Join Johanna Evans and Anna Christie, independent investigators and founders of Gas Watch and contributors to North West Protection Advocacy (NWPA), for a half-day 'tag-along' tour of Santos' Pilliga Gasfield.   The tour will take you deep into the Pilliga to explore gas infrastructure sites, culturally significant areas, and key water sources at risk. This is an eye-opening half-day of learning, listening, and witnessing the real impact of coal seam gas in the Pilliga.

Schedule
7:00 AM Participants muster at The Crossing Theatre carpark for 15 minute briefing.
7:15 AM Depart for Pilliga Forest (carpool in private vehicles)
12:00 PM Approximate return to The Crossing Theatre

Destinations

• The tour will familiarise participants with key places of Gomeroi cultural significance, including the Bohena Creek billabong and Bohena Creek itself.
• Guests may do a short cross-country walk (250m) to the site of SANTOS’ disposal of toxic waste into the Creek which is a site of current citizen science investigations.
• The tour will then proceed to the notorious Bibblewindi Water Treatment Plant, and an operating gas well, Dewhurst 28 gas, both of which have important stories to tell about hazards posed by the coal seam gas industry to the environment, human health and Gomeroi cultural values.
• Finally, we will visit the operating gas field at Little Tighes Road, before returning The Crossing Theatre.

Highlights

• Bohena Creek
• Bohena Creek billabong
• Bibblewindi Water Treatment facility
• Bibblewindi Production Gas Field
•  Dewhurst 28 gas well

Information for participants

• Participants should ensure they have at least a full 1-litre bottle of water, and the organisers will carry additional water. Bring any snacks you would like for the morning. Watson’s Bakery is situated opposite The Crossing Theatre car park, and you can buy coffee, sandwiches, pies etc. It opens at 5am on Saturdays.
• If you are planning to participate in the short bushwalk from Bohena Creek Rd to Santos’ discharge point, wear suitable footwear for walking in the bush, and covered clothing to avoid insect bites or sunburn. Please note that mobile phone coverage can be patchy in the Pilliga, but still bring a smartphone or camera to record and share your experience.
• Ensure that all vehicles have a full tank of petrol and check that radiators have water before muster to avoid slowing down the convoy for petrol stops.
• All vehicles involved in the Gas Field tour are roadworthy and suitable for driving on unpaved roads. The route will be recced by organisers in days prior to the Gas Field Tour and we reserve the possibility of having to change the plan if there are serious road obstructions.

About North West Protection Advocacy

In 2018, North West Protection Advocacy (NWPA) a grassroots environmental advocacy and research group based in Coonabarabran NSW commenced a community monitoring initiative called Gas Watch. Gas Watch included a range of monitoring initiatives including close-range observations of gas industry operations, desk-top analysis of proponent documentation and public statements, ground-truthing of same, and citizen science activities around the ongoing and legacy polluting activities of the gas industry in Pilliga Forest and adjoining land and waterways. The patron of NWPA is Maria Rickert, owner of the Pilliga Pottery, a staunch conservationist and opponent of gas mining in the Pilliga.

Mindful of the deficiencies in Governmental oversight of the Narrabri Gas Project, in 2018 NWPA launched the Gas Watch self-guided inspection protocol to assist community members to safely navigate the Pilliga gas field for purposes of surveillance and compliance monitoring. Since then, observations about leaking infrastructure and buried pipelines have deemed the self-guided inspection approach poses unacceptable risks to members of the public who may also be unfamiliar with the hazards inherent in traversing the Pilliga Forest during extreme weather conditions and the rugged terrain.

For more information, please contact Anna Christie (NWPA) at gasrisk@gmail.com or Hilary (FWP) at hilary@forwildplaces.com