MAP OF VICTORIAN MINES
Avonbank Mineral Sands Project
The Avonbank Mineral Sands Project, located 15 km northeast of Horsham, Victoria, is a large-scale open-cut mining project proposed by WIM Resource Pty Ltd. As of early 2026, the project has secured major environmental approvals and is progressing through final licensing and work plan assessments.
Deposit & Products: The site contains approximately 300 million tonnes of ore and is proposed to produce a radioactive heavy mineral concentrate containing zircon, titanium-rich minerals and small amounts of rare earths. The concentrate would require a further complex separation stage before rare earth products were available to the market..
Scale & Lifespan: The project covers a development area of approximately 3,426 hectares. It has a projected mine life of 30 years, targeting the extraction of 11 million tonnes of ore per year.
Operational Method: The mine will use a “moving hole” open-pit method, where only about 340–400 hectares are disturbed at any one time before being progressively rehabilitated back to agricultural use. ARMR disputes that it can ever be returned to its previous productive capacity.
Logistics: Radioactive ore will be processed into HMC at a Wet Concentrator Plant within the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal (WIFT) and then transported by road to the Port of Portland for export. This terminal will also be a central location for grain storage facilities and grain export processors, which seems a ridiculous proposition.
Construction Timeline: Subject to final licensing, a financial investment decision, and approval of a detailed work plan, construction is tentatively targeted to begin in 2026.
Community Concerns: Local farmers and residents have raised concerns regarding compulsory land acquisition, potential dust and radiation risks, and the long-term success of soil rehabilitation for cropping.
Controversies also arose in 2025 regarding allegations of falsified community support documents, leading to legal proceedings and the suspension of a WIM employee. The charges were withdrawn after it was determined there was insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute the case.
The critical mineral market is unstable with China controlling prices and the USA not prepared to back a floor price. Projects like Avonbank are likely to fail financially following the acquisition and destruction of valuable cropping land.
Mine Free Wimmera Farms Inc
Self-help group promoting advocacy, advice, research and representation to Government bodies.
minefreewimmerafarms@yahoo.com
https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/environmental-assessments/browse-projects/avonbank-mineral-sands
The Donald Mineral Sands Project
The Donald Mineral Sands Project, located about 300 km north-west of Melbourne near Minyip in the Wimmera region of Victoria, is an advanced critical minerals project co-developed by Australia-based ASX-listed Astron Corporation Ltd and US-based Energy Fuels Inc. The project has secured all major regulatory approvals and is awaiting a Final Investment Decision (FID).
Owner/Developer: A joint venture (Donald Project Pty Ltd, trading as Donald Mineral Sands or DMS) between Astron Limited and Energy Fuels Inc. Energy Fuels has provided $183 million in secured funding to the joint venture.
Deposit Size: A resource containing approximately 2.4 billion tonnes of ore.
Products: The mine will extract radioactive ore containing zircon, titanium (ilmenite and rutile), and associated rare earth elements (neodymium and praseodymium).
Mine Life: Phase 1 of the project has a projected mine life of over 42 years, processing 7.5 million tonnes of mineral sands annually over the initial 19-year period.
Mining Method: Open-pit mining using a “moving hole” technique with progressive rehabilitation of the land for future agricultural use. ARMR believes that it can never be returned to its previous productive capacity.
Logistics: Products will be transported to the Port of Portland for export overseas. Rare earth concentrate will be shipped to the Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill in Utah, USA, for processing.
Major Project Status: The Australian government granted Major Project Status in October 2025, streamlining federal agency engagement.
Timeline: Subject to a positive FID, construction is targeted to begin in 2026, with operations commencing in late 2027.
Early Works: Installation of the project’s 14 km water pipeline, the first major piece of infrastructure, was completed in late 2025.
Mining method: ARMR believes that the proponent has not established a viable mining method. It is our belief that tailings returned hydraulically to mine pits will take many years to dry to the stage where the pit is stable and able to be capped. As the subsoil has been removed from the agricultural environment we believe that the agronomy model described by the proponent is not credible. It may never be possible to cultivate crops on this land, even if the proponent backfills the mine pits.
Logistics: the proponent is suggesting that a concentrate containing uranium and other radioactive material will be shipped to the US for the recovery of uranium and rare earth products. There must be considerable doubt as to the legality of exporting uranium in this matter. ARMR can see no viable logistic process for the handling of this radioactive concentrate through the Port of Portland as a bulk product. There is a residential community immediately adjacent to the bulk handling facility which is only configured for grain.
Mine Free Wimmera Farms Inc
A self-help group promoting advocacy, advice, research and representation to Government bodies. minefreewimmerafarms@yahoo.com
https://resources.vic.gov.au/landholders-and-community/key-site-updates/donald-mineral-sands-project
The Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project
The Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project is a proposed open-pit mine near Glenaladale, East Gippsland, Victoria, currently in a pre-work and re-scoping phase after the original proposal was deemed environmentally unacceptable in 2021. The proponent is Gippsland Critical Minerals Pty Ltd (GCM), formerly Kalbar Operations Pty Ltd.
2021 Rejection: The Victorian Minister for Planning concluded the original project had “unacceptable” environmental effects and should not proceed in its then-current form.
Licence Renewals: In October 2024, Resources Victoria renewed two retention licences (which do not permit mining) with strict conditions, allowing GCM to rescope the project to address previous concerns.
Demonstration Pit: A trial demonstration pit project began in early 2026 to test rehabilitation methods and gather data for the new proposal.
GCM referred its rescoped project to the Minister for Planning, who determined that a new Environment Effects Statement (EES) is required.
The project has faced significant community opposition due to concerns over its potential impact on the environment, local agriculture, and water resources.
Water Resources: Concerns exist regarding excessive water extraction from the Latrobe aquifer or Mitchell River and potential contamination of waterways flowing into the internationally significant Gippsland Lakes wetlands.
Environment and Habitat: The mine would involve significant vegetation clearance, including hundreds of large old trees and endangered ecosystems, and loss of habitat for threatened species.
Community and Economy: The local community, including the East Gippsland Shire Council and groups like Mine-Free Glenaladale, have raised concerns about risks to the local horticulture and tourism industries from dust, noise, and potential contamination. The Australia Institute also found the economic benefits to be overstated.
GCM states the redesigned project has a smaller footprint (27% smaller mining area), a rail-first transport strategy, and new water and dust management plans to mitigate these issues. Community engagement reports are submitted quarterly to Resources Victoria, who monitors compliance.
Mine-Free Glenaladale works with other concerned community groups to raise awareness about proposed and existing mining developments that may impact negatively on the central and eastern catchments of the Gippsland Lakes. These include the proposed Fingerboards mineral sands/rare earths mine at Glenaladale and the Benambra copper mine.
+61 0467 629 485
minefreeglenaladale@gmail.com
minefreeglenaladale.org
Wimmera Mineral Sands Project
The Wimmera Mineral Sands Project is located approximately 35 kilometres south-west of Horsham. Developed by Australian-owned ASX listed Iluka Resources Limited, it is currently in the feasibility study phase. A final investment decision expected to be considered in 2026 or 2027, subject to government approvals.
The WIM100 deposit contains approximately 200 million tonnes (Mt) of radioactive heavy mineral sands ore which is proposed to be extracted and refined onsite to produce zircon, titanium oxide and rare earth products. Rehabilitation will occur progressively as the mine advances. ARMR believes that it can never be returned to its previous productive capacity.
Key Challenge: The mineral sands in the Wimmera region contain high levels of impurities in their zircon, which requires a specialized processing solution that Iluka has been piloting and testing.
The proposed mining method is likely to be progressive mining using mobile earthmoving equipment. Approximately 9-10 million tonnes of ore per annum will be extracted, which will be refined onsite to produce 192,000 tonnes of recoverable mineral product per annum, over the projected 25-year mine life.
The radioactive rare earth concentrate would be transported to Iluka’s Eneabba refinery in Western Australia which has yet to be built, and may never be built due to its prohibitive cost.
The critical mineral market is unstable with China controlling prices and the USA not prepared to back a floor price. Projects like Wim100 are likely to fail financially following the acquisition and destruction of valuable cropping land.
Mine Free Wimmera Farms Inc
A self-help group promoting advocacy, advice, research and representation to Government bodies.
minefreewimmerafarms@yahoo.com
https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/environmental-assessments/browse-projects/wimmera-mineral-sands
Goschen Mineral Sands Project
The Goschen Mineral Sands Project, approximately 35 km south of Swan Hill, is owned and developed by the Australian company VHM Limited. As of late 2025, the project has received final work plan approval, paving the way for construction activities to commence.
The Goschen deposit contains an estimated 629 million tonnes of ore and will involve mining and processing radioactive heavy mineral sands and rare earths into mixed heavy mineral concentrate (HMC), zircon concentrate, rutile product, leucoxene products, ilmenite product and rare earth mineral products. Goschen has an estimated 20 to 25-year mine life.
Operations: It involves shallow open-pit mining and processing of up to 5 million tonnes of ore per year, with progressive rehabilitation of mined areas to return the land to agricultural use. ARMR believes that it can never be returned to its previous productive capacity.
Infrastructure: The project includes a 38 km water supply pipeline from Kangaroo Lake and radioactive product transport via road to the Ultima intermodal terminal and then by rail to the Port of Melbourne for export.
Approvals: Minister’s Assessment: The Victorian Minister for Planning provided a favourable assessment of the project’s Environment Effects Statement (EES) in December 2024.
Federal Approval: The Federal Government granted approval under the EPBC Act in September 2025.
Mining Licence: Resources Victoria granted VHM a 20-year mining licence in April 2025.
Work Plan: The final work plan, a crucial step before construction, was approved by Resources Victoria on 28 November 2025.Timeline: VHM is targeting first commissioning of Stage 1 in the second half of 2026. The project will proceed with a final investment decision before construction can fully commence.
The critical mineral market is unstable with China controlling prices and the USA not prepared to back a floor price. Projects like Goschen are likely to fail financially following the acquisition and destruction of valuable cropping land.
Mine Free Mallee Farms Inc (MFMF) is a dedicated community group who are passionate about protecting their prime agricultural cropping country, their health, homes and lifestyle from mining. Their aim is to provide the best available information highlighting the current and future potential serious impacts of Mineral Sands mining in our area. It is time to get this messages across instead of reading the one sided reports from VHM.
They believe it is now time for communities to work together to protect our prime cropping country, our homes and lifestyles.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/269388696144838
https://resources.vic.gov.au/landholders-and-community/key-site-updates/goschen-rare-earths-and-mineral-sands-project
Ballarat Gold Mine
The Ballarat Gold Mine is a modern, operational underground mine in Mount Clear, Victoria, owned and managed by Victory Minerals Pty Ltd. The company aims to maintain a production rate of 30,000 to 40,000 ounces of gold annually. The mine operates deep beneath parts of the city and is not open to the public.
Victory Minerals assumed control in December 2023 after the previous operator went into voluntary administration. As of May 2025, Victory Minerals was commissioning new plant and equipment and upgrading the milling facility.
The currently operational tailings storage facility (TSF3) reached its design capacity, so in 2018 investigations for TSF4 commenced, with endorsement by Earth Resources Regulation in 2020. But subsequently, a Work Plan Variation was approved for a dry stack tailings facility adjacent to TSF3 to allow tailings deposition until TSF4 is constructed.
The Tailings Dam Community Safety Action Group Inc. (TDCSAG) is a group of Ballarat citizens concerned about possible risks to the health of the surrounding community that may result from the construction and operation of TSF4 150m from residential housing, schools and aged care, and from dust blowing off the mine site.
The tailings at Ballarat Gold Mine contain high concentrations of arsenic, silica and heavy metals and inhalation or ingestion of dust may increase carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks in both children and adults.TDCSAG went to VCAT over Ballarat City Council’s approval of TSF4, but in July 2024, VCAT granted approval,
Ambient air monitoring is NOT a “regulatory requirement” at Ballarat Gold Mine, but Victory Minerals has recently installed four new ambient air monitors onsite and EPA Victoria installed a community-based ambient air monitor in December 2025 to measure PM10 and PM2.5 .
Of most concern is the potential for dust blowing off the air-dried tailings in hot windy weather, despite Victory Minerals dust control strategies.
Other concerns for Victory Minerals include:
- WorkSafe Victoria charged Victory Minerals and Carr Mining Services with safety breaches after a worker died and another suffered life-threatening injuries at Mount Clear in March 2024.
- EPA Victoria fined Victory Minerals over Yarrowee River pollution in February 2026.
- Resources Victoria issued Infringement Notices to Victory Minerals after a site inspection identified unauthorised construction, changed infrastructure and vegetation removal in February 2026.
If you experience dust or blasting noise problems, report them to EPA Victoria:
Online: https://portal365.epa.vic.gov.au/pollution-report-form/
24-hour pollution hotline: 1300 372 842
Contact TDCSAG:
tdcsag.whg@gmail.com
https://www.tailingsdamcommunitymountclear.com/
More information:
WorkSafe Victoria 2025: WorkSafe charges mining companies after fatal rock fall https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2025-11/worksafe-charges-mining-companies-after-fatal-rock-fall
EPA Victoria: Victory Minerals fined over Yarrowee River pollutionhttps://www.epa.vic.gov.au/victory-minerals-fined-over-yarrowee-river-pollution
Resources Victoria: Resources regulator continues to monitor Ballarat minehttps://resources.vic.gov.au/about-us/news/resources-regulator-continues-to-monitor-ballarat-mine Victory Mineralshttps://ballaratgoldmine.com.au/mining-activities/
Victory Mineralshttps://ballaratgoldmine.com.au/whitehorse-gully-tsf/
Fosterville Gold Mine
The Fosterville mine site MIN5404 has been developed by various local / international mining companies since 1976. It is now a massive industrial site consuming more than 30 km² of farmland and rural homes.
It includes many unused open cut pits, two declines leading to an extensive underground mining network with over 140km’s of tunnels, an industrial processing plant, a series of in pit tailings dams and CIL Hardstands all which store toxic mining waste and sit within 1.5km from the Campaspe River.
Two massive tailings dams (TSF1 & TSF4) stand up to 40 metres above the surface. They hold approximately 50 million tonnes of slurry tailings primarily as a wet solution. The tailings are known to contain many heavy metals including arsenic, chromium, lead as well as cyanide and chemicals which are formed from the breakdown of cyanide. National pollution inventory data informs that these dams contain more than 50,000 tonnes of arsenic alone.
In a 2025 Environment Effect Statement the Planning Minister approved an expansion of the mine including the construction of two more upstream tailings dam (TSF5 & TSF6) and additional CIL hardstands (Tailings containing cyanide). The environment effect statement was accepted from the independent assessment committee despite overwhelming scientific evidence from Dr Phillip Macumber (Hydrogeologist and Geomorphologist with over 60 years’ experience) and engineering based reports provided by the community, the local council and other parties. The EPA demonstrated unacceptable risks both to human health and the environment.
The mining regulator refused to provide a written report to the panel. The scientific Hydrogeology reports presented included scientific evidence of devastating contamination of the surrounding ground water and the Campaspe River due to the mining operations. The state of Victoria defined this area where the mine now sits as the Lower Campaspe Valley Water Supply Protection Area (WSPA), a reserve set aside as an area of groundwater to recharge the Campaspe river and for groundwater use for stock and domestic use such as Elmore’s drinking water.
Canadian owned AGNICO Eagle currently holds the mining licence for Fosterville (MIN5404). The company suggest they have lodged a rehabilitation bond of ~ $30 million. The community see this amount as no more than cosmetic. The community’s estimate for rehabilitation of the site is now more than $3 billion. The company has refused a request from the community to install a bund wall below the system of tailing dams which could capture tailings in the event of a catastrophic failure of one or more dams. The company has refused to provide an early warning system which would likely reduce the loss of life if a surge of tailings moved over the adjacent commuter and tourist road on its path to the Campaspe River. A complete failure of the tailing dams would impact the lower section of the Murray river with catastrophic heavy metal pollution.
The company reported a reduction in ore supplied to the processing plant of approximately one third in the last year and a substantial decrease in the assay value of the ore. There are suggestions in market reports provided to the investment community that AGNICO may look to close or otherwise divest themselves of the mine within the next 12 months. This is contrary to the Victorian resources minister describing that “the EES now provides a path for the company to develop a sustained operation for the next decade“.
Save the Campaspe
A dedicated Community Group who are passionate about protecting the health and wellbeing of the Campaspe River and surrounding Communities.
savethecampaspe@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/298835405402915
Bendigo and District Environment Council
BDECbendigo@gmail.com
https://resources.vic.gov.au/landholders-and-community/key-site-updates/fosterville-gold-mine
A1 Mine
The mine is a historically significant high-grade gold site located in the Walhalla-Woods Point Goldfield, 100% owned and operated by Kaiser Reef Limited. Discovered in 1861, it is one of Australia’s longest-operating gold mines. It was a major producer for Victoria between the 1950s and 1970s before closing in 1992 and being revived in 2016.
Production was officially halted in September 2025 following a strategic review by the management. The decision was driven by lower-than-expected gold production within the Nova Zone. The site is being maintained to support underground exploration. Recent drilling results are being assessed as part of a long-term feasibility study for future operations.
Historical production exceeding 620,000 ounces at an average grade of 25 g/t and ore from the A1 Mine has traditionally been processed at Kaiser Reef’s Maldon Processing Plant.
Costerfield Mine
The Costerfield Mine is an active underground gold and antimony mine located approximately 10km northeast of Heathcote and 50km east of Bendigo. Costerfield is Australia’s only producer of antimony. Wholly owned by Alkane Resources Limited following a merger with the previous owner, Mandalay Resources, in August 2025. The current life of the mine extends to 2031, with ongoing exploration programs to potentially expand resources.
The processing facility is at the Brunswick plant, which has a capacity of 140ktpa (kilotonnes per annum).
Production (Calendar Year 2024): The mine produced 43,346 ounces of gold and 1,282 tonnes of antimony, a gold equivalent of 54,805 ounces.
In 2014 a major contamination event occurred. More information here https://armrvic.com/wp-content/uploads/Costerfield-Mine-Updated-Public-Information-Briefing-2014.pdf
In January 2026 the Victorian resources regulator announced charges against the former operators (Mandalay Resources) for incorrectly storing waste material (tailings), a matter expected to be heard in court later in 2026.
Bendigo and District Environment Council BDECbendigo@gmail.com
Shepherds Flat Gold Mine
The Shepherds Flat Gold Mine is an historical area of gold mining, and the Sandy Mining mining licence is pending renewal. The licence holder has the rights to any mineral resource in the licence area, but cannot commence mining until a work plan is developed and approved.
A proposed mining operation at Shepherds Flat by Sandy Mining Pty Ltd (and later Fortitude Mining Pty Ltd) faced significant community opposition and environmental concerns (specifically regarding water catchment and habitat damage) over the past decade.
Wombat Forestcare is a community group dedicated to protecting and enhancing the natural ecosystems of the Wombat Forest and surrounding areas.
info@wombatforestcare.org.au
www.wombatforestcare.org.au
Stawell Gold Mine
The Stawell Gold Mine is the longest continually operating gold mine in Victoria. It reopened in early 2019 after a period of care and maintenance, with its first gold pour in February 2019. It is owned and operated by Stawell Gold Mines Pty Ltd (SGM), which is a private company held by the Melbourne-based private equity firm, Arete Capital Partners.
Operations include both underground and open-cut mining. The underground workings extend underneath the town of Stawell to depths of up to 1.6 kilometres. Arete Capital Partners plans to return the mine to full production capacity by expanding existing exploration programs to identify new viable resources. This includes focusing on the eastern side of the facilities and drilling in nearby areas.
https://resources.vic.gov.au/landholders-and-community/key-site-updates/stawell-gold-mine
Stockman Mine
The Stockman Mine is a project located near the town of Omeo in the East Gippsland region, within the headwaters of the Tambo River catchment area. It is wholly owned by Aeris Resources via its subsidiary, which acquired it in July 2022. The mine is currently in the advanced development stage with all primary approvals granted and a feasibility study well underway. It is not yet operational, as commercial mining operations ceased at the site in 1996.
The project is focused on developing two underground mines, the Wilga and Currawong deposits, which contain significant resources of zinc, copper, gold, and silver.
The project has been a subject of community interest and environmental assessment due to its location in a sensitive ecological area, including concerns about the management of the tailings storage facility.
“It cost Victorian taxpayers $6.9m for DPI to remediate the site in 2006. However, the tailings dam is still leaking contaminated water with elevated levels of cadmium, copper and zinc above ANZEEC freshwater limits at a rate of approx. 86,000L per day through the northern abutment and operates as a ‘flow through’ system down the spillway into Straight Creek and the Tambo River.”
Gippsland Environment Group
Gippsland Environment Group
info@geg.org.au
https://www.geg.org.au/stockman-mine-overview
https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/environmental-assessments/browse-projects/referrals/stockman-base-metals-project
Union Hill Mine
The Union Hill Mine is a permitted gold mine located in the historic Maldon Goldfield. It is wholly owned by Kaiser Reef Limited, a gold producer and exploration company. The mine is currently on care and maintenance, but a study to bring it back into production was completed in December 2024.They cannot commence mining until a work plan is developed and approved.
The Union Hill Mine has a long history of gold production dating back to the mid-1850s.
Kaiser Reef is evaluating financial scenarios to re-open the mine, leveraging the current high gold prices. The project benefits from existing infrastructure, including a granted mining license, proximity to an operating processing plant (Porcupine Flat), and an established underground decline. Recent drilling campaigns have confirmed high-grade gold results, supporting the potential for future production.
- Kaiser do not have real time dust monitoring and there is the real risk that rainwater tanks are being polluted with heavy metal. Mine workers may be at risk from silicosis if the air quality is not being monitored.
- Kaiser have a trivial rehabilitation bond and no financial capacity to rehabilitate their operation.
- The open cut pit near the Eaglehawk restaurant should be backfilled.
- It is not feasible in the long-term to maintain security fencing and the open pit will serve as a source of groundwater pollution.
- The three tailing dams on Bendigo Road will be very expensive to rehabilitate. They cannot be “capped” in place. The tailings will need to be combined with cement and pumped underground to form a more stable tailing structure.
- It is common practice in the mining industry for all gold mining companies to walk away from their mine sites at the end of the operation without rehabilitation.
This means that the tailing dams will continue to erode through weathering and at some stage will collapse. The collapse in some cases is near instantaneous and can be catastrophic and could cause loss of life on the Bendigo Road. The local creek which has its headquarters near the mine site and eventually flows into Cairn Curran will be contaminated with heavy metals and likely become sterile.
If the larger of the tailings dams fails catastrophically, it will mean that Cairn Curran will no longer be a source of portable water for a period of years. - The cost of rehabilitating all of Kaiser’s assets is likely to exceed $1 billion.
There is a little chance that the site will be rehabilitated in any meaningful form. Therefore, a continued operation and increase in scale by Kaiser only exacerbates the harm that will be caused when the company switch off their pumps and walk away.
Bendigo and District Environment Council
BDECbendigo@gmail.com
Latrobe Magnesium Demonstration Plant
The Latrobe Magnesium Demonstration Plant is a production facility in Hazelwood North, which produces magnesium oxide (MgO) as a first step towards magnesium metal production. The plant is fully commissioned in the 2025 calendar year and is now progressing towards steady-state operations.
The plant uses a world-first, patented hydrometallurgical extraction and thermal reduction process to extract magnesium from fly ash, a waste product of brown coal power generation. This method is a low-CO2 emitter compared to traditional methods and produces valuable by-products such as supplementary cementitious material (SCM), silica, iron oxide, and char.
Latrobe Magnesium Limited Capacity: The demonstration plant is designed to produce 1,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of magnesium metal and is the first stage in Latrobe Magnesium’s plan to become a significant global magnesium producer.
Stage 2 (Commercial Plant): A commercial facility with a capacity of 10,000 tpa is being developed for the Latrobe Valley, with completion targeted for the second half of 2027.
Stage 3 (International Mega-Plant): The company is also planning a 100,000 tpa international plant in Sarawak, Malaysia, which will use ferro-nickel slag as a feedstock.
The company has secured long-term contracts to sell its magnesium product to distributors in the US market.
Big Un-rehabilitated Mines
Douglas Mine
The Douglas Mine (also known as the Douglas and Echo Mine) is a former heavy mineral sands mine, operated by Iluka Resources, located approximately 60 kilometres southwest of Horsham in Victoria.
Mining and on-site processing began in 2004/2006 and concluded in 2012. During its peak, it extracted approximately 7.5 million tonnes of mineral sands, primarily rutile and zircon. Operations are currently focused on rehabilitation earthworks and ongoing monitoring of rehabilitated areas.
Rehabilitation earthworks were expected to be largely complete by 2025. The primary goal is to return the site to its pre-mining capability, largely for pastoral and agricultural use. Some areas have already been returned to landholders for cropping and grazing. Monitoring of the success of these works is ongoing throughout 2026.
The project has faced community scrutiny regarding the disposal of mining by-products (including radioactive materials from other sites) in open pits and potential impacts on local aquifers.
“The WRP mine, which was completed in 2012, shows that the rehabilitated cropping areas remain devastated with poor germination, very poor yields, subsidence, sink holes in the landform creating an unsafe, unstable work place: a forever disaster.
Over the last 13 years Iluka has attempted to fully rehabilitate their mine sites without success and now some landholders are seeking a ‘remedy’ through proceedings in the Federal Supreme Court.”
From the submission – Inquiry into factors shaping social licence and economic development outcomes in critical minerals projects across Australia – Is it possible to Rehabilitate Prime (cropping) Agricultural Lands to pre-mining productivity and profitability following critical mineral sands mining?
“Mineral sands mining and food security become seriously conflicted particularly when there is no substantive evidence anywhere in the World (that I have located) that can demonstrate post-mineral sand mined cropping lands, following targeted rehabilitation, can be returned to pre-mining productivity and profitability. In fact, the experience to date points to the opposite.”
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=052b0145-afeb-493d-b047-57501d3d8a64&subId=787421
Huntly Common
Huntly Common Pty Ltd (Huntly Common) proposes to develop the Bendigo Creek Reclamation and Rehabilitation Project on its 168 ha mining lease within the Parks Victoria managed Huntly Streamside Reserve between Leans Road and Millwood Road.
The project aims to excavate 4 million tonnes of mine tailings over a proposed 4.5-year project life and process the sand to recover gold, mercury and industrial sand.
The proposal includes the development of a reclamation area and the progressive rehabilitation of Huntly Streamside Reserve.
The location of the processing area is proposed to be located within 2 km of the reclamation area.
Save Huntly Streamside Reserve
https://www.facebook.com/groups/savehsr