My name is Leigh and I want to tell you a little about the community where I live because I am frightened that it soon may be changed forever. A mining company is trying to take control of our land. Their actions demonstrate a belief that they can move into the area, set up a bauxite mine in our backyard and no one will say a thing. But we have a lot to say.

Every day our beautiful piece of paradise, Reedy Marsh, is habitat for a wide range of endangered and threatened species, including Tasmanian Devils, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Quolls, Platypus, Masked Owls, Swift Parrots and Green and Gold frogs. Our hamlet of forest properties and small scale farmland is a place we love to call home.

BUT our environment and health are under threat. Individuals in our community found out about an ABx application to create a bauxite mine in our area in 2024 and we had just a few days to read through their 450 page application and make a representation to local Council. A group of private landowners had to suddenly become activists.

ABx plans initially to destroy an existing tree plantation on rich, fertile soil, an important source of fibre and contribution to carbon drawdown and thereby increasing logging pressure on native forests. But it doesn’t end there. ABx has publicly stated that they plan to expand into Rare Earth Elements (REE) mining. Other mining companies, including Cobra Resources, have now started expressing their interest to mine the wider area on the back of ABx’s REE plans. This mine proposal is the first of what could be dozens scattered across the valley on prime farmland, as other companies have turned their greedy gaze on our home. We are determined to stop it in its tracks.

Despite receiving some 86 written objections, many more public, in-person representations, as well as a community petition (and their recently declared strategic plan promising to value and protect our natural environment), on the 13th of May 2025 the Meander Valley Council voted to approve the application. Shocked and disappointed, we have appealed the decision to the Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) but this costs money. Cake stands, film nights and setting up stalls in local markets are no longer going to cut it. We need your help.

More About Us

We are bird watchers, gardeners, creative artists and small business owners, retired folk and passionate local farmers who all rely on the fresh air and clean water to nourish ourselves and this island. We are families who want to raise our children on a foundation of health, safety and connection to caring for the natural world.

We are connected beyond into a vibrant collection of small villages in the council area known as Meander Valley, on what will always be the lands of the First Nation Pallittorre and Panninher peoples. When you zoom out further we are part of a precious wildlife corridor, edged by broad acre farmland and abutting a conservation area. Reedy Marsh is largely natural bushland and this corridor joins the coastal National Park of Narawntapu to the North to the World Heritage listed highlands of kooparoona niarra (Great Western Tiers) to the south.

Mine Watch Meander Valley Inc is an organisation made up entirely of volunteers. WE DO NOT WANT A BAUXITE MINE which will sit right at the beating heart of our home. We are strong in our commitment, but need help.

Our lawyers believe we have prospects of success, but the reality is this appeal is going to cost tens and tens of thousands of dollars, including engaging experts in a variety of fields from road safety to air and water quality. We need their critical evidence which can categorically support our case.

Our Valley, Our Voice

We have chosen not to let short-sighted big business ride roughshod over what they treat as a sleepy little town on a small island at the bottom of the world. We are taking up the fight for everyone who cherishes this place and for everyone who knows we should be protecting our environment, NOT destroying it.

We are a grass roots, locally based organisation. Every cent will go directly to ending this campaign of carnage. Every donation goes directly to our legal battle, and is tax deductible. (ABN: 83 800 208 874)

But we cannot do it without you, so please help us fight for our home … and help us win.