A protest has been sparked at Blackwood after a mining company began exploratory drilling in the Wombat State Forest.
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Residents say drilling began last week, with some saying they could hear it from their homes.
The company, Currawong Resources, holds a mining exploration licence for the area, which stretches from Blackwood almost to Macedon in the east and north past Malmsbury.
Currawong Resources, which declined to comment, is owned by Canada's Fosterville South Exploration.
A separate licence over the township is held by Blackwood Gold Mines Pty Ltd.
An exploration licence permits companies to investigate minerals in their tenements, including using drilling - it does not allow companies to begin actually developing a mine if anything is found.
Anything other than "low impact exploration" requires an approved work plan, a rehabilitation bond, public liability insurance, and any other necessary consents, according to the state government's Earth Resources Victoria guidelines.
Companies "have a duty to consult with the community across the entire life cycle of a licence", the website notes, however "a community engagement plan is not required for work carried out on an exploration or retention licence or if a licensee is exploring on a mining licence".
"The requirement for a community engagement plan to be prepared is governed by the activity undertaken on the licence, not the licence type," it states.
However, the guidelines recommend licensees still need to have "established good ongoing information and participation channels with their identified community" and "considered the community's views before making decisions that impact on people".
Consultation can include public advertising, meetings, and inviting submissions.
There is no suggestion that Currawong Resources has not fulfilled its requirements.
Blackwood residents say they are concerned about the company's project - on Sunday, the No Wombat Gold group was formed, consisting of about 50 members.
There has been ongoing tension over a plan to create a national park in the area.
Fiona Ross said the first she knew about the exploration project was when she heard the drilling operating last week.
"We're deeply concerned there's a possibility of mining being undertaken in such a distinctive area as the Wombat and Lerderderg state forest," she said.
"We're trying to find out what's going on.
"Tourism is so important for this town - how does it fit with the talk of turning the forests into national parks?"
In nearby Barrys Reef, Matthew Curtis said the concern was that "no one in the community knows what's going on".
"It is a historical gold mining area, and there has been exploratory drilling 30 years ago, but it was more small scale," he said.
"Now it seems there's quite a big company involved with a lot of capital behind them.
"The area is known for mining activity, but I think this is potentially the most significant thing for maybe 100 years."
He said not every resident is "ideologically opposed" to gold mining, but there were concerns about traffic, noise, and the environment should a larger project begin.
"Where we are, it's quite a sensitive environmental area, with the water catchment and flora and fauna," he said.
"People are not ideologically opposed to mining, just where it might potentially be proposed, that's drinking water for Bacchus Marsh and Melton, and the native wildlife."
On Monday, a socially-distanced protest was held near the drilling site at Shaw's Lake - residents stated they'd prefer tourism to develop instead of gold mining.
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Currawong Resources' licences were acquired in January 2018 and November 2019, and can be renewed after five years.
A condition of every licence is that satisfactory rehabilitation work must be carried out either progressively or at the end of the exploration work.
Many other companies have applied for mining exploration licences around Ballarat in recent months, including a 700 square kilometre stretch from Enfield to north of Daylesford, and a separate application at the historic Jubilee Quartz Gold Mine in Scarsdale.
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