Emirates have purchased the property and construction of the Emirtates Wolgan Resort has started. Congratulations and Good Luck !

Our Concerns

We support this development, but we also want to contribute to solutions which have the least effect on this precious environment. Having one owner who is willing to put a lot of money into reestablishing the local flora and fauna and creating this wonderful conservation resort is a great alternative to this large and outstanding property being carved up and turned into hobby farms. However, we are concerned that these conservation efforts inside the fence may come at a cost to the environment outside.

Our main concern remains the Wolgan River. The large water demands of the resort will be met by rain water harvesting from all roofs and our beautiful Wolgan River. The original Concept Plan proposed a piped water supply from the Fish River water supply system, but this was regarded as ‘not viable’.

We have had a very good year with rain and looking at the green valley in December 2007 you would not think that water should be a concern. However, looking into the future and believing that climate change will reduce the future flow in the Wolgan, we are indeed concerned.

We would like to ensure that all possible options for a sensitive use of water are utilized, such as reuse of grey water for car washing, toilet flushing etc. A resort that "sits lightly within it's environment" does not, in our opinion, adopt the lavish uses of water which are considered necessary to meet 6 star "luxury and opulence". We are concerned that a situation may develop where a resort with 40 luxury villas, each with a pool, and a larger pool at the spa complex are fed by a dying river.

Furthermore, the immense power requirements of the resort are going to be met by "green power" electricity from the grid. A $2.1 million powerline (poles all along the Wolgan Valley & underground inside the resort fence) will have to be built to bring power to the resort. We run everything on solar power at the Newnes Hotel and we believe that the cost of that powerline combined with govenment rebates on solar would run the whole resort on solar electricity. However, this might mean a less lavish use of energy which could cost a few stars. Is it environmentally responsible to avoid the "unsightly" solar panels inside the fence by an ugly powerline outside the fence?

We do hope that the glossy brochure of "Australia's most environmentally responsible development" is telling us the truth.

The 'Land Grab' Concern

The Colong Foundation has released a media release opposing a proposed land swap between the private property and National Parks. This swap is to resolve a problem created when land boundaries were drawn up without relevance to existing land formations. The proposal is for National Parks land situated at the bottom of the valley to be swapped with private land situated at the top of the escarpment. This way all of the top will become National Parks and all of the bottom will become private land. This arrangement will see 39ha of National Parks land go to private property and 114ha of private land go to National Parks. This sounds a good idea to us.

The hitch in this land swap is that there are some Native Title land issues involved and settlement of these issues will take many years. To enable the start of construction on the land before the legalities are settled Emirates has negotiated an agreement with the Minister for the Environmnet Bob Debus where Emirates leases the National Parks land in question. This is a big stumbling block for Keith Muir from the Colong Foundation and some members of Blue Mountains Conservation Group. Their view is that this will set a precident under which further erosion of National Parks lands might take place in the future.

Another issue is a planned feral fence which will block access to 450ha of Donkey and Wolgan Mountains, part of the Gardens of Stone National Park. The fence will also close off access to the historic (1879) grave site of Christiana Williams and I have been asked by her decendants to ensure that they can keep access to that grave. At a meeting in Katoomba on 15 Dec Emirates ensured us that access to the National Parks land at Donkey and Wolgan Mountains as well as to the grave will be ensured through the resort gate.