Name withheld, Former Byron resident
Unfortunately and fortunately I’ve landed a full-time job teachingin Emerald in Central Qld, not far from Clermont. Many people here think the opposite from us in Byron Shire.
The frame of mind up here is unbelievable. I’ve experienced 43-degree heat on playground duty, and not many understand about climate change or recycling or that the water table will be affected with Adani and the other mines that have almost gained approval here.
Many other mines have opened in the last six months, but the focus is on Adani.
The town of Blackwater is a pop-up town of 25-yr-olds and it was named Blackwater because the creek or river turned black from the coal after they mined it. They have diverted the river and it is now apparently clean!
You will fit in just great. NOT. 43 degree heat up here has nothing to do with climate change, and more to do with you moving closer to the equator. You are a teacher right? Check the history of the temperatures up here before you associate your 43 degrees with ‘climate change’ alone.
You may also need to learn about stratas, basins, and water tables. Adani will have plenty of surface water to use, as it will form a catchment.
‘Many’ other mines??? 2 or 3 maybe.
And try and cease with the lies. It was named Blackwater before they even mined the coal there. The water was flowing through the coal, coal seams, and faults, well before white man arrived. You would also be referring to creeks, and no river is there to divert.
I am all for Green energy. Solar panels and battery on my house. Doing my bit. But what most people don’t tolerate, is lies, elaborations, and exaggerations.
Blackwater was named after its river and indeed it was believed to be discoloured from coal, but it was named a century before large scale mining commenced in the 1960s. Far from being a pop-up town, Blackwater Post Office opened in 1877. I first visited it in 1973 and I recall the modern mining town was a already a well established
Last year I visited Blackwater’s excellent mining museum which will help any visitor understand Blackwater’s history and why coal mining is so important to their town.