In 2024 Boral commenced quarrying a mountain ridge in Redlynch Valley, Cairns, Australia. It is pristine rainforest, cassowary habitat, only metres from Wet Tropics World Heritage. A residential community lives at the foot of the ridge. Hundreds of houses look directly upon it.
The quarry face will be 500 metres wide, 250 metres high. This website bears witness to the environmental devastation and the unravelling of a community.
Welcome to the first post in our Checkpoint Series. Boral have worked for more than a year behind a thinning layer of rainforest and this month, the Boral scar finally burst onto the face of Mount William. The scar will continue to grow until it is 500 metres wide, 250 metres high.
Residents have little faith in Boral’s rehabilitation plans due to its past record, and the extreme nature of the topology and location. Even if the rehabilitation were entirely successful, how can it possibly compare to World Heritage rainforest?
In January 2025 Queensland’s environmental regulator issued Boral a formal noise warning. The warning was related to crusher noise but residents say that clearing, drilling and loading are the biggest problems. New complaints are piling up.
