly contributed by collision with wind turbines as seen in many cases in wind farms all over the world. Noise may well be an issue to surrounding properties as noted in complaints from residents living near similar wind farms in Australia and overseas . It seems senseless to destroy through clearing such pristine environment for such development which could be better suited to be built closer to existing power infrastructure and or redeveloping land that has already been used for industrial use previously. Not only will the wind turbines be visible during the day it seems the development will require obstacle lighting, which will add another negative destroying the peaceful night skies of Nundle and surrounds through the continual flashing of the proposed lighting required.

I write to object to the Hills of Gold Windfarm. I am a young Kamilaroi woman who has grown up on this land. The insertion of an industrial development on my traditional lands and on my doorstep is unacceptable. The proposal will negatively effect me in a number of ways. The EIS tells lies and the proponent has been intentionally misleading with information:
* School bus times are wrong. As I travel on the school bus we already contend with a large number of timber trucks every morning. We have to stop and change buses on the Wallabadah/Nundle road. The additional traffic movement from components and workers is going to make travel unsafe. The road is already in a poor condition and this will make it worse. I am entering my senior years and the disruption and lateness will significantly impact my learning. The bus trip is already nearly 80 minutes one way. Having to be slowed down further is going to make us late for school and disrupt the next 2 buses we have to catch. The additional bus runs-Howards Buses have not been included in the EIS.
* The visual impact from my home and from our farm is significant. We will be able to clearly see at least 20 turbines. We have a building under construction on the property which will be ruined due to the location of the turbines. We have not been consulted about the position of the turbines, just told that this is where they are.
* Nundle is a tourist town. I work in the local village. The massive increase in traffic due to construction is going to significantly impact the tourist trade. This will impact my employment.
* As a person wishing to return to the area to live and work, the cumulative effect of the turbines on our property and its production capabilities will be significant. This has not been addressed by the proponent in any form.
* As a young person I enjoy the natural environment of Nundle. This is what makes it special. It should not be destroyed by an inappropriate development. This is not the environment for this type of development. It will destroy the aesthetic and the native environment of the Great Dividing Range that surrounds Nundle.
This is not the area for this development.

I support the proposal to build a wind farm at Nundle, NSW. The reasons I support this are two-fold:
I believe that the wind farm will generate money that will be spent in the community.
I believe that all low emission power generation options should be explored and approved if they meet the restrictions and regulations as Climate Change is such an overwhelming issue.

The jobs that will be created from the building of, and future operation of, this wind farm will directly benefit the local community. The landholders will be able to improve their farms with the money that they receive which means more spending at local rural stores. The Community Enhancement fund will also directly benefit Nundle for generations to come. This is important to me as I am passionate about keeping rural towns viable and independent. I also believe that it is a great opportunity for Nundle to become part of the New England Renewable Energy Zone and revitalise itself at the same time.

I am concerned for the future of the planet due to the threat of Climate Change and I therefore think that wind projects should be encouraged. It is important for foreign and local investors to see that Australia is serious about low emission and renewable energy generation. The New England Renewable Energy Zone is one way to prove this, and the Hills of Golf Wind Farm will be a critical part of this zone.

I am satisfied that this project will not harm the local fauna or flora. I have read about the concerns with the nearby State forests, but I believe that the EIS has allayed these concerns. The project will not impact the Nundle State Forest with its endemic species Euphrasia arguta. There was concern about erosion from the pad sites, however I understand that mitigation plans have been drawn up.
I do not believe that the sight of these turbines will negatively affect the township's tourism. I often travel to Inverell and Glen Innes, and have only heard positive comments about the turbines in that area from travelers and locals alike. I think they look majestic and add to the drama of ridges and hills with their sculpture like presence. I am also not concerned about the noise as I have been close to turbines before, within 100m meters, and did not find the noise to be overpowering. I do not think the noise will affect residents.

Overall, I support the building of this wind farm due to my concerns for the future of the planet if we do not move away from fossil fuel power generation and because I believe that it will positively affect the prosperity of Nundle into the future.

see attached

I strongly support the development of this project. Australia has fallen behind other developed nations in terms of its climate response for the past 30 years and needs projects like this in order for us to play catchup. Climate change is one of the biggest problems that this world is facing and Australia needs to play its part in mitigating its effects. We have one of the highest greenhouse gas emissions emitted per person and it's embarrassing that our response has been lacking for so long. We have often excused our actions by standing with USA and their actions, especially Howard following Bush's lack of response towards climate change. However Biden's promises towards a green future should highlight that Australia is now an outlier and needs a climate policy and projects like this will only help in getting the ball rolling.

I am the owner of Wombramurra Station an agricultural holding of approximately 12,000 acres in the Head of Peel Valley Nundle. I am strongly against the Hills of Gold Wind Farm development and I have been threatened and had to deal with abusive phone calls from the major landholder associated with the project in relation to my views on the project. This project has been extensively organised by the landholder and he told the community of Nundle in a meeting he has been planning this for 15 years and has purchased seven properties on the ridgeline to achieve his plans. Many areas in these properties have been illegally cleared which included magnificent snow gums,tree fern country an old growth forest. This has resulted in destruction of habitat for many endangered species including eagles, powerful owls and quolls. Colonies of Koala's have been severely affected and potentially wiped out in the process.
The project will deeply impact the ability to fight fires in the area as due to the steep terrain it is impossible to get vehicle access and aerial fire fighting will be impeded by the turbines.
Being the major Landholder that borders the proposed site which we boundary for 15 km we will have a 270 degree view extending 400m above us. The developement corridor will be within 200m of our boundary. I will not be able to travel anywhere on my property where I will not see and or hear the turbines day and night. The visual impact study shows I will see between 60 to 70 turbines from my property.
Wind Energy Partners have not offered any form of compensation or neighbour sharing agreement except the offer of a small payment due to the Head of Peel and Kirks Roads proposed as access roads. They have also been very difficult to deal with and have showed no signs of trying to positively engage with me mostly reflecting if i do not sigh their documents the project will go ahead anyway and we will be the people that miss out financially even though it will be all around us.

Please see attached document

Landscapes have a value beyond the current project. The landscape around Nundle is very special and should be preserved for others to enjoy as it is. The 97 wind turbines can be relocated well way form this area. Please re-consider the location of this project to preserve the landscape around Nundle. Thanks.

I object to this proposal.

As the manager of lot 22 , which borders with the project site, I am disgusted with the proponent's lack of willingness to adhere to the government guidelines. They have completely neglected to appropriately identify and consult with adjoining landowners and have even had the nerve to ask community members who are not affiliated with the above mentioned property to gain access without permission. From their EIS, it is clear that they are deliberately misleading the department and the community (local, stakeholders, wider community through their websites).

It is clear from the EIS that this project hasn't got a leg to stand on. The proponents have little to no understanding of the area and seem to think that all assessments can be accurately done on the computer without ever being to the on the properties that they are claiming to have assessed. There has been no forward thinking about waste management and water preservation for the region as letting waste seep into such sensitive , rich quality soils as well as warning in their application that surrounding properties, people and livestock may be affected by lack of water and the quality of.

I have been a proud active member (secretary and treasurer as well) of Hanging Rock RFS for several years. I have served my community faithfully and have helped my community during incredible times of stress (especially during the 2019/2020 fire season). It is infuriating to read the blatant lies on both the proponent's website and in their EIS about working very closely with local RFS brigades. One phone call to the deputy captain in 3 years is NOT working closely as stated and is completely inadequate footwork and misleading both the public and the department.

The proponent's claims of better firefighting access in the area because of the windfarm and the substantial amount of clearing they have to do, is FALSE. The access roads that they have proposed are not going to benefit the whole community for firefighting, but only the turbine locations. This is only by trucks and utes. Aerial firefighting will not be as efficient or as safe as it has been in the past, which is a massive risk for pilots and the community. This project will make it more dangerous for pilots to reach the right flight paths, limit the angles of flight paths to reach fire targets, as well as the risk of increased turbulence. As Hanging Rock is the 2nd worst place to fight bushfires in NSW, most firefighting needs to be done with aerial support as most areas are unattainable via vehicle. This is why aerial support is so important for this area, with the last firefighting season is a great example. Without aerial support last season, we would not have been able to stop the fires at Ben Hall's National Park, the fires on properties on Shearer's Road, Crawney and Nundle State Forest. If the department approves this project and it proceeds, the only option will be to evacuate every time there will be a fire in the Hanging Rock area and surrounding ranges.

Lastly, I wish to point out the ridiculous attempt of the proponent's biodiversity scheme. Attempting to obtain neighbouring properties for their carbon credits through a biodiversity stewardship, is pathetic. Instead of investing in appropriate mitigation for the extensive amount of destructive clearing of the area, they are willing to hold landholders under contracts (caveats). If this project was so 'green' and environmentally friendly, there would be no need for such extensive land clearing, new proposed roads through dangerous terrain ruining the sensitive ecosystems that has kept Hanging Rock, Nundle, all the way through to Tamworth and the mid - coast council region alive for centuries. There would also have not been a need for the recent illegal clearing and water theft (records available at NRAR and OEH). These illegal activities have happened with the knowledge of the proponent. What other illegal and unsafe activities will continue if this proposal is to proceed??

Stop this destruction in its tracks. Put renewable projects in more suitable areas that don't destroy our sensitive and natural environment.

In summary, I object to this proposal for the following 3 reasons:

Issue 1: Community consultation
The Project has been in planning since at least 2017. Since January 2018, the “Inclusive Engagement” company were employed to plan community and stakeholder consultation.

To date, no community forums of any kind have been conducted in the Crawney/Timor localities (which, my family are from) and hence no information has been supplied to the community. Because this Project is proposed to sit on a ridgeline it obviously faces North and South of that ridge. Timor residents on this southern side, have been largely ignored. The majority of Timor residents have received no information from the Proponent at all and this is a failure
of requirements concerning engagement and consultation for any project of this kind. There was almost no reference to the Timor community, nor impact upon it, within the entire 406 pages of the EIS not to mention the abundant Appendices. One that could be found indicates that Timor is 15 kms away, perhaps inferring it has no relevance to this Project.

This is not the case as the Timor community is widespread and indeed at least 2 of the Associated dwellings, one a leasehold, are Timor residents. The Proponent managed to locate and cherry pick out these landholders early on in the process but ignored the majority of the community, many of whom live in closer proximity to this development than the Nundle community. Our first engagement with the Proponent was in May 2020, 2.5 years after “Inclusive Engagement” had been hired and just 6 months before this EIS was submitted, which has given us limited opportunity to gather accurate information and I believe this to be an unjust and unacceptable process.

Issue 2: Community Support
On Page 81 Section 4.4.7, the authors declare “…there is strong support from the residents within Nundle and Hanging Rock, visible from “Friends of the Wind Farm” support signs commonly viewed and as depicted in Figure 4-8”. Four photos are included to show the signage on local houses. Not once in this section is it mentioned that there is also extensive coordinated community opposition, with many residences in the same locations (and in additionally within Timor)
hosting visible signage against the Project saying “Preserve Hills of Gold”, with a big red slash through wind turbines. This is not hard to interpret as an action depicting opposition. There is a large and active local opposition group named “Hills of Gold Preservation Inc” (HOGI) with 129 members. They have organised a Petition against this Project, which was delivered to MP Kevin Anderson in Sydney with over 300 signatures. Mr Andrews lodged the Petition with Parliament on 18 th November 2020. There are additional signatures to add to the Petition which will be forwarded to Mr Andrews so the number of opponents is actually much larger. There is also an online Petition on “Change.org” that has over 3000 people raising their objection to this Project.

The authors and the Proponent are absolutely aware of this opposition group as they are listed as having a number of meetings with members of the HOGI on multiple occasions since at least November 2019 and this is listed in Appendix C-2. I note that at right at the beginning of the EIS the authors make a formal Declaration that “…information provided is neither false or misleading”. The authors of this EIS have shown themselves to be biased and misleading in presenting a
overarching picture of only community support and knowingly withholding information in this EIS about the strong, visible and known opposition to this Project.

Issue 3: DEVELOPMENT THREAT TO HABITATS OF CRAWNEY PASS NATIONAL PARK AND BEN HALLS GAP NATURE RESERVE
I object to this Project based on its site location severing the connectivity corridor along the Liverpool Range and especially given the site is contiguous with the Crawney Pass National Park and the Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserves.

I object to this Project based on the certain threats to the identified rare and Significant status (under legislation), of the plant and animal species within the Crawney Pass National Park and the Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserve.

See attachment for full details.

Please refer to the attachment

The proposed wind turbines will probably rotate at different speeds and the combined effect of the differently pitched sounds may cause a low droning noise which will be audible down the surrounding valleys. This will create a disturbance and annoyance for local residents and wildlife. Especially at night when it is much quieter and man made sound carries much further.

Hills of Gold Wind Farm Objection attached.

To whom it may concern,
I hereby declare that I OBJECT to the Hills Of Gold Wind Farm.
I have loved Nundle since the minute I hopped off an adventure bus transport called "Oz Experience" in 1996, while on my travels around Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.
The beautiful rolling hills, the quaint little town with it's shops and services, the peace and quiet, the friendly people, the beauty and abundance of Nature and lush farmland made me feel warmly welcome and had a big and ever lasting impression on me. Before arreiving I had negotiated big distances, towns and been spending somewhat exhausting weeks in Sydney. After arriving in Nundle I felt instantly at ease, calm and invigorated, -Nundle still has that affect on me and many of the people know now.
Cutting a long story short: I met my husband James that year, on the famous "DAG Sheep Station", a tourism business that he had created on his fathers then 30 000 acre station "Wombramurra". I immigrated from Germany to create a life together with James and Nundle became my first home here in Australia.
Together we build up the business to a sizable operation, one that welcomed over 600 travellers per week for many years. The beauty of the land, the uniqueness of the landscape, the many nature & historic attractions, the easy access for the buses (a short detour from the New England Hwy) and the facilities in town made it worthwhile to pursuit building a business that size in such a remote area. The DAG Sheep Station was, and still is, well known all over the world. We went to both national and international travel expos and trade shows like WHYSTIC in Madrid and won many prizes for best product and presentation.
James' father and his wife were integral in setting Nundle up to be as thriving as it is today by creating businesses like the Nundle Woolenmill, the Nundle Guesthouse and many more successful projects, to name a few.
We have since sold the DAG Sheep Station but our family's connection to Nundle is still strong to this day. James' father Pete is still the landholder of Wombramurra East and James and I own a house in the center of town. We visit Nundle every school holidays with our two daughters and often bring our horses up to go riding up in the hills, on our family's farm and love helping our friends and our farm manager mustering livestock. Our retired horses enjoy their retirement in Nundle to this day.
We have many strong friendships with Nundle residents. Over the years Nundle has attracted many people from all walks of life: journalists, writers, artists, bankers, tree-change seekers .Manyof whom visited once and fell in love with the place so much so that they decided to move to the Nundle and Hanging Rock area.
My family takes part in Nundle life where ever possible: I am an honorary member of the Nundle Book Club. In the summer holidays we become members at the Nundle swimming club for our girls to enjoy the intensive swim training and we frequently travel up for trivia nights, festivals and other community events.

Our house is listed on Airbnb (under the title of 'Nundle Country Living'). In the times that we are not visiting Nundle we welcome many tourists, who rate their stay in beautiful Nundle highly with raving reviews.
https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/11212049?source_impression_id=p3_1611899384_LpSZOexpyN6QSr2W&guests=1&adults=1

Nundle is a very special small country town, a rare gem, with a vibrant village life, well run and profitable small shops, a golf club, a swim club, a bowling club, tennins courts, a well maintained oval, a pony club, a yearly campdraft, an award winning playground, a big yearly 'Go for Gold Festival' at Easter time, an artshow, the well known Great Nundle Dog Race (a famous and very successful fundraiser for the local primary school), a health center and preschool, many small businesses and healthy farming operations, to name a few.
Nundle is a thriving, healthy town, unlike many other country town which are on the brink of dying!!!

If the Hills of Gold Wind Farm gets approved, all of the above will be jeopardised!!! The process of building the infrastructure alone will destroy the village physically, by having to remove well established trees in the main road,- median strips will also have to be removed and road junctions will become massive turning circles to accommodate the length of the blades.
The vehicle movement will increase from 845 movements a day (small cars and trucks) to 1350 per day with additional 30 big trucks passing through Nundle in the morning peak times. This means one vehicle every 20 seconds and a big truck every minute and a half. Nundle's sought after tranquility will be a thing of the past!! It's town center will be destroyed and so will be the businesses, the lifeblood of Nundle, due to the tourists and visitors staying away.
Property values will drop.
With regards to the traffic: Many of my friends living in Nundle have jobs in Tamwoth, Qurindi and surrounds and drive children to music, sport or school events or drive in for shopping groceries. A easy, traffic free commute of 40 to 45 minutes will become unmanageable with the added 143 vehicles per hour on roads leading to Nundle and Hanging Rock, many of which oversised and slow moving.

The beautiful Hills of Gold are not just stunning in looks and a major drawing card for tourists visiting the area, but are also a vital part of a significant, yet fragile ecosystem. Many endangered species including Koalas, Greater Glider, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Southern Myotis, Large-eared Pied Bat, Little-Pied Bat, Eastern False Pipistrelle and many other threatened bat species, as well as thirteen threatened terrestrial fauna species were directly observed within the development footprint.
Not only will the fragile top of the range be dug up for massive craters and filled with concrete to secure the windmills,but in the creation of the transport route alone up to 206 hectares of native vegetation will have to be cleared.

The range on which the wind farm is supported to be build is higher than the Blue Mountains and an important water catchment area for the region. The recent drought is a very timely reminder of how important water is for the area as all of Tamworth's and surrounds water comes from that area, 'the head of Peel' (Peel River). The range is a water catchment area of other rivers as well.

I have always loved to head up to beautiful Hanging Rock to cool down in the Sheba Dams and often drive through to visit friends who life on farms beyond Hanging Rock. On our laterst stay in Nundle this January, we had a great shock seeing the recent damage and clearing that is visible along the main road. Hundred year o;d Blue Gum trees were cleared seemingly prematurely in preparation for the proposed wind farm!!! The damage is a irreversible devastation and indicates strongly what further destruction will have to take place should the Hills of Gold Wind Farm get approved!!!

As I mentioned before, I am from Germany where wind farms have been operated for many decades. Wind farms have proven to be a environmental liability due to the non-reusable, non-recyclable components of assembly parts and also have shown to be unpredictable/inefficient in producing energy as well as becoming a graveyard of junk after their operational life and upgrading the existing windmills has been proven to be difficult to near impossible.
I also know first hand how disturbing and unsettling the bright aviation lights are. The proposed windmills with their 230 meter blade tip may operate two flashing red obstacle lights per turbine to be lit.The noise is also a big concern.

Both our girls (now 11 and 14 years old), our family and friends love Nundle and regulary visit. I am concerned that our future connection with Nundle will be jeopardised and that we won't be able to keep and main our house in Nundle should our Airbnb guests stay away.

Why risk destroying a beautiful, vibrant country town? Why cutting down trees and damaging the environment for creating renewable energy to safe the environment?

I'm all for renewable energy in the right places. Australia has plenty of areas with less fragile, environmentally important places, -areas that do not border on livelihoods and vibrant townships.
Nundle and it's surrounding areas should be protected now and in the future and be used as a model and example to helping dying towns and communities in giving hope and motivation to thrive. Nundle should not be exploited!

I thank you for the opportunity to write this submission and for your time reading it.

With Best Regards,

Anika Howarth (Heintze)