TAYLORS Lane, Wallan, where new families have settled with the promise of a growth corridor, has seen certainty of long-term development replaced with anxiety following last week’s quarry approval.
Mike, surname withheld, lives just 1800 metres from where the North Central Quarry will be blasted. He told the Review he is “deeply concerned” about the threat to health, safety and quality of life to his family and community that the basalt quarry will bring.
Mike and his wife bought their house a few years ago, planning to raise their two children in what they thought was a growing family neighbourhood. He has always been in opposition to the quarry and now, with its approval, he is “devastated” that many of these will become a reality.
“At 56 years old, I feel trapped. This is our family home, but with the quarry approved nearby, selling is no longer a realistic option, and banks may not approve another mortgage at my age. With the house partially paid off, we’re effectively locked into a situation where we will be directly exposed to the harmful effects of this project,” he said.
“We will be breathing in dust every day, including dangerous silica dust. It’s a constant, daily health hazard for my family.
“Noise is the other major fear, the blasting of rock and the roar of heavy trucks will shatter the peace of our community… and those trucks, traffic is another concern. A continuous stream of large trucks through our already busy Northern Highway.”
Mike’s concerns are echoed by the NO QUARRY for Beveridge/Wallan Action Group, which has been campaigning for more than four years against the project.
Spokesperson Skye Forster said the community’s reaction to the approval was “quite shocked,” because, in her view, “including a quarry in the middle of two master-planned communities has never been done before in Australia.”
Ms Forster believes the first impacts people will feel are health-related and on the roads, identifying “three main hazards, dust, noise, and vibration,” noting that disrupted sleep can affect children’s focus at schools and early learning centres, as well as residents working from home.
“If contractors start ramping from 4-5am, that’s going to be interrupting sleep because they’ll be idling,” she said.
She also raised concerns about “diesel particulate emissions within the quarry,” pointing out that “Australia has no standard for off-road diesel emissions.”
Ms Forster said the site’s topography worsened the problem. With the quarry “on that saddle of the hill,” she argued, wind conditions “are going to carry dust, and that dust has silica in it, directly downhill into both townships. That’s a health nightmare with a really long tail.”
Ms Forster said many residents felt left out of the decision-making process. She argued the proposed quarry was never clearly identified during initial consultation and was also critical of the state’s intervention in the planning process.
“Government cannot claim to consult community when the proposed quarry was not explicitly included in plain language in the documentation we were consulted on,” she said.
“Two days before the VCAT hearing was scheduled, the planning minister called in the decision and cut the community out of the process almost entirely setting extremely narrow terms of reference for an advisory committee.
“They might as well have asked, do you want red trucks or blue trucks with your quarry?”
While all this is concerning for Ms Forster, she said what she found “distressing” during the consultation process was the “lack of engagement with our local traditional owners and land council.”
The NO QUARRY for Beveridge/Wallan Action Group held a meeting about three years ago where Uncle Andrew Gardiner attended and gave insights into the importance of the area to the Taungurung People.
“I just can’t describe it. They were treated extremely disrespectfully during the Directions Hearing of the Ministerial Advisory Council. It was so awful,” she said.
“I believe that impacted their further engagement as well. I don’t think they have been considered at all.”
For Mike, the impact feels immediate, even though the quarry is years from operation. He worries about “repeated tremors from quarry blasting” and the potential for structural fatigue in homes, as well as dust entering ventilation systems or blanketing solar panels.
“I urge local MPs to listen to the lived experiences, concerns, fears and potential impact of the quarry to local residents before it is too late,” he said.
“This is not just a planning matter—it is a profound threat to the health, lifestyle, and future of thousands of Wallan residents,” he said.
Ms Forster, meanwhile, said the NO QUARRY for Beveridge/Wallan Action Group is engaging with MPs across Parliament to explore revocation options, while also preparing for the long haul if the project proceeds.
“There’s a link on the Mitchell Shire Council Facebook page where people can send a letter to their MPs,” she said.
“It’s not just for residents; it’s for anyone in Victoria who cares about consultation being genuine.”
