| Fancy a road trip to the Hunter Valley? Join us as we discover Bulga: Indigenous culture, natural beauty, local food, organic wine, and a community that won’t be moved for coal. Book your ticket today.
Neville –One of the first moves Premier Mike Baird made when reelected was to visit the tiny village of Bulga in the Hunter Valley. He took with him our new Planning Minister Rob Stokes. Why? Because it’s coal vs community, and locals aren’t backing down.
Bulga is home to about 350 people and a rich local heritage. The famous Bulga bridge carries you over the Wollombi Brook to the renowned Cockfighters Tavern. Then there is the local church and cemetery, established in 1856. Stretching back even further is the culture and connection of the Wonnarua traditional custodians whose sacred sites are found across the region.
On one side of the village is the vast wilderness of the Wollemi National Park. On the other is something else entirely. In recent years the Bulga community has born witness to a transformation in their region as open-cut coal mines creep closer than ever before.
Vahid Roser is one of the locals who has taken a stand and said no to mines swallowing up his village. Vahid is a musician, footballer, student, and seventh generation Bulga local. This is Vahid’s story of the place he calls home:
Watch Vahid’s story on Youtube | Watch and share Vahid’s story of Facebook
For years Vahid and his community have been fighting off a powerful multinational coal company. Rio Tinto’s plans to expand open-cut coal mining would create consequences so severe that a recent recommendation from the state’s planning process was to give serious consideration to moving the entire village.
 The community is understandably dismayed. Even more so because this battle is one they have already fought and won. Twice Bulga locals beat Rio Tinto in the courts. They have the framed front page of the newspaper hanging in the local pub to prove it (see left).
But Rio Tinto keeps coming back for another go… and the government keep letting them. Right now the community is gearing up for a battle like none other. They want to stop Rio Tinto, and save their village. Will you help them?
Click here to find a day trip date that suits you and to secure your seat on the bus.
If you’re not near Sydney or can’t make a day trip, please watch and share Vahid’s story.
We hope you will join us in defending Bulga,
Holly and the Land, Water, Future team
|
