Midway Plantations Pty Ltd

Otway Ranges January 2006

Previous Midways plantation logging here

Otway Ranges January 2006: Beech Forest township has several large scale plantations to the north east and south east of the community. This particular house lies in close vicinity to Midway pine plantations (with recently established bluegum) in the Little Lardners Creek catchment in the Parish of Olangolah.

Otway Ranges January 2006: The infamous Charleys Creek plantation located about 3km south of Gellibrand. Bluegums have been re-established within metres of Charleys Creek. If these plantations are aerially sprayed, what is the chance of pesticides being sprayed directly into the creek, given that there are no buffers?

Otway Ranges January 2006: The infamous Charleys Creek plantation located about 3km south of Gellibrand. This site breached the Code of Forest Practice in February 2005. See here for more details

Otway Ranges January 2006: Charleys Creek.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, located about 6km east of the township of Gellibrand. These drainage lines appear to be full of algae and slime. Midway use a variety of nitrogen rich fertilisers on their plantations. These fertilisers also include a variety of heavy metals. One particular fertiliser produced by Incitec called N-Rich 24 contains 23.6% Nitrogen, 16% Phosphorus. It also contains 15mg/kg cadmium, 50mg/kg lead and 2 mg/kg mercury.The label included with this fertiliser includes; "...may also result in accumulation of these residues in soils." Many of Midways plantations are located in the main water supply for 50,000 people in the state's south west, the Gellibrand River.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, poor roading on sandy soils.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, high erosion potential.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Moorbanool, Charleys Creek catchment. New plantation logging just off Colac Beech Forest Road.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, Allotment 34A. Over 100 ha of pine has recently been logged at this location. It will be replanted to Bluegum which will most likely be more likely of insect attack, meaning the aerial spraying of insecticides. This view is facing the north east.

January 2006 Otway Ranges. Parish of Barramunga Allotment 4a in foreground and Allotments 78 a and 78b in the background. These plantations are located in the Gellibrand River Water supply catchment. Midway has and will log between 250 - 300 hectares of pine plantations in these locations between 2005 and 2006. The plantations in the distance were aerially sprayed with Simazine in 2005. These plantations were originally established by Smorgons in the 1970's as a way to compete against the cardboard box empires of Richard Pratt and APM. Smorgons got out of the cardboard box industry in the late eighties and sold off their pine plantations to Midway in 1996. Midway will replant these plantations with bluegum.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, Allotment 34A. Eroding logging track in the Gellibrand River catchment.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, Allotment 34A. Destruction of riparian native vegetation.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Yaugher, Allotment 34A. View looking south off Ridge Road.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Barramunga, Allotment 3A. Logging track cut through drainage line of Roadknight Creek.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Barramunga, Allotment 3A. Recent logging mess near the headwaters of Roadknight Creek.

January 2006 Otway Ranges - Parish of Barramunga, Allotment 3A. Recent logging mess near the headwaters of Roadknight Creek. More ex Smorgons plantations.