Concerned Allanson and Collie community members met at a public meeting with MLA Mick Murray at Black Diamond on Wednesday.
Residents voiced their concerns over the current state of Black Diamond and the total disregard that tourists have for the local people and environment, and urged the council to take responsibility for the area.
MLA Mick Murray spoke of the future of Black Diamond and encouraged residents to voice their concerns so he can take the questions to parliament, and said that he had bought Bill Johnston the shadow minister for state development, energy, mines and petroleum on board with the issue.
“We will be addressing these key issues in parliament,” said Mr Murray.
Concerned Allanson resident and meeting organiser Leonie Scoffern said she hoped that the meeting would be the catalyst for progress in the area.
“I hope today will be the start of some positive change to get this beautiful area up to scratch with amenities that will include toilets and proper management of the area,” she said.
“With the copious amount of human faeces along with its toilet paper left in the wake of the visitors, this can only now seep in to our river system and Black Diamond.
"It has made this area unsavoury and unsafe to swim and fish in.
“This is an environmental disaster. We have unique flora and fauna is now put at risk.
"With the aftermath from this past weekend, we as a community need to stand up and speak loud until there is a positive outcome.
"It is unacceptable this area has turned in to an open air toilet pit.”
Another concerned resident, Natalie Sciesinski said Safety and sanitation are an issue at the moment.
“The rangers and the Shire need to get involved or else history will just keep repeating and we will have the same issues every year,” she said.
Apart from the environmental concerns that many residents voiced, there were also concerns over safety in the area as some of the lake walls were slowly eroding, and the noise that the campers make was also affecting many locals, especially over the holiday period.
One of the main concerns that was voiced by several residents was the lack of ablution facilities in the area which has led to unsanitary conditions in both Black Diamond and the surrounding bushland areas.
Mr Murray said, “Hopefully once we voice our concerns to parliament there will be a period of community consultation.”
“We don’t want to bulldoze it in so that there’s nothing here, that’s not the solution,” he said.
Mr Murray also said that he didn’t want adults or children to get sick from the environmental hazards in the area, but also stated that, “the Shire is unwilling to accept the responsibility for the basic problems in the area.”
Some locals suggested that the Shire rangers take responsibility for patrolling and maintaining the area, as well as suggesting that campers pay a small fee that would go towards maintaining the area.
One of the concerns that was also raised by MLA Mick Murray was that the area was never put in to a rehabilitation process after it was disused as a mine site, and there for the Department of Mines and Petroleum should there for have some responsibility for the area.
“The Shire has said their hands are tied because this belongs to the Department of Mines and Petroleum," Ms Scoffern said.
"The Shire councillors have said in the past that they wash their hands of Black Diamond because of public liability.
"It’s time the Shire gets on board and is proactive. After all, it has been in excess of 60 years since its closure."
Many local residents have been documenting the conditions at Black Diamond, taking photos of rubbish and human excrement that has been left in the area, as well as monitoring the behaviour of the campers.
Campers have reportedly been leaving behind large masses of rubbish and other bulky items and have not been utilising the large skip bin that is available on site.
A red Ford Falcon car was left dumped in the Collie River at the end of Ferguson Road at the entrance of Black Diamond last week.
It is believed that the car had been hooning in the area before being driven in to the river and left abandoned.
Locals have taken up the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining the areas thus far, but are adamant in finding a long term solution to the apparent problem.
