Martins Creek Quarry Project

I strongly oppose the proposed expansion of Martins Creek quarry.
I was a Vacy resident from 2005 to 2021, living within several hundred metres of the quarry.
In the first years after our arrival, the quarry operated with minimal disturbance to our lives, and indeed in 2006 I was advised that the quarry would be closing.
Sadly, I then learned that this was not true and that Daracon had started extracting product from the site.
Since that time the noise from quarry operations, including frequent blasting events with the house shaking, cracks appearing in the walls, ground vibrations underfoot, glassware rattling in cupboards and the quarry expanding and moving closer to our house, caused a lot of fear and anxiety. I even had visitors present at one blast who panicked and tried to get outside, believing there was an earthquake. On 21/12/2020 there actually was a 2.3 magnitude earthquake registered at Duns Creek and I thought the quarry had conducted a blast. The impact, vibration and sensation felt the same.
I was often woken before 06:30 by the sound of heavy vehicles driving in the quarry, and from 07:00 heard grinding, scraping noises as the vehicles shifted the rock product around, accompanied by vehicle reversing alarms and rock crushing machinery operating for hours at a time. Add to this the gritty dust settling on everything outside the house.
The industrial noise from the quarry could be heard above the volume of the television. There was no way to escape it, the noise was constant and intrusive. Gardening was a hobby I enjoyed but there was no pleasure in being in the garden when the quarry was active.
Trucks used Horns Crossing Road and Dungog Road from the direction of Dungog as well as from Maitland. These trucks would park in convoy (sometimes 6 at a time) along Dungog Road, back across the bridge over the railway line, waiting for the quarry to open, motors running, lights on, then all leave in convoy.
The roads on the haul routes are under constant stress from the volume of heavy vehicles, pot-holes appeared after rain events and in summer the heat melted the tar, resulting in the roads being churned up and damaged.
I have good friends in Vacy and Paterson and continue to visit them frequently, I know they are apprehensive about the outcome of the Daracon application and so am I.
The Martins Creek quarry is a large industrial operation with proposed increases in operating times, product removal and train loading 24/7. This is at odds with the surroundings, zoned rural and rural residential, attracting an increasing population who value their rural lifestyle and significant historical villages. A project such as this may be seen to be of value and benefit to Daracon but will destroy a significant and unique area of NSW for thousands who live nearby.

I strongly object the Martins Creek Quarry Expansion SSD-6612.
I am a Resident of Paterson and live on the No 1 Haul Route. There can be no deviation of trucks going past my house due to the proximity of my house the the quarry and the road. My house is affected as it vibrates every time a loaded truck passes and when empty my family is unable to communicate in the yard due to the noise. We already have many trucks that use our road for essential reasons that benefit the community. Another 280 truck movements for profit, per day, seems unreasonable for this community to suffer the noise and vibration on a more constant basis as well as the extra dust and fuel emissions that will be present in our air. I believe all these factors together will greatly affect value of my property and surrounding properties.

No only am I a local and have been my whole life, I am a courier driver and I deliver to businesses and many private addresses from the bridge at East Maitland through Lorn, Bolwarra on Paterson Road, Tocal Road, Maitland Road Paterson, Gresford Road, Dungog Road and Grace Avenue leading into Martins Creek. Therefore I believe adding 280 trucks to the road per day is going to make my job as Courier and other Couriers in this area far more perilous as we search for addresses and enter and exit these roads.

As being a long time resident, I lived through the chaos of Daracon's illegal operations and was greatly relieved when it ceased as I felt a lot safer entering and exiting my own property. I have witnessed some good driving but have also witnessed some deplorable driving as well. One such incident when trying to enter my own property was almost rear ended by a truck and dog at 80kms per hour who was travelling, I believe to close to me to see my brake lights and indicator. When he finally realized I was stopping he had to brake heavily and I could see his truck and dog crossed up across both lanes. This is one of many near misses I witness living and working along the No 1 Haul Route to Martins Creek Quarrry.

I have attended local meetings, Daracon's representatives have shown little or no regard for the community suggesting if we don't like it move. I believe the only thing SIGNIFICANT about this expansion is the profit Daracon stand to make at the total expense of our community.

In the initial Submissions at the start of all this if you browse through the supports for the expansion the majority are from the Sydney area and other areas no where near local to Paterson and Bolwarra. Once again people with scant regard for our community.

This is a rural area with roads developed for rural use, not as a Haulage Route. I believe it is not State Significant as there are many other quarries in the area.
Please don't let us lose another rural village and community to Mining in the Hunter Valley.

I’m against

As a long term resident of Lorn (+25 years) I object to this application due to increased truck traffic from the Quarry. Local rural roads are already over-stressed from population growth and any additional truck movements would result in danger to road users, damage to roads, increased noise and reduced quality of life for all local residents.

I object to the planned Martins Creek expansion for 3 reasons.
1. I am a beekeeper and have bees in the area. The planned expansion will reduce forage for my bees, the repeated explosions will upset the bees and the dust will directly and indirectly impact the bees by covering the bees and therefor making it difficult to fly as well as meaning they need to spend extra time grooming instead of gathering honey. The dust will also cover flowers and makes it hard for them to feed. The property my bees are on is also a wildlife refuge and will also be directly impacted in the same ways.
2. There is a local population of koalas in the area. We are already losing so many of our wild koalas (a known tourist attraction) and those that are left are dangerously close to becoming non-viable due to lack of genetic diversity. We can NOT afford to lose any more.
3. The main road past Tocal to get to the Quarry is already insufficient to the demand, as anyone who attended Tocal Field Days will tell you.
Martins Creek Quarry have already proven they can not be trusted to stick to the limits imposed by the government. Why are we rewarding them by increasing those limits. I ask you to consider the impacts on other Australians, both human and non-human.

Please find the KKEPS submission in the document attached.




I write to oppose this new Quarry proposal by Buttai Gravel part of the Daracon Group to operate the Martins Creek quarry.
I live in Butterwick and I am directly affected. I am also very concerned for all residents that live in this beautiful area.
I can’t believe we are even revisiting this proposal again considering a verdict has been ruled on previously and upheld after many objections. The Daracon Group were found to be operating illegally. Should be end of story.
Daracon can not be trusted and treat this latest proposal as tick and flick exercise until they get the verdict they want. Why can’t they accept the law and the rulings handed down. Something smells here.
I hope the Independent Planning Commission look closely at all the submissions on the planning portal closely as they will notice nearly all the Quarry support submissions come from people who don’t reside or work in this community. I wonder if these same people supporting the proposal would be supporting it if this proposal was on there door step or suburb. It’s not hard to work out who is behind the support submissions and who is to gain from these support submissions.
You don’t need to be Ironside to work out what blasting (noise/dust etc) and extracting of 1.1 million tonnes of quarry material every year for the next 25 years will do to our natural bush land, loss of koala habitat and other already endangered animal species and noise pollution.
I am also very concerned about our water ways, particularly with the Paterson River near by. Daracon use a washing plant and a crushing plant. There is always run off, seepage and of course the spills. Also I believe Daracon add carcinogenics with the final product after the crushing process. They may say they(Daracon) wet down to reduce dust emissions into the air we breath. What about those hot summer days when the product dries out, what about the emissions to the air along the haulage routes. Covering loads does not stop emissions or particles into the air. Also the extra diesel fumes will be another on going long term effect.
Imagine the direct effect of local residents houses in Martin’s Creek and the nearby surrounding houses on small acreage that are effected by blasting and vibrations. The air quality and pollution impacts which bring on asthma and other respiratory problems. Simple things like hanging your clothes out to dry after washing then having to wash again due to dust particles floating through the air.
Then incorporate noise from trucks and large machine operation along with the road haulage in and out of the quarry. The empty trucks rattling along Butterwick Road is an aggravation that nobody needs.
Where is EPA?? Have they forgotten who they represent.
Try living next to a road or street that has large truck movements constantly, the empty truck noise returning to the quarry is horrendous. I note the return route could be any number of roads. Who monitors this? Daracon will say they do. To their advantage of course. What about the elderly and shift workers health residing along the impacted streets and roads affected by this proposal. We’re not talking about a quarry out in the middle of nowhere it’s in a village surrounded by small lifestyle blocks with people residing wanting a quiet lifestyle.
The Paterson area is a tourist area and the gateway to the Barrington.
Then we have school children’s safety to take into account. We have the nearby schools of Martin’s Creek and Paterson, plus Bolwarra and Lorn schools. With the housing boom and the more people moving to our lovely area are roads are busy enough and having trouble coping with the extra traffic. The truck movements along these already busy roads will impact the risk of children being injured or worse possible fatalities. Children can be unpredictable when crossing roads, can you imagine a truck fully loaded stopping in time. The School busses also use the same roads mentioned in the proposal which constantly stop start to pick up and drop off children. I live on Butterwick Rd which is a small country road designed for minimal vehicle access not a heavy vehicle detour. When Daracon were operating previously there own trucks and sub-contractors where using this road like a race track. The road deteriorated very quickly as it can not handle the weight of the truck and trailer combinations or the excess movements.

In conclusion: It's time to listen to the people who have small businesses and live and reside in this beautiful area, who are opposed to this extension. This proposal will destroy people’s lifestyles and will cause health and mental health issues. The plain simple truth is the current road infrastructure is not built to accommodate haul trucks or the excess daily movements.

People and lifestyle not profits.
Kind Regards
Trina Wilson

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Attached Document

See attachment

My husband and I live in Paterson and when Daracon was operating the quarry in 2019 we experienced first hand the horror of trucks roaring through our peaceful village every few minutes, all day long. It was difficult to cross the road and difficult to exit the service station with the ever flowing traffic. It was dangerous for the school children who get on and off their bus in the middle of the village. The cafe has a nice outdoor seating area used by locals and visitors all week. It was virtually impossible to use this area during the week with the noise, vibration and pollution from the trucks. This meant loss of business for the cafe owner and loss of a facility for locals and visitors.

My husband is a Deputy Captain in the Paterson Rural Fire Brigade. The number of Daracon trucks going through Paterson slowed the response times for the brigade in responding to incidents. It is not possible in a small village for trucks to pull over to allow first responders to pass, and so this increases the likelihood of loss of property and life.

I am a Deputy Captain in the Lower Hunter Communications Brigade. In addition to my regular weekend shifts, I can be called in to the Fire Control Centre at East Maitland at any time of the day when there are major incidents. There are often traffic jams at the junction of Flat Road and Melbourne Street, East Maitland, and these can delay my journey. However, what the proposed increase in truck traffic via that route will do to these traffic jams, horrifies me.

The state of our roads during Daracon's heavy operations was appalling. Yet they paid nothing towards the repair and maintenance of our roads.

Finally, we do not understand Daracon's total lack of consideration for their local communities. There are examples of other quarry companies building link roads and sound proofing their operations so as to lessen the impact on the local community. Daracon has made no attempt to even consider any of this. They think they have a right to destroy our villages, our livelihoods, and our peace.

The expansion of this quarry is as horrifying as it is stupefying. I am shocked that less than two years after the most catastrophic habitat loss the nation has ever seen in the bushfires of 2019-20, the government is even considering the destruction of more critical habitat for our endangered koalas, swift parrots, spotted quolls and other precious Australian natives. There is so little bushland left in the Hunter, we need to protect the fragile and limited biodiversity still unaffected by mining and farming.

I am born and bred in the Hunter from a six-generation farming family. The degradation and destruction of valuable farm land has gone unabated in my lifetime. My father remembers seeing koalas all through the bush when he was a boy. I have only seen them in the zoo. Enough.

I cannot imagine the impact on locals with the hundreds of daily truck movements, the economic costs of road damage, loss of amenity, reduction in tourism, dust and health impacts. Between the coal trains, the mines and now this, it really is obvious that big business and the government takes the Hunter for granted - just dumb rurals. Enough.

Protect the environment and the community and reject this outrageous proposed mine expansion.

Yours sincerely,

Emily Edwards

Lived in Paterson since December 2001. Moved here for the rural atmosphere, safe place to bring up children (and now grandchildren). Found it exceeded expectations until Daracon breached the quarry’s limits and made us all live through a nightmare period with the incredible amount of trucks.
While I absolutely object to this application, I am not out to close the quarry – maintaining at acceptable levels – i.e. as they are at present – is something that doesn’t disrupt and endanger our community and visitors.

My objections are based on the following:
- Having lived the bedlam and nightmarish experience of hugely increased truck traffic, 2007-2019I can state plainly that the thought of the return of these numbers, or worse, is horrific. While we live approx. 100m off the main road, the noise for us personally mean that even the enjoyment of being in the garden was taken away, you could not even sit and converse in our outdoor entertainment area in the hours the trucks were running without the constant rumble and rattle of trucks.
- The dust and film of silica or fly ash or particulates of whatever the horrible stuff was, would coat the house, the car when parked outside, our fencing, sheds, and even plants in the garden. It was not dust you could brush off, it has to be washed off, as it had a sort of oily coat when it accumulated, which it did quite fast. I can’t imagine what we were breathing. Since the decrease in trucks, this has reduced to just general light dust that is normal anywhere. While there are standards they are supposed to have for the trucks, even if adhered to, they do not allow for hot and dry summer days, nor do they apply to empty trucks, who often have more effect with noise and dirt than the full ones, which is just awful in itself.
- I object to the potential disturbance to the rural amenity of our small village and surrounding towns should this application be approved. I wish there was some way to show you what it would be like – living through the first time is something I will never forget.
- The health impacts of the noise, the dust and the vibrations affected us mentally and physically. My asthma increased from seasonal to permanent, with medication having to be implemented that had not been needed before – and which became unnecessary again within 12 months of the decrease in trucks. My husband has PTSD and the effect of the noises on him, even the blasting in the distance, affected our whole household terribly. During this time he ended up in regular psychiatric care, with much medication. He is now off all antidepressants, since the trucks stopped. I do not want to go back to that way of life, and neither does he. Allowing this would increase all this again, plus diesel fumes etc – and I know that there are many people with medical records to show similar problems in similar periods of time.
- The village road system here is not able to practically manage the load of trucks – it is one lane either way through town, with only small shoulders, which are the only parking places for people wishing to access our supermarket, butcher, café and post office. It was designed in the 1900’s with quirky bends and corners, a rail crossing, and narrow roadways. To access and support our local stores, we have to park at the side of the road and get out of our cars carefully while watching for oncoming traffic, and if parked on the opposite side of the road, make our way across the road. With the number of trucks coming through a small space, regardless of whether they travel at 40km or 50km, it is asking for tragedy in the form of a pedestrian being seriously hurt or killed.
- Even out of area, there are intersections on their proposed route that already have huge issues with traffic and congestion at certain times, add so many trucks to this and the nightmares and potential for accidents just increase exponentially.
- I have real fears for the safety of myself, my family, my friends and any human being in the area. Elderly or infirm people, of which we have many, trying to cross the road during a break in traffic are at serious risk, as are children, and , in reality, all others.
- The social aspects in terms of being in town and being able to have a chat with other village residents are also of concern – we found that living through the first time with all the trucks, you could not even stand and hold a conversation – again affecting our rural amenity. This proposal would kill that.
- A similar issue involves our beautiful park, with a children’s playground which is not far from the road. How would you feel if you child was injured or killed because you had allowed this traffic increase, with decreased visibility for cars due to the size of the trucks in a small area, as well as the actual trucks? Our park is a place that should be serene and family oriented, and is used frequently by large numbers of people both from in town and out of town. In the event of even a small flood occurrence, traffic is diverted from the small main road and sent around even smaller residential streets, including our own. The impact of this is horrific.
- Our roads end up full of potholes, degraded and in terrible shape. While living through the ‘first wave’ of trucks, I personally had to replace a windscreen due to rocks flying from either the tops of trucks, or picked up by the tyres, approximately every 9 months, and I work from home and don’t drive daily. I have insurance claim records to confirm that. There is no recourse here with things like this – Daracon will only accept liability of you have times and truck details – which is impossible if you are in a 100km zone or an 80km zone, or even a 50km zone, and a rock from an oncoming vehicle smacks into your windscreen or car, and you are driving, and they are gone – how could you get their detail? Obviously impossible.
- Pushbike riders also are at serious risk with this level of proposed trucks.
- I note too that although Daracon have made some very minor promises, including a Code of Conduct that has never shown any signs of being enforced, nor is there an explanation of how it would be enforced, and there is no real attempt at any concern for people whose lives and property values would be affected should this be permitted. There is also no guarantee that anything at all that they say will be enforced, we have prior behaviour and attitudes as an example of the lack of care, including the Daracon head stating outright to a resident at a town meeting some time ago that if he lived here and the trucks were running, he would move.
- The economic impact reports says in effect that our property values would not be affected, this is absolutely and very obviously not true. You only have to think about one thing here - would you want to live on or near truck traffic like the proposed amount, if you wanted to decentralise? Reports and feasibility studies done by people who are paid by Daracon to ‘find’ the results Daracon want, should count for nothing. You can get a favourable report on anything when you find the person happy to write it, and there is always someone. Lived experiences are in the submissions you have received, and I can guarantee not one is favourable.
- I object to the expansion of the quarry also because of damage and endangerment of flora and fauna – it is a known habitat for koalas, the highly endangered eastern native quoll, endangered brush tailed phascogales, and undoubtedly many more animals and birds I am not aware of. Small native orchids abound in the area, along with other plants endemic to the region.
- Daracon’s brazen lack of consideration for any of the impacted communities on the truck path is reflected not only (and very obviously) in past behaviour but in their submission – they have avoided whenever possible providing time frames for promise they make, they have dismissed rail as a ‘viable’ option in spite of other quarries successfully using this, and in spite of the availability of various rail loader options out of the area where trucks could be loaded according to location to be travelled too.
- Community consultation is negligible, and avoided by them. The submission also appears to have outright lies and exaggerations regarding the level on contact with people – I personally had one phone call from their bought slave people at Umwelt, which involved only a confirmation of my objections, that had been lodged in a prior submission. It was pointless. In this submission, the community consultation (cough cough) was for people in a 4km radius – what about everyone on the truck route, and surrounds? All of us are impacted.
- Considering the size of the submission, there are no set time frames for many supposedly remedial actions. They appear to be counting on their paid spin doctors to drown everyone in paperwork and reports that are bought and paid for, and created by people who all live well out of our area.

The traffic volume from the expanded quarry will seriously detriment the livability of the patterson area. there are already congestion issues and maintainance issues on our local roads. Hundreds of extra heavy vehicles on our local roads and through our villages is completely unacceptable

I have lived in Paterson since August 2009. I have experienced the nightmare from when Daracon broke the law and bombarded us with constant noise, vibrations, broken windscreens, close calls and so forth from the huge amount of trucks they illegally ran from the quarry.
I object to this application, but I am not out to close the quarry. I just think current levels are the most acceptable.
I am scared they will get this approval, or even a limited approval, and will just flout the law again and absolutely nail the community. Or use a limited approval in increase and increase again.
We do not have the roads or infrastructure to carry that sort of tonnage. We don’t have car parking other than roadside, we don’t even have a pedestrian crossing. You could sit at that post office intersection and watch 9 out of 10 trucks cut the corner. It is only a matter of time before someone gets run over.
I have PTSD and my mental health was severely and adversely affected by the constant noises, rumbling and banging sounds. In the period that the trucks were running at huge capacity, I ended up requiring medication that I no longer need, and do not wish to go back to that situation in any form.
The park with its new amenities block and newly covered childrens playground is right next to what is already a bad zigzag intersection and I consider that increased truck traffic is potentially lethal there.
Daracons report says property values would not be affected – what a load of rubbish. How could this much truck traffic through a small town not affect it?
I object to the expansion of the quarry on ecological grounds, as well as the increase in truck traffic resulting in our loss of rural amenity, noise and damage to our roads and vehicles, mental health/peace of mind and physical health in terms of particulates, dust, and diesel fumes.

Concerned on the increase heavy traffic over the next 25 years along Belmore and Paterson raods as well as the impact on the safety and wellbeing of the community.
Particular concerns include:
- Accidents and incidents impacting road users, pedestrians and property.
- Pollution including toxic diesel exhaust and truck overspill
- Damage to roads and associated infrastructure
Noise including engine, airbrakes and tailgate banging
Vibration damage to heritage identified residences.

Having grown up in Duns Creek, I attended Paterson Public School and Dungog High School. I object to the Martins Creek Quarry project and the resulting heavy truck traffic through Paterson. The village will suffer from the noise, increased traffic and potential risk to the pedestrians that these truck movements will cause. A town full of families that have chosen to reside in a quiet country village will have their lifestyles disrupted by this project.

I also object to the negative environmental impact of this project, the dust pollution and damage to the landscape that will result.

That this project is being considered is another example of the weakness of the current EPBC Act and I can only hope that the recent recommendations from the Samuels review are taken into consideration and the proposed devolution by the Government is not passed.

Thank you for considering this objection.

Early morning impact due to sleep disturbance from truck noise
Loss of residential and large lot scenic amenity (the pleasantness of living in a residential area)
Impacts to historical buildings
Impacts to pedestrian and cyclist road safety
Health aspects due to increased airborne diesel fumes

Absolutely object to this submission.
I do not want the quarry expansion on grounds of destruction of environment, and the destruction of the rural amenity of our village of Paterson, the danger to the public and the decimation of our roads.
The quarries down the southern highland cart 95% of product by rail – this is a viable option for this area that is being dismissed arbitrarily.
Coal trucks years ago used to travel en masse going up and down the New England Highway – these have been abolished in favour of rail so it is obviously a conceivable option.
I have lived through the bare faced flouting of the law in prior years, and have personally been affected by the trucks on the road in adverse ways – damage to my vehicles and danger to myself. When shopping or going to the post office for mail or banking, trucks cutting the corner and so many of them, were a danger to myself and others. Increased traffic through a small village not designed for anything like that load destroys the roads, and endangers the people.
In past times on hot days when the trucks were running at peak, the diesel emission smell in town was terrible, and particulate coating on shopfronts was clearly visible and an issue.
There are 2 small bus stops in town for school children and others, if this submission is approved I believe these will either be gone or be highly dangerous – how will this work?
We have had no real community consultation on this, mainly because everyone knows there is no one in this community to support it, and Daracon appears to be just trying to utilise and manipulate the current situation with COVID to avoid anything like this, and ‘sneak’ through an application that they know to be detrimental to the community and the infrastructure.

I object fully to this submission. Not even a partial approval as that opens the door to more and more increases in blasting and trucks. You can’t imagine the effect if you have not lived through it.
I do not want the quarry expansion as I don’t wish to see the destruction of environment, including koala habitat, and highly endangered animals like the eastern quoll, and also the way it will affect rural amenity of our village of Paterson, and be dangerous to the public.
Myself and friends love to gather in the township and have coffee and a meal and conversation, which is impossible if all these trucks are rumbling and stinking right past the door. I was here before when the trucks were terrible and the smell and the noise were untenable.
What will happen to the bus stops for the school children? Where will people park? How can pedestrians be safe? What about our health – the air we breathe full of contaminants again?
I walk a lot for exercise and enjoyment – this level of truck traffic on small roads will make this dangerous and terrifying not just to me but to any pedestrians. It can only adversely affect everyone here’s lives, businesses, property values and happiness.
The roads get destroyed, vehicles get damaged and the whole area loses property value because after all, who would want to live in that? Please help us.