PRIVATE landholders neighbouring The Drip Gorge on the Goulburn River near Mudgee have offered to donate 10 hectares of their land to the Goulburn River National Park on the condition that Yancoal handover a larger portion of their land to National Parks.
Julia and Colin Imrie, who have owned their property ‘Gleniston’ since 1973, have offered to gift the NSW government a 10-hectare strip which connects The Drip Gorge and the existing National Park.
They say that the block of land surrounding The Drip and the land bordering the Goulburn River is currently owned by the Moolarben Mine and to date, less than one hectare of land has been proposed for protection as National Park.
Ms Imrie says that Moolarben’s land offering covers only the rock face of The Drip.
“For years the community has been asking for certainty and protection for The Drip and Goulburn River - what is being offered by Moolarben Coal, though a step in the right direction is ill-defined with no guarantees,” she said.
The Imries argue there is limited knowledge about the ground water systems feeding The Drip and the base flow to the Goulburn River and therefore the risks mining poses to the ecosystem.
Moolarben Coal say that they want to preserve The Drip by surrounding it with State Conservation Areas.
Mr and Mrs Imrie say that the tenure for State Conservation Areas does not exclude mining.
“We urge the NSW Government to take up our offer and support the full protection of this iconic area in the National Park without delay,” she said.
The Imries are awaiting a response from the NSW Premier.
