Engie's proposed Hills of Gold Wind Farm on the Great Dividing Range from Hanging Rock to Crawney Mountain, near Nundle, NSW, is a high value conservation area at the catchment headwaters of the Peel, Hunter and Barnard/Manning Rivers. Potential impacts on ground and surface water and Chaffey and Glenbawn Dams are a major concern.

The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Industry has recommended approval of 62 turbines, ignoring its own noise and visual guidelines and biodiversity impacts, and imposing 'Voluntary' Land Acquisition on a non-associated landowner. The Independent Planning Commission will soon make a Determination.

There are 14 critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable plants and animals likely present and significantly impacted in the proposed project area, and 24 species potentially impacted by transporting components to the proposed site. Species include the Koala, Regent Honeyeater, Booroolong Frog, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Euphrasia arguta, Fragrant Pepperbush, and New England Peppermint. It neighbours scientific reference Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserve, including old growth eucalypt forest, Snow Gum, and sphagnum moss mounds endangered ecological community, and Crawney Pass National Park.

The proposed site is 1100m-1400m elevation and the turbines would be 230m to blade tip, visible from the highly scenic nature and heritage-based tourism town of Nundle, reducing people's enjoyment of their homes and businesses, and lessening the area's popular tourism appeal. The proposal threatens the rural character of a much-loved small town and has already reduced social cohesion and divided the community.   

Help us preserve the biodiversity of this highly vulnerable sensitive ecosystem for the benefit of future generations.