Business
14 October, 2026
Major new quarry planned for Marulan area
Goulburn-Mulwaree has been hit with another State Significant Development (SSD) application with plans for a major new quarry at Carrick.
Goulburn-Mulwaree has been hit with another State Significant Development (SSD) application with plans for a major new quarry at Carrick.
The application – lodged by Cleary Bros (Bombo) Pty Ltd – is for a quarry that would extract and process up to one million tonnes of hard rock per annum for up to 30 years.
The application is currently being exhibited by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure via the online major projects portal with submissions being accepted up until Wednesday, November 4.
Local residents are already gearing up for a fight and have established a ‘Stop Carrick Road Quarry’ public group on Facebook to provide information on the proposal and to encourage people to have their say by lodging a submission.
According to a scoping report, Cleary Bros wants to conserve the resource at its Albion Park quarry for “high specification engineered products” while also supporting the growth of the greater Sydney market.
The proposed resource at Carrick has recognised value as a concrete aggregate and would also be suitable for manufacturing high-quality road base materials that meet Transport for NSW specifications.
The report says Cleary Bros looked at a number of different sites but found the Carrick site “provided the best resource closest to the company’s predominantly east coast market base”.
“The distinctive geology of the region has also been recognised by other extractive industry participants who are well established in the Marulan district,” the report says.
The proposed 66-hectare project will be located on the ‘Lockyersleigh’ property approximately 5.5 kilometres northwest of Marulan in close proximity to both the Hume Highway and the Main Southern Rail Line.
The scoping report says the proposal is a “strategic move” by Cleary Bros to maintain its long-term position in the construction materials supply industry but adds there will be numerous regional benefits, particularly in terms of employment.
There would be a temporary workforce of up to 50 people during the establishment phase and 30 full-time positions (plus additional contractions and flow-on jobs) once the quarry is up and running.
“The benefits to Marulan and the surrounding district will be sustained growth and associated improved amenities due to critical mass economic benefits,” the report says.
However, opponents have raised concerns over the impact of the project on the environment including endangered flora and threatened fauna.
They say residents will be impacted by the noise and vibrations from drilling and blasting and reduced air quality of the dust.
‘Hundreds’ of additional trucks on local roads every day will add to existing traffic and safety risks.
Opponents say there will be a loss of rural amenity and property values in the area and a reduced quality of life due to the “cumulative industrialisation” of the Marulan-Brayton area. According to the scoping report, early engagement has already commenced with key community and government stakeholders in relation to the proposed quarry.
It acknowledges that the community is concerned “about the local district changing from a quiet rural area to one that is characterised by the extractive industry” as well as heavy vehicle movements, noise and dust.
The application comes as Goulburn-Mulwaree deputy mayor Cr Caitlin Flint says it’s time for the State Government to start compensating the area for the load its carries.
She said Goulburn-Mulwaree had more SSDs than any other council across the state, with the current number sitting at 42.
She said 800,000 tonnes of waste was transported into the LGA every year while 10 million tonnes of raw construction material and 2GW of solar-derived energy was sent out.
Cr Flint said roads were being “ripped apart” and the local rental market was consistently at one per cent or below vacancy – driving up prices and forcing local residents and first home buyers out of the market.
She said it was time for the NSW Government to “wake up (and) to start compensating us appropriately for the load we carry.”
Council’s submission on the scoping report raised a number of concerns about the project relating to the impact on local housing and roads and the “complete destruction” of more than 30 hectares of a Critically Endangered Ecological Community.
The application (SSD – 77991709), environmental impact assessment and associated documents can be viewed online at www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects
--------------
Subscribe to The Southern Wire Newsletter for free at the link below.
https://subscribe-forms.beehiiv.com/1986abc6-c89e-4781-9db2-cf35c9dd71e4
If you value independent local journalism across the Highlands, Tablelands and Wollondilly, please click the link below to support us to ensure we remain paywall free.
Read More: Marulan, Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands