This morning community members walked onto the site at Mt Macedon where destruction of snow gum forest is underway to halt tree felling and demand an urgent intervention by Victorian government. With a new state environment minister announced this morning, this is a fantatsic opportunity for the new minister to start their new portfolio by stopping this unecessary ecological destruction.
The Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Committee has been pushing to cut down Snow Gums to ‘restore’ historic views of Melbourne from the Memorial Cross on the summit of the mountain.
‘The works will clear almost 0.8 hectares of a nationally significant and highly threatened ecosystem - Montane Grassy Woodland - simply for aesthetics,’ said Anna Langford, Friends of the Earth Melbourne campaigner.
‘People do not come to Mount Macedon for views of Melbourne’s sprawling outer suburbs. Many come to have a break from the city and enjoy the quiet tranquillity of the forest.’
Macedon Ranges Shire Council rejected the proposal to clear the snow gums in 2023 after strong community opposition. Instead of respecting that decision, Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has pushed the project through using a state-level planning pathway behind closed doors.
Track clearing to allow tree felling started earlier this week.
‘We are devastated to see this precious remnant of snow gum forest being destroyed for a view,’ said Friends of the Earth campaigns coordinator Cam Walker. ‘There are already several viewpoints from the top of Mt Macedon, so we do not need to clear any more forest - especially around the Memorial Cross which is a place for quiet reflection.’
Images and video footage of the site are available on request.
For further comment, contact:
Anna Langford, Friends of the Earth Melbourne campaigner
[email protected]
0478 031 771
Cam Walker, Friends of the Earth Melbourne campaigns coordinator
[email protected]
0419 338 047
Background Info
Vegetation being cleared: The Snow Gum woodlands on Mount Macedon are part of the Montane Grassy Woodland Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC). Just 21 hectares of this EVC remain in central and western Victoria, confined to two places – Mount Macedon and one peak in the Grampians. They provide a critical biodiversity refuge for this species and the other plants and animals that rely on healthy snow gums to flourish.
False offsets: Suggestions that planting Snow Gums in former pine plantations could “replace” what’s destroyed show a lack of ecological understanding. The complex web of species in Montane Grassy Woodland cannot be recreated. Normal native vegetation laws do not apply and instead use the opaque Crown Land Procedure.
Climate pressures: With Snow Gum woodlands already at risk from climate change, every remaining stand is vital for resilience. Cutting down these trees undermines their survival. A significant number of trees were removed on the north face of Mt Macedon by Parks Victoria in 2014 for the café view scape.
Mountain Journal: https://themountainjournal.com/2025/08/21/protect-macedons-rare-snow-gums-from-chainsaws/
Email petition: https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/save_mt_macedon_snow_gums
