Stone Ridge Quarry Project - Project Overview
A New Quarry to Service the Lower Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney Construction Materials Markets
ARDG is seeking planning approval from the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for a new hard rock quarry, known as ‘Stone Ridge Quarry’ (the Project). The Project is located within Wallaroo State Forest at Balickera, NSW, approximately 20 kilometres north of Newcastle. Approval is being sought for the extraction and processing of resource to enable the transport of approximately 1.5 million tonnes per annum of quarry products from the site over the Project's 30-year approval life.
Since early 2017, ARDG has undertaken a comprehensive quarry resource assessment program at Stone Ridge that has included detailed geological mapping and sampling, approximately 1800 metres of diamond core drilling, surface/downhole geophysics and exhaustive geotechnical testing. These investigations have confirmed the existence of a very large hard rock quarry resource, suited to the production of a broad range of high-quality quarry products that include the following:
The Project is located within the Eagleton Volcanics - one of the few geological formations within the Lower Hunter that are considered prospective for hosting high-quality quarry resources. It represents a rare opportunity to access a very large greenfield hard rock quarry resource, particularly given the significant geological, environmental and planning constraints that apply in the region.
The proximity of the Project to key markets and existing State road infrastructure (i.e. the Pacific Highway) would enable a quarry at Stone Ridge to significantly ameliorate medium to long term supply-side pressure of quarry materials for the Lower Hunter and Central Coast regions, as well as provide direct access to the Sydney market if required. The quarry would also generate revenue to the State through royalties payable on quarry products sold from the site.
ARDG is currently in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Project. As the EIS progresses and results of the supporting studies become known, ARDG will be communicating closely with the community and key stakeholders to seek feedback for incorporation into the final report.
Since early 2017, ARDG has undertaken a comprehensive quarry resource assessment program at Stone Ridge that has included detailed geological mapping and sampling, approximately 1800 metres of diamond core drilling, surface/downhole geophysics and exhaustive geotechnical testing. These investigations have confirmed the existence of a very large hard rock quarry resource, suited to the production of a broad range of high-quality quarry products that include the following:
- Coarse concrete aggregates
- Fine concrete aggregates (manufactured sand)
- High-PAFV (Polished Aggregate Friction Value) asphalt aggregates
- Sealing aggregates
- Gabion
- Armourstone
- Roadbase and crushed rock products
The Project is located within the Eagleton Volcanics - one of the few geological formations within the Lower Hunter that are considered prospective for hosting high-quality quarry resources. It represents a rare opportunity to access a very large greenfield hard rock quarry resource, particularly given the significant geological, environmental and planning constraints that apply in the region.
The proximity of the Project to key markets and existing State road infrastructure (i.e. the Pacific Highway) would enable a quarry at Stone Ridge to significantly ameliorate medium to long term supply-side pressure of quarry materials for the Lower Hunter and Central Coast regions, as well as provide direct access to the Sydney market if required. The quarry would also generate revenue to the State through royalties payable on quarry products sold from the site.
ARDG is currently in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Project. As the EIS progresses and results of the supporting studies become known, ARDG will be communicating closely with the community and key stakeholders to seek feedback for incorporation into the final report.
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