Many of you will recall my several posts on Bimblebox, the Nature Refuge in Queensland’s Galilee Basin that Clive Palmer wants to dig up for his China First mine. (See Outback Eden under threat and Speak up for nature)
Now there’s a film about its plight — but not only about this one precious place.
The documentary Bimblebox, by U.S. film-maker Mike O’Connell, spans the coal and CSG frenzy in Australia generally. The poster image was provided by associate producer Eleanor Smith.
It’s hoped to be Australia’s Gasland, to wake up the city and the country and add to the growing popular rejection of this mindless resources rush, set to ruin Australia, as it is ruining the lives of so many Australians.
DVDs are currently being prepared, and the film is available for screenings.
Find out more at the documentary’s website, via Facebook or Twitter.
I saw it at the premiere in Byron Bay in March, were I was delighted to meet Paola Cassoni, (left) one of the caretakers of Bimblebox, and driving force behind this film, and to re-meet Lindsay and Avriel Tyson, with whom I’d stayed at their Springwood property, under serious threat from the neighbouring Xstrata’s Rolleston mine. See my posts When the neighbours get pushy, Coal floods? and Blackening the Golden Triangle.
Avriel’s segment in this film is extremely moving.
All three feature in my new book, Rich Land, Wasteland — how coal is killing Australia.
Visit the Rich Land, Wasteland Facebook page.
All power to Little Women Paola!
It was the beginning of 2010 when at Bimblebox we started to talk about Sharyn and how this lady was going to write a book about the victims of the coal industry and that was us too! The idea to collect those stories to portray the agony of the Lucky (for the resource companies that is) Country was tremendous as no farm or bush could cry out as loud as the combined pain of ever so many. It was such a brilliant idea that, when a few months later the opportunity came around, we tried to go visual with what Sharyn was writing about. And amazingly both projects were finished at the same time! Our hope now is for the alarm bells of insanity to sound so deafening they will be impossible to ignore. Thank YOU Sharyn for your commitment and dedication and I know from talking to you that it has been a struggle, but hey, it’s done and we can’t wait to read the book. It was great to meet you in Byron Bay and thanks for your thumbs up for ‘Bimblebox’.
Paola