The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust recently (Thursday 5 June) removed the large dirt mound that was deposited in a car park adjacent to the 10 Terminal complex at Middle Head following the excavation of part of the historic defensive moat on the boundary of the Sydney Harbour National Park early in 2013.
The dirt mound has featured in Headland Preservation Group (HPG) slide presentations at its recent public meetings to illustrate how high a heat barrier about 2 metres high would look like. It is believed the dirt was stored at Middle Head so that it could be reused for future landscaping purposes.
Is the removal of this mound designed to stop the public from viewing a large mound/barrier that may serve as an example of what the future holds for the 150 metre long section of heat barrier to be built as part of the proposed residential aged care home development for 10 Terminal at Middle Head?
Or is there is truth in the rumours that the contents of this mound may have been contaminated? A worker on the site said that the dirt was being taken to Eastern Creek to a special processing facility.
We can only speculate on the truth, but if the dirt mound was in fact contaminated why did it take so long for the Harbour Trust to do anything about it? HPG members have since the late last year observed people walking on top and over it and picking out artefacts such as old buttons and rusted machinery parts. There was never any warning sign that this may have been dangerous.