In the picturesque Pioneer Valley, residents enjoy a slower pace of life, but for more than 12 months things have been at a virtual standstill.
Honey producer Douglas Cannon and many of his neighbours in this north Queensland region near Mackay still have the letters they received in September 2022 from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office that turned their lives upside down.
Their homes, they were informed, may need to be resumed to make way for the world’s largest pumped hydro scheme.
“It’s gut-wrenching that this could all be destroyed,” Mr Cannon said.
More than a year on, Mr Cannon still doesn’t know if he’ll lose his family home and living in limbo is taking a toll.
“You’re sad one minute, you’re [questioning] whether you made the right decision moving up here. It’s a whole cycle,” Mr Cannon said.
What is pumped hydro?
The ambitious Pioneer-Burdekin proposal is that three water reservoirs be created, two in the hills and one in the valley.
Pumped hydro acts as a large-scale battery by moving water uphill and then releasing it downhill to generate electricity.
It’s slated to be delivered by 2035 at an expected cost of $12 billion.
Queensland Hydro chief executive Kieran Cusack described the location for the pumped hydro project as a “stand-out”.
“That is primarily due to the unique topography that exists,” Mr Cusack said.
“There are no other sites that provide the amount of generation capacity and the storage capacity.”
‘A special part of the world’
The Pioneer Valley is a tapestry of undulating hills, protected forest, rich sugar cane country, scenic waterfalls and tight-knit townships.
It’s estimated as many as 80 properties across the townships of Dalrymple Heights, north of Eungella, and Netherdale, near Finch Hatton, could be affected if the scheme goes ahead.
Mr Cannon said he had always been drawn to Eungella and finally made the move from the big industry hub of Mackay in 2020.
“This is a special part of the world,” he said.
“You can get the angriest, cranky people come up here and they [leave with a] smile from ear to ear.”
South of Eungella, near Broken River, Robyn Burns’s property is safe.
But she’s worried about what will be left for the remaining townships if the five-gigawatt project eventuates.
“In Eungella, there’s quite a few [people] talking about getting out [because] it’s not going to be why they live up here,” Ms Burns said.
“They’ve got the property sort of half-listed … waiting to see the outcome.
“It’s like you’re grieving [because] there’s a possibility of losing something.”
Uncertainty with no timeline
The project is still in its early stages and since the government’s announcement in 2022, Queensland Hydro has undertaken “hydrological, geological and ecological investigations”.
“We will be compiling the outcome of those investigations and … putting a report to the Queensland government for them to make a final investment decision [in mid-2024],” Mr Cusack said.
He acknowledged the uncertainty it had created for property owners and said the community had been kept updated.
“For those of the landholders that cannot wait for a final decision on the project, we are in discussions with them about voluntary acquisition,” he said.
If the state government approves the pumped hydro scheme, it would employ more than 3,000 people during construction and up to 200 in ongoing operations.
But residents like Mr Cannon are not yet convinced.
“It’s not a matter of not supporting renewables at all, it’s about whether it’s in the right location,” Mr Cannon said.