Hello everyone,

This is the weekend to work on and press 'Submit' on your submissions to Hills of Gold Wind Farm Amended Development Application (November 2022) if you haven't already sent them off (thank you to many who have). We know supporters of the wind farm are working as hard as we are to encourage submissions so please make the effort and encourage friends and family to do the same. No regrets. No stone left unturned.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Public Meeting at Nundle Memorial Hall on Tuesday, 6th December. We had about 75 people there, which was really pleasing at a busy time of year. We've had some great feedback about the impact of the Steven Nowakowski video and graphics created by Natasha and Alena.

Our pop-up office, staffed mainly by Alena and Colin for three weeks, is open for four more days from 10am-4pm. If you need help with your submission our volunteers can help you handwrite or type it, and even Express Post it for you. Last day for Express Post mail is Monday. Please don't leave online submissions until Tuesday because the Department website crashed on the last day of Public Exhibition in 2020. The online link is Department of Planning and Environment's Major Projects Portal. Look for the 'Make a submission' blue heading on the right hand side of the page.

The large print outs of proposed transport routes, printed copies of the Amended DA and a topographic map with wind turbines and infrastructure plotted are useful tools at the pop-up office. 

Please ask everyone in your household to make a submission on a different subject. Use your local address if you have one (Nundle, Hanging Rock, Crawney, Bowling Alley Point, Timor). If you have an ABN, please write an objection on behalf of your business/es too. Your submission can be anonymous.

Here are some submission ideas to put in your own words:

AERIAL FIREFIGHTING
- Experienced Rural Fire Service volunteers are concerned that aerial firefighting, essential during the 2019-2020 bushfires, will be seriously compromised by the presence of wind turbines on the range. Aerial firefighting near wind farms is at the pilot’s discretion. The most reliable and highest water source for helicopter refilling will not be available for aerial firefighting due to the siting of infrastructure and turbines requiring water for helicopter refilling from a much lower altitude requiring a considerable climb and longer turnaround time. 
BIODIVERSITY
- Some 447 hectares of vegetation would be disturbed, including 190 ha of native vegetation and 46 ha of koala habitat that is critical to the endangered species survival. Meanwhile local ecologist Phil Spark is studying the significance of the high elevation range, including Crawney and Hanging Rock, for remnant breeding populations following the serious decline of koalas at Gunnedah on the Liverpool Plains.
- There are planned direct impacts to habitat for Barking Owl, Booroolong Frog, Border Thick-tailed Gecko, Eastern Cave Bat, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Greater Glider Large-eared Pied Bat, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl, Southern Myotis, Spotted Tailed Quoll, Squirrel Glider and Masked Owl.

INFRASTRUCTURE
- Residents are concerned about the clearing and soil disturbance on steep country required for proposed Hills of Gold Wind Farm Western Connector Road and infrastructure including substation, concrete batching plant, battery, operations and maintenance building and transmission lines/towers/easement.
- There are up to eight potential waterways between the New England Highway and the project area on the Great Dividing Range that would need a substantial new bridges to carry oversize overmass vehicles with the capacity to withstand flash flooding. Four bridges have not been assessed for carrying capacity, Pearly Gates, Nundle Creek and two Oakenville Creek bridges.
TRANSPORT
- The proponent does not address that the existing road pavement on the proposed transport route from the New England Highway to the project area is not fit for purpose. Existing 72 daily forestry logging truck movements and La Nina rain for three years has left the road pot holed, whole sections of pavement missing, and Barry Road closed because of a sink hole.

Remember numbers are important and silence will be considered as consent (by Engie). It's better to write one objecting sentence than no sentence.

Thank you for your contribution to preserving the Hills of Gold at Nundle, Hanging Rock, Crawney, Timor and Wallabadah.