General News
4 May, 2026
Battle of Sporting Flat: No work on Sabbath
PROSPECTING will be allowed on land once used for goldfields sports after Loddon Shire Council on Tuesday granted a planning permit.
PROSPECTING will be allowed on land once used for goldfields sports after Loddon Shire Council on Tuesday granted a planning permit.
But prospector Matthew Carkeek will have limits on the hours he can work on land he owns in Sporting Flat Road, near Dunolly and inside Loddon’s boundaries by 1.1km.
Residents had objected to the application and last November staged an impromptu protest at the side.
Councillors said they were reluctant to grant the permit recommended by planning officer Darcy Jackson but correct process had been followed and refusal risked being over-ruled at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Mr Carkeek will only be allowed to work the property between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 1pm Saturday. Prospecting activities will be banned on Sunday.
He must not undertake underground mining operations, blast, remove native vegetation or use of chemical treatments at the project site.
The stockpiles no higher than two metres must be used to form a visual screen, where possible, from critical viewpoints from the south and west.
Fencing or paraweb along the 30 metre buffer from the waterway will have to be installed to ensure mining and associated activities do not encroach into the area.
Mr Carkeek last November told the Loddon Herald his family operation was for prospecting which was not of the level claimed by opponents.
Neil Harris said: “We are extremely concerned about the application for a so-called ‘low risk’ gold mine proposed to operate opposite, and in close proximity to our homes.
“Our properties are zoned rural living, and the subject land is also zoned rural living with both an environmental significance overlay and an inundation overlay.
“The land is surrounded by State Forest, zoned public conservation and resource, highlighting the area’s environmental importance.
“We are deeply concerned about the potential for long-term environmental harm, damage to the land, and the negative effects on our wellbeing, amenity, and property values..”
Council received 16 objections to the planning permit. Objectors raised concerns about noise, soil erosion and Aboriginal, Chinese and goldfields heritage.
Read More: Dunolly