About Bimblebox
Bimblebox Nature Refuge is a peaceful 8000 hectare sanctuary in central-west Queensland. It is composed of remnant semi-arid woodlands with an understorey largely made up of native shrubs, forbs and grasses, and has a rich diversity of birds, reptiles and other animals. Bimblebox is a genuine example of how production and biodiversity conservation can co-exist. A small herd of beef cattle assist in the control of exotic pasture grasses, and a number of long-term research projects are aimed at generating knowledge and management practices to improve outcomes for biodiversity across the region.
Bimblebox was secured in 2000, an era when Queensland’s land clearing rates were amongst the highest in the world. It was purchased with the savings of a number of concerned individuals, as well as funding from the Australian National Reserve System program. In 2003, the Bimblebox Nature Refuge Agreement (category VI IUCN protected area) was signed with the Queensland state government to permanently protect the conservation values of the property. Tragically, Nature Refuges and the protected areas that make up the National Reserve System are not automatically protected from mineral exploration and mining, which in Australia are granted right of way over almost all other land uses.
Waratah Coal has an exploration permit that covers all of Bimblebox and much of the surrounding properties. So far, the company has drilled 20 exploratory holes and has received permission from the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to drill another 100 – without consulation with Bimblebox owners. Waratah has not released any detailed plans of its proposed mine, but Bimblebox is totally encompassed in their map of the ‘known coal resource’.
If Bimblebox survives the current coal mine threat, it is likely to continue to be an important long-term research site, an example of sustainable rangeland grazing, and one of the very few large areas of intact remnant habitat remaining in the bioregion. It will also serve as a test case as to whether the Queensland state and Australian federal governments are willing to alter out-dated legislation so that conservation values are considered as, if not more, important than mineral interests.