Boral has quarried in the Redlynch Valley near Cairns, far north Queensland, for 35 years. The quarry has been in the foothills, mostly out of sight, and by 2024 the existing resource was almost depleted.
Rather than scale the operation down or move it, in 2024 Boral shocked residents by jumping to the top of a mountain ridge, right alongside Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest, and commencing a top-down extraction program that will last several decades. The quarry face will be 500 metres wide, more than 250 metres high.
Boral’s plan for the Redlynch Quarry (Source: Boral promotional video)
The expansion of the quarry has had a severe and immediate impact on residents to the north. Boral is excavating the top of the mountain ridge that has protected them for 35 years. They now live beneath a blast zone 260 metres away. They are subjected to constant industrial noise and silica dust, and the risk of rolling rocks and landslides.
As at mid 2025 the extension is in its early stages. Residents to the south are just starting to notice the impact on visual amenity however over time this will grow to devastating proportions. The quarry face will be highly visible to residences off Mary Parker Drive, right through to Cascades Drive.
We believe that the extension of the quarry is fundamentally out of step with a modern, liveable community such as Redlynch Valley. It condemns our World Heritage rainforest valley to an industrial future, and in our view it does not comply with either State or federal legislation.
New extraction boundary, wedged between Word Heritage and a residential area
This website monitors Boral’s devastating progress by air and by land. It studies the impact on the rainforest, the native animals and freshwater creeks. It asks the necessary questions, and demonstrates why Boral’s claims of rehabilitation are worth very little.
It will continue to document the impact on the amenity of the valley, and on the health and well-being of its residents. It will bring you the stories behind the approvals in the hope that similar environmental horrors may be avoided in the future.
Our Members
Our members come from Redlynch and the wider Cairns community, and from all walks of life. They include scientists, naturalists, indigenous leaders and community members, tradies, technologists, creatives, local business people, retirees, Redlynch youth, and more.
If you are affected by the quarry, have an interest in the environment, or have some expertise to contribute, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.