Boral's Seaham Quarry, in the locality of Balickera to the east of Seaham township, is the organisation's main source of hard rock for aggregate production serving the Hunter and Port Stephens regions of NSW.
Please note this site is not open to the public. All sales and product enquiries contact 1300 723 999, or community enquiries email community@boral.com.au.
Quarrying began at the site in 1991 after planning approval was achieved in 1985. Extractive activities take place within a rich seam of ignimbrite, an igneous hard rock which possesses high qualities of strength and endurance.
A smaller resource of rhyolite, another igneous rock, also exists on the site and is similarly extracted as needed. The Boral Seaham Quarry is a hard rock quarry from which material is extracted via use of drill and blasting to produce aggregates.
These aggregates, in turn, form the basis of the basic building and construction materials for which Boral is widely known such as concrete and asphalt.
The quarry produces an average of 700 000 to 800 000 tonnes per annum of aggregates for use in the manufacture of materials such as concrete and asphalt.
Materials generated by the site are transported to building and construction customers in Newcastle, across the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens regions.
The 224 hectare quarry site also benefits from being almost completely surrounded by vegetation, making it largely not visible to the public - the only known external viewpoint is located some 10 kilometres away on a small section of Richardson Road at Ferodale, to the south-east.
The quarry supports a workforce of 16 and more than 20 contractors and drivers.
As with most of Boral's major operating sites, the Boral Seaham Quarry readily recognises the role it plays in the local community. This recognition is not just as an employer of local people, but also as a corporate citizen of the wider Seaham area.
In line with this idea, the quarry has proudly supported local community groups and activities over its time of operating.
Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2011 (POELA) reporting
The Boral Seaham Quarry, as well as many other Boral sites, has obligations under the Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2011.
These obligations include providing public access to pollution reporting data. You can find out more about the Act and the results for the site here. The Boral Seaham Quarry is positioned among the undulating hills which separate the Williams River from the coastal plains backing the Stockton Bight and Port Stephens.
The quarry landholding contains and is surrounded by bushland, and adjoins the area forming the Grahamstown Dam water catchment area which supplies Newcastle, parts of the Hunter region and the immediate local area.
A number of measures are therefore in place at the quarry to help guard against any untoward effects upon the surrounding environment. You can read a summary below.
Air quality
Working with earth and rock materials presents a challenge with respect to managing dust emissions at all quarry sites, not just Boral's.
Accordingly, the industry has developed best practices toward mitigating the risk of these emissions unduly affecting neighbouring properties.
At Seaham Quarry, mitigations which are in place include:
- Dust suppression practices on unsealed haul roads, such as frequent use of water carts;
- Water spray systems which dampen down dust at the quarry face and in stockpiling areas; and
- Monitoring of weather patterns so potential dust-generating activities can be deferred or stopped during unfavourable conditions.
Surface water management
The site's Water Management Plan (WMP) was updated in July 2019.
The WMP includes a range of works to be undertaken at the site, and practices such as mitigation and monitoring, to ensure any water runoff at the site complies with the conditions of the quarry's Environmental Protection Licence (EPL).
The quarry landholding has several dams within it which capture water for use in processing of materials, and dust suppression activities.
Site rehabilitation
Overburden (the material between the earth's surface and the rock to be extracted) and tailings (leftover material from quarrying and processing) are used for placement on finished benches (the 'steps' you see in a quarry face) as part of the site's progressive rehabilitation program.
Licensing and auditing
The quarry holds an approved EPL which partly governs the conduct of extractive activities at the site, allowing between 500 000 and 2 million tonnes per annum of hard rock to be quarried.
As with most Boral sites, Seaham Quarry is subject to an ongoing auditing program as an assurance environmental obligations are being met. Recommendations are made and implemented where any shortfalls are discovered.
To view current PIRMP and POMD reports visit: Environmental Reporting
The Seaham Quarry is operated to a planning consent (DA 2683_85) issued by Port Stephens Council during September 1985.
Since being originally granted, the consent has been successfully modified a total of four times to account for some minor production changes, and an amendment to the site's hours of operation (2005).
The consent and its modifications set out the operating, environmental and reporting conditions the quarry must comply with throughout its 'life'. It remains valid through until 2035.
