Where the River Runs Red – a mining community caught between the past and a sustainable future

october country where the river runneth red

Why anyone would believe anything The Guardian says is beyond me. It's a vile rag.

I was in Queenstown early December last year. Having spent considerable time there in the mid 80's it is certainly quieter than it was. However, there were signs of life and the west coasters are a resilient lot. Talking with locals over a beer they seemed positive. There has been an influx of people from all over Australia and the world seeking a cheaper, quieter alternative. The town and area has its challenges but will battle on.

Lets send billions to foreigners and there wars,,fix up the mess we made here first

fire ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥💪💪💪💪💪💪

Develop the tourism industry and develop a massive offshore windfarm industry off the West coast, linked to industrial centres further east and to mainland Victoria. Every day Tasmania doesn't have those things in place they are throwing away tens of millions of dollars.

I went to school in pitcher Oklahoma my grandma lived o 212 south alta I was there did ring the buy out but never got paid

Hyy semuaaa

What lovely people interviewed for this. Visited Queenstown 20 years ago and loved it. The west coast is amazing.

Mabye its time to seek financial restitution and drag any politician's that stood and will stand in the way into the spotlight. This is the age of accountability. Mabye an investigation into the finances of those politician's who signed this whole thing off.

Ok… let me straighten out a few things here, cause I dont think The Guardian knows what Queenstown is like at all
First and foremost, I'm a life-long Queenstown resident (17 years since may) and even I found this film utterly appalling, they've made us seem like an uninhabitable, toxic wasteland… yes, our river is undeniably polluted, but the rest of it? The trees and wildlife? Is FLOURISHING. What happened to the river did indeed have a lasting effect, but in NO way is it "acid", its not clean, but it isnt going to melt your bloody tripod.
Secondly, the housing. Majority of the bloody shots taken for this bloody film were taken in Gormanston (a separate town, located very very close to Queenstown, and is almost completely abandoned) and the shots that were taken of Queenstown homes, were either houses of those who are less fortunate or completely bloody destroyed (which there are few of). Though I understand that our houses may be below what might be considered the "standard". that certainly doesn't mean every building is abandoned and dilapidated.
Thirdly, the people. The people shown in this film are NOT a representation of our population as a whole (2 or 3 of which are from Gormanston), the people shown in the film are less than a FRACTION of our population.
Fourth, the mood. While Queenstown can (and has) see it's fair share in bad weather, that by no means means the place is as grey and cold as you've represented it, the place looks completely bloody dead, which it by no means is! This film strips the town of all colour and dimension that I assure anyone watching, it has. We have festivals and celebrations which make the town buzz (Namely the Unconformity) which, is held every 2 years and was in 2018.
Even I, not being a great lover of the place myself, feel as though this film is nothing but slanderous and ignorant to our town, I IMPLORE The Guardian to reevaluate their view on our home and come back, instead showing what our town really has to offer, instead of decay and rot, which I assure, is NOT Queenstown and is NOT who we are.
– K

Smells like first year film student

What is the point of this so called documentary? It does not bare any representation of the truth at all.

Terrible slanted stuff …Why not mention some great stuff about Queenstown and the whole gorgeous West Coast … I live on the opposite side of Tasmania and know Queenie has done a lot of great things ..Tell that too ..

Hyy semuaaa

Hyy semuaaa

Hyy semuaaa

Im getting a fallout feeling right now

6:19 she mentions acid rain. Now I get the acid drainage from the mine and the rainwater taht flows through the waste. But acid rain? where's that coming from? Certainly not cuased by the mine?

I spent 5 days in the area in 2016. This film is really focusing on the negative. They filmed in winter, on cloudy rainy days, ffs. They filmed when everything is closed. The place looks great in the sun, and it's the major hub for tourists in the area, which brings in money and activity. The West Coast Railway tour is a real gem. The town definitely has its problems, but it's not unrelenting misery like this film suggests.

20:30 "Even those that don't agree with mining, they show their disagreement using Phones that have been produced from mining"

So the miners had jobs that paid them a pittance compared to the wealth extracted.
And they are left with the mess.
Corporate capitalism at its worst.

The melancholy and kitsch of it all is breathtaking. It speaks so bluntly and honestly about the struggles of their mining region.

The same story everywhere….go in, exploit the environment until it's no longer livable, refuse any alternate course of action
This is why humans are the dumbest animal on earth

I went to Tasmania and saw Queenstown as a kid in 1979. The hills with all the soil removed were shocking. I still don't really understand how people could let that be done to a place where they lived. https://www.mindat.org/loc-5774.html …so radioactive minerals there too.

Tears shed watching this. 💔😢
Clean water is the basic means of survival. 😨
Without it, you can have massive health and wildlife issues. 😢
Digging for profit is so sad.
The Earth can heal from this though. 🌏
Us humans are responsible, but getting back to caring for nature is the key, just like these lovely folks do.
They try hard with such little means.
Big hearts in Queensland, Australia.
Thank you Guardian for posting this.
U2's song "Red Hill Mining Town" lyrics, I feel, are spot on for this town and massive area of land.
Love from Michigan USA 💗
Peace! ✌