Save the Helena River Wetlands - Rethink the LLoyd Street Bridge

06/06/2026

More evidence of how special the Helena River (Mandoon Bilya) is - great work Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association 🙌🫶

The Balston’s pygmy perch was long thought to be extinct from the Perth region, but a discovery has found it alive and thriving in the Helena River.

12/05/2026

28/03/2026

🌧️ Are you bored on this beautiful rainy weekend? 🌧️

Please take 5 mins to help us protect the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River) before Monday 🙏🙏🙏

📍A GIANT 96–120MW DATA CENTRE is proposed to be built just 40 metres from the river in Hazelmere - next to Helena River Waldorf School and a Conservation Category Wetland.

⬆️ It’d be ENORMOUS - towering over the trees at almost 25 metres tall - 2-3 times TALLER than a Bunnings Mega Store warehouse.

💧It’d use 48-96 MILLION litres of water a year, minimum, and up to 244-538 MILLION litres at an average rate.

⚡️ It’d use MASSIVE amount of power, operating 24/7 with its own power transmission lines and substation, and sufficient capacity for 60,000–90,000 homes.
_______________________________________

❗ Why We’re Concerned

❌ Conflicts with Local Planning Scheme & Structure Plan
❌ Inconsistent with State Planning Policies and water management guidelines
❌ Missing essential technical information
❌ Lacking basic site investigations
❌ Glaring errors show lack of care and due diligence - like repeatedly referring to the “Henley River”
____________________________

🚨 Key Risks & Serious Gaps include:

❌ No sewer connection.
❌ No power supply.
❌ No viable wastewater plan or stormwater plan.
❌ No foreshore management plan.
❌ No soil or groundwater testing.
❌ No fuel management plan for 88 generators.
❌ No assessment of emissions, heat, EMF or light.
❌ Huge risks to the river and our community.
__________________________________

📝 SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: Monday 30 March 5 pm

Your voice is SO important!

Anyone can make a submission - you don't need to live in the City of Swan. A short submission is enough. If you're concerned, you can simply select the OBJECT option and say that:

⛔️ The application is incomplete, lacking essential information and contains basic errors.
⛔️ Risks to the community and environment can not be properly assessed.

We’ve shared OUR SUBMISSION so you can understand what our key concerns are: https://tinyurl.com/6dcnrw7w

🔗 Make YOUR SUBMISSION via the Engage Swan portal: https://swanengage.swan.wa.gov.au/da-62026-data-centre

➡️ Share your submission with local Councillors, MPs and community groups to help build a shared understanding of community concerns.
________________________________________

🙏 TAG PEOPLE AND SHARE THIS POST

💻 MAKE A SUBMISSION: https://swanengage.swan.wa.gov.au/da-62026-data-centre

✍️ SIGN THE PETITION: https://www.change.org/p/reject-the-hazelmere-data-centre-development?source_location=search

📣 Raise this with your local Councillors:
Sarah Howlett - Midland Guildford Ward Councillor
Cr Ian Johnson Midland Guildford Ward
Cr Rashelle Predovnik - City of Swan

📣 Raise this with your local MPs:
Steve Catania MLA
Cassie Rowe MLA
Tania Lawrence MP

🌿 Help protect the Mandoon Bilya and our Community

Note - This development will be assessed by the Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) which does include two local City of Swan Councillors (Cr Mel Congerton and Cr Rod Henderson).



Trillion Trees Australia Lower Helena Association Guildford Association Inc Swan Communities Environmental Alliance - SCEA Wildlife Friendly Swan Blackadder Woodbridge Catchment Group Conservation Council of WA The Wilderness Society WA Urban Bushland Council WA Inc Perth NRM Kanyana Wildlife Nannas for Native Forests

20/03/2026

😡 please make a submission!

📣 YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! 📣

A 96–120MW DATA CENTRE is proposed for Stirling Crescent in Hazelmere - just 40 metres from the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River) and right next to homes, Helena River Waldorf School, and a Conservation Category Wetland.

It would be an ENORMOUS high-power facility, requiring its own power transmission lines and substation, millions of litre of water a year, and with sufficient capacity to power 60,000–90,000 homes.

Our review of Perth-based data centres indicates that all existing facilities are located on sewered land. It appears this is Perth's first data centre proposed without government sewerage or viable wastewater disposal. This is a VERY dangerous precedent to set, especially within 40 m of a river, a Conservation Category Wetland, and a primary school.
_______________________________________
❗ Why We’re Concerned - our review shows the proposal is:

❌ Inconsistent with the Local Planning Scheme, Structure Plan, State Planning Policies and water management guidelines.
❌ Incomplete.
❌ Lacking the most basic of site investigations.
❌ Missing essential technical information.

It even contains basic errors, such as repeatedly referring to the “Henley River”, showing a complete lack of due diligence.
________________________________________
🚨 Key Risks & Serious Gaps include:

❌ No sewer connection and no viable wastewater plan.
❌ No soil, groundwater or stormwater testing.
❌ Unquantified and massive water use.
❌ No technical basis for stormwater management.
❌ Inconsistent and unresolved power supply details.
❌ No information on fuel storage for 88 generators.
❌ No assessment of emissions, heat or night time light.
❌ No foreshore management plan.
❌ Significant unresolved risks to the river, community and environment.

With so much missing infromation, the City of Swan and the community cannot properly assess the proposal, which is exactly why your submission is SO IMPORTANT.
________________________________________
📝 SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: 5 pm on 30 March

(Yes the submission date just got extended by 10 days - great work everyone!)

Anyone can make a submission — you don't need to live in the City of Swan. A short submission is enough. If you're concerned, you can simply select the OBJECT option and say that:

➡️ The application is incomplete.
➡️ Risks to the river and community are not properly assessed.

Our Submission - We’ve shared it as 5 images in the comments so you can see what our concerns are, and if you’d like a PDF copy, email us at: [email protected]

🔗 Make your submission via the Engage Swan portal: https://swanengage.swan.wa.gov.au/da-62026-data-centre

You can also forward your submission to City of Swan Councillors, local MPs and community groups, including BNAA, to help build a shared understanding of community concerns.
________________________________________
🌿 Protect the Mandoon Bilya and our Community.

This development sits on the doorstep of the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River) - a place of deep cultural, ecological and community significance. YOUR VOICE MATTERS.

🙏PLEASE TAG PEOPLE AND SHARE THIS POST.



Trillion Trees Australia, Helena Valley Estate Residents Association Lower Helena Association Swan Guildford Historical Society Inc - SGHS Midland and Districts Historical Society Inc. Swan View Community Association Swan Communities Environmental Alliance - SCEA Bushmead Conservation Cobbers

03/03/2026

Great news for the future of the Helena River (Mandoon Bilya) 🥰

💫⭐️ New BoorYul-Bah-Bilya Ranger Team ⭐️💫

We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Rangers team dedicated to caring for the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River) catchment!

This is a major milestone for us, and we’re looking forward to growing our team and working closely with community to restore and protect the river’s health.

If you’re passionate about Country and caring for waterways, we’d love to hear from you. Learn how to apply here:
https://bibbul.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/BNAA-Rangers-EOI-documents-1.pdf

➡️ Please share and help us find our new Rangers ➡️

The BoorYul‑Bah‑Bilya Rangers are proudly supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

19/12/2025

30/11/2025

Shared from Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association about Alcoa’s plans to shelve drilling in the Helena River (Mandoon Bilya) catchment…

Monday’s announcement was great news for Mundaring Weir, but Alcoa are still mining in other drinking water catchments - Serpentine, North Dandalup and South Dandalup.

Strip mining in drinking water catchments is a disaster - the risks are enormous and the consequences could be catastrophic.

The State’s own drinking water provider, the Water Corporation, has warned that contamination of our drinking water is “certain” if Alcoa’s expansion continues.

These forests supply drinking water to Perth, Kalgoorlie, the Goldfields and towns all across southwest WA.

It’s not a matter of IF - it’s a matter of WHEN. And when disaster strikes, it will affect hundreds of thousands of people and cost millions, if not billions of dollars.

We’re urgently calling on the state government to do what’s right for Western Australians - ban all mining in our drinking water catchments.

This is a defining moment. Do not accept what they’ve got planned for us. Speak out, share this message, and hold our leaders accountable.

The future of WesternAustralia depends on what we do today 🩵✊🌳

17/10/2025

Free event to celebrate rivers in Mundaring today!

We're so excited to share our amazing lineup of speakers and performers for our Mandoon Bilya BioBlitz Festival😍😍😍

This is a free family-friendly event with something for everyone, including short talks, poetry readings, live musical performances and community stalls.

They'll be lots of free activities for kids, like making native bee hotels, meeting some mini-beasts, exploring a catchment model, arts and craft, balloon animals, and face painting.

The festival is part of our BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program, which is all about restoring ecosystems, reinvigorating cultural heritage and reconnecting communities with rivers.

The Mundaring Garden and Farmers Market will be right next door and the Mundaring Hills Open Studios starts on the same day, so it's going to be a great day in the Perth Hills!

We'll be sharing more information leading up the festival, so stay tuned !

Thanks to our amazing speakers and stall holders, including ECU School Of Science, Trillion Trees Australia, Perth NRM, Save Perth Hills, The Re-Cyc-Ology Project, Conservation Council of WA, WA Forest Alliance, WA Better by Nature, Urban Bushland Council WA Inc, Eco Action, Nearer to Nature, City of Kalamunda, WA Naturalists' Club, Wildflower Society of Western Australia Inc., SERCUL, Nannas for Native Forests, Millennium Kids Inc

03/10/2025

Closing today!

Looking for something to do today??

Please take 5 mins to sign this petition 🙏💙✊

Link: bit.ly/Reject-Alcoa-Petition

Please help us fight to protect our water, our forests, our wildlife and our future.

We are sick of the destruction, the risk to our drinking water, the toxic waste, the lies and deceit, the arrogance and the blatant disrespect.

PLEASE STAND WITH US and keep talking until EVERYONE knows about this 🙏🙏🙏

⛔️ Alcoa LIED in their adverts and tried to deceive us all. Then when found out, there’s no apology, just weasel words about “definitions” that seem to drip with arrogance and contempt for our community concerns.

⛔️ Never forget that Alcoa illegally and secretly built a pipeline to transport PFAS (toxic forever chemicals) over one of our drinking water dams, showing blatant DISRESPECT for our rules and processes that apply to everyone else. Can we ever trust them again??

⛔️ Water Corp have said that contamination of a drinking water dam is certain if Alcoa continues. Bird Life Western Australia have said our precious black cockatoos will become extinct 🤯🤯🤯

How many more warnings do we need? Do we wait for a CATASTROPHE before enough is enough??

Stand with us because this is only the beginning 💙✊🌊

✅✊✅✊ ACT NOW AND SIGN THE PETITION ✊✅✊✅