Eastern Golf Club is on the move. They are moving from their currently location at Doncaster and are planning to move to a new site at Yering. The sale of their land at Doncaster is expected to raise $100 million and is Australia's largest golf club sale.
The new site at Yering is located on the Yarra River floodplain, just upstream from Yering Gorge. Melbourne Water pump from the Yarra River at Yering Gorge. That water helps fill Sugarloaf Reservoir, which in turn is piped into houses in Melbourne's northern and western suburbs. 1.6 million people end up drinking water sourced from Sugarloaf Reservoir.
The new golf course will be located only 1km upstream from the offtake. A range of cut and fill earthworks will occur on the floodplain. Sand will also be imported for fairways and greens. A flood event during construction could well see vast amounts of sediment and sand enter the Yarra River. Worse still, once the course is built, a range of pesticides will be used on the course. Any large rainfall event, or flood event will see these pesticides also enter the Yarra and potentially end up in Sugarloaf Reservoir..
The Yarra at this location also contains federally listed fish such as Australian Grayling, Macquarie Perch and Murray Cod. All could be impacted by this development. A pesticide mishap at Warringah golf course in 2001 managed to kill over 10,000 fish.
Yarra Ranges Shire will be deliberating about whether to grant permits for this golf course at the end of May or early June. As many Melbournians as possible need to send a message to Yarra Ranges Shire that they will ultimately be held reponsible if Mother Nature decides to rain of the Eastern Golf Club's parade.
More information including email address of shire of Yarra Ranges included on the link below.
http://www.baddevelopers.green.net.au/Docs/EasternGolfClub.htm
Anthony Amis - Friends of the Earth Melbourne