Elphinstone Plateau

(from Mount Mark cliff edge looking SW)

Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

[Photo Source: © Wyn Jones, circa 1991]

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There exists a vast plateau unspoilt from the valley floor and it lies just west of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.

It is Elphinstone Plateau, known mainly to locals and to informed bushwalkers.  It’s deep gorges provide critical habitat to one of the world’s most endangered plants, Microstrobos fitzgeraldii, and to its integral waterfall spray dependent ecological community.

Elphinstone Plateau lies interconnected with the Cox’s Watershed traversing the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, connected to National Parks owned land, to Narrow Neck and to the Jamison Valley.  The photo above shows how country is interconnected in the Blue Mountains and that Elphinstone Plateau remains one of the last surviving wild places of the Central Blue Mountains area.  We value it.

Elphinstone Plateau is an integral continuum of the Blue Mountains Great Southern Escarpment.  Elphinstone Plateau’s uniqueness and its dependent habitat and wild values deem that it should be integrated into the Blue Mountains National Park and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Elphinstone Plateau’s history contains stories, many sad and some a curse, and more recently of local community battles fought for years late into the night driven by a committed local few.

Exploring Elphinstone Plateau

[Photo © The Habitat Advocate, no reproduction permitted]

 

The website is about to embark on a protracted conservation campaign to “Save Elphinstone Plateau” from Developer Wars – Book 3.  The Habitat Advocate has its origins within walking distance of Elphinstone Plateau.  We have explored it, but we know little of its ecology, its history, its Aboriginal heritage, its recurring struggles against selfish developer exploitation.  So we are about to research all this and share our research journey on this website in the months to follow.

In doing so, we shall be shining a light on the stories of battles that have come before, back to the 1980s.  This promises to stir skeletons from closets and to reveal facts that some would prefer were forgotten.  For those interested in documentaries and reading history, our series of articles pursuing this conservation campaign will be an epic ride connecting the present to the past.

So after months of online hibernation, The Habitat Advocate is back in conservation action, awoken by a conservation warrior, asking us for support.

Elphinstone Plateau is where this website and logo were conceived.

 

Katoomba residents Maureen and Peter Toy with Glenn Humphreys (right) marvel at Katoomba’s largest native tree

[Photo © Friends of Atlas, 20140907, click image to enlarge]

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Residents of the Blue Mountains, Maureen and Peter Toy, were shocked to learn last month about an arbitrary claim for this magnificent tree (pictured) to be killed for what they consider can be no rational reason.

According to advice that the Toys received from local conservation consultancy The Habitat Advocate, this large Blue Mountains Ash (Eucalyptus oreades) is a native tree only found in the Upper Blue Mountains.  This particular specimen probably dates to 19th Century colonial settlement in Australia.

Maureen says “It is a beautiful and rare specimen and Blue Mountains folk are fortunate that we have such a significant tree still growing right by Megalong Street in now an increasingly industrialised part of Katoomba.”

Over the many decades, this great tree has withstood fierce windstorms, bushfires, road-widening right up to its trunk and industrial development all around it.  With a canopy about 40 metres high and a trunk girth of over 5 metres, the tree has become a recognised icon and reference point in the area.  It is home to a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)

These character parrots may be of ‘Least Concern’ to IUCN, but to the clan of cockies habitating Atlas, this is their home.

[Source: Zoos Victoria, ^http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/animals/sulphur-crested-cockatoo]

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Maureen affectionately calls the tree, ‘Atlas’, after the Greek God, for its towering size and for being so enduring.  There is no other quite like it perhaps throughout the world renown Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Peter can’t understand why the tree is not on Council’s Significant Tree Register or why anyone would want to harm it.  The tree is on community verge land and for the past few years there has been an industrial development constructed behind it.  Peter and Maureen are vehemently opposed to any further harm being inflicted upon the tree and they have lodged a protest with council.

Several others in the local community have sided with the Toys and together have formed a local group ‘Friends of Atlas’ determined to protect the tree.  Peter is looking to start a petition to garner local community recognition and support to protect the tree. He says “it is early days but he is ready for a sustained fight.”

A spokesperson from Blue Mountains (city?) Council has confirmed that the tree is situated on ‘Community Land‘ on the verdant verge strip between the street and the new industrial development at number 59 Megalong Street.  The tree and its canopy and root system is not on private land, but on Community Land.  Council has a duty as the community-delegated custodian of all community lands throughout the Blue Mountains Local Government Area.  Council does not ‘own’ the tree per se, rather Council acts as the responsible custodian of this significant tree.

Council has stipulated in its development consent conditions for the adjoining industrial development application since 2010 that the tree must not be harmed by the current development activity.

But Peter disagrees.  He says “guttering has been dug right into the tree roots system and just a month ago the developer had a bobcat grade the topsoil and roots around the tree for an entire day!.”

Council’s spokesperson says that council has not received any request for the tree to be destroyed.

A battle to save the tree is set to ensue.

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Further Reading:

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[1]  Campaign Facebook Page:  ^https://www.facebook.com/friendsofatlas

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[2]  Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area,  ^http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/917

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[3]  Blue Mountains (city?) Council’s promotional tourism hypocrisy (or ‘greenwashing‘): ”

<<The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area only exists today because of a 70-year campaign by conservationists to achieve a chain of reserves across the region.  This culminated in the year 2000 with the acceptance of 10,000 square kilometres of wild bushland onto the World Heritage list – the ‘best of the best’.>>

Source: Blue Mountains (city?) Council, ^http://www.greaterbluemountainsdrive.com.au/

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…70 years hence, this is the same reason why conservationists ‘Friends of Atlas’ have started a campaign.  Atlas is the “best of the best”.

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Nimbin Environment Centre

Cullen Street (main street), Nimbin, New South Wales, Australia

[Source: Nimbin Environment Centre,

^http://www.nimbincommunity.org.au/index.php/environment-centre]

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Amongst other worthy places, there are two that are special and worth a visit when exploring the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales.  Walk the ‘Wonga Walk’ (5.4km) beneath the rainforest canopy in Dorrigo National Park and stroll through the counterculture village of Nimbin calling into the Nimbin Environment Centre.

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Dorrigo Plateau Country

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Perhaps the tallest remaining rainforest trees survive in the natural ecology and splendour in Dorrigo National Park, part of originally Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal Country, and currently one of eight groups of World Heritage protected areas in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia..

Yellow carabeen (Sloanea woollsii) 

Found growing naturally up to 55 metres tall along the Wonga Walk in Dorrigo National Park

[Source: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service,

^http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/dorrigo-national-park/wonga-walk/walking/visual-tour]

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Nimbin

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The village of Nimbin is many miles from Dorrigo, but that doesn’t matter.  Nimbin’s spirit is similar from that gained on the rainforest walk.

Perhaps one of the most respectful and communicative messages of any community in Australia is that of Nimbin’s, which draws upon the values of local Aboriginal elders, and shared by Nimbin’s close-knit local mix:

“We belong this country

We look after this country

Don’t do wrong around here this country

We don’t harm this country here

We belong to it this country”

~ Bundjulung Elders.

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The Nimbin Environment Centre is a voluntary non-profit organisation.  It’s website reads: our history is rooted in the successful battles which saved Terania Creek and The NightCap Forest. We are very conscious of our continuous role as custodians of this land, hand in hand with its first people: The Bundjalung nation. We receive no funding from State or Federal Governments. This empowers us to be fearless in our work to defend, protect, preserve and enhance the environment.

We read this and reflect upon our crews visit in October 2013, and upon the subsequent town fire of the 13th August 2014 which tragically struck at the heart of Nimbin.

We remember and preserve some memories for those who have contributed to the Magic of Nimbin since the Aquarius Festival of 1973 which has since celebrated the hope of ‘Counter Culture’.

We offer the following images of a Nimbin morning taken by our editor paying an overnight visit to Nimbin 23rd – 24th October 2013.  All images are copyright free in the public domain as we consider appropriate.  Nimbin sets an example of community respect to the world.  For each image click to enlarge.

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Further Reading:

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[1]    Nimbin Environment Centre, ^http://www.nimbincommunity.org.au/index.php/environment-centre

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[2]   Nimbin Museum, ^http://nimbinmuseum.com/

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[3]   Friends of Gondwana Rainforest, ^http://gondwanarainforest.org/australia

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[4]   ‘Once Upon a Time in Nimbin‘, a traveller’s account, 20120703, ^http://www.soulfoodtraveller.com/2012/07/once-upon-timein-nimbin.html

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[5]   Rainforest Publishing, owned by Hugh and Nan Nicholson, The Chandon, ^http://www.rainforestpublishing.com.au

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