The Hunter Valley region in south-eastern Australia was once known as the ‘Tuscany of the South’. But in just the last generation, it turned into a densely cratered moonscape as the region became a mecca for mega open-cut coal mines.
It has led to the diagnosis of a new sickness afflicting the Hunter and other communities who experience monumental alterations to their environment – ‘Solastalgia’. It is the feeling you have when you’re home but experience a nostalgia for a place that no longer exists.
The Hunter is just one example of a nationwide problem. 80,000 abandoned mines dot the Australian landscape, many burdening future generations with their long-term environmental and financial impacts.
Shot across the continent, 'Solastalgia' is an emotive journey into the lives of those whose sense of place has been upended by mining, exploring how the past interweaves with the present. It shows how the problems caused by abandoned mine sites are supercharged by the emergence of contemporary mega mines, including fossil fuel extracting sites that are fast becoming stranded assets, with devastating legacies.
It can seem like an intractable problem, but 'Solastalgia' will also highlight the clever solutions that abound… should we care to acknowledge and embrace them.
