Community updates
Community Conversation Event - 13 September 2025
On 13 September 2025 the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) along with staff from the South Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and SA Health hosted a community conversation drop-in session, to discuss concerns raised with government about the Boral operated Linwood Quarry.
DEM acknowledges residents surrounding the Linwood Quarry experience nuisance impacts particularly from dust generated by quarry operations.
The Linwood Quarry is required to manage their dust impacts through implementation of its dust management plan (DMP) and trigger and response plan (TARP), which are part of their approved program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) that can be found below. The quarry is also required to maintain a network of air quality monitors and report the 24 hour average results on Boral’s website for viewing by members of the public.
As co-regulators both DEM and the EPA expect the quarry operator adopts a ‘continuous improvement’ with the ‘best available technology economically achievable’ approach to its dust management and mitigation strategies, which is also supported by SA Health as a proactive measure to minimise potential exposure before it can lead to any health problems in the community. This expectation strongly aligns with what government staff heard from the community surrounding the quarry.
The key themes and concerns raised by community members are summarised below:
Dust
- Dust from the quarry is reported to be constantly deposited on houses, vehicles and outdoor furniture leaving some residents needing to clean daily and unable to open windows particularly during summer evenings when a prevailing gully breeze passes through the quarry. Concerns around impact of dust on rainwater.
- The quarry does not have sufficient measures in place to address dust leaving the site, and community have a strong desire to see what improvements are being put in place.
- Seeking greater understanding of short-term and longer-term dust impacts on health, with some reports on exacerbation of existing respiratory symptoms.
- Monitoring conducted by the quarry is not adequate to identify dust leaving the site in different directions.
- The quarry operator relies on 24-hour averaged data to demonstrate ‘compliance’, and refuses to provide further details of measures taken to address elevated dust over shorter periods.
- Greater transparency of dust management measures implemented by the quarry operator, as well as actions taken by regulators to hold Boral accountable for their obligations.
Community engagement
- Seeking better information from Boral on the operation of the quarry, dust management and improvement measures being undertaken.
- Strong desire for Boral to participate in a regular community meeting forum to provide effective and transparent communication between Boral and the community, to replace and improve on the previous Joint-Working-Group meetings that have been discontinued.
- Improvement in communication especially for elderly residents and community access for shorter term air quality data and alerts when air quality deteriorates.
Dragout
- Excessive dust and dragout reported as being generated by trucks on Ocean Boulevard after leaving the quarry.
- Trucks leaving the quarry are not consistently using tarps to cover quarry product loads.
Concrete batching
- Believed to be contributing fine white/grey dust to being deposited on nearby properties, roofs, windows and vehicles.
- Boral have constructed a new concrete batching plant on top of the hill near Ocean Boulevard without any community consultation or appropriate approvals.
- Residents also raised concerns on the location of the proposed concrete batching plant.
Visual amenity
- Eastern extension of the quarry pit, and old stockpiles and overburden on the western side are negatively impacting views from residents travelling on or residing near Perry Barr Rd in Hallett Cove.
- Some residents mentioned that they were experiencing light spill from the proposed concrete batching plant area.
Blasting
- Some Hallett Cove residents raised that they are being impacted by recent blasting, in particular being caught by surprise when experiencing the effects of blasting in their home.
Next steps
We understand improvements need to occur particularly in the quarry’s dust management, and in establishing effective communication between the quarry operator and local community.
DEM will work together with EPA to ensure short-term and long-term measures are implemented and maintained to reduce dust emissions from quarry operations.
DEM and the EPA will increase announced and unannounced inspections to ensure compliance obligations are being met as the warmer and drier summer months approach.
About the Linwood Quarry
| Resource | Limestone |
|---|---|
| Company | Boral Resources (SA) Pty Ltd |
| Status | Operating, open cut. Linwood Quarry Eastern Extension Project mining lease granted, PEPR approved. |
| Mining operation | Open cut mine, activities conducted on the site include drilling and blasting, mining (loading and hauling), crushing and screening, concrete batching, and product sales. |
| Location and area |  Linwood Quarry is located between the suburbs of Hallett Cove, Marino and Seacliff Park, approximately 15 km southwest of Adelaide CBD covering an area of approximately 230 hectares.
|
| Tenement information | Linwood Quarry currently consists of extractive minerals leases (EML) 5730, 5731, 5732 and 6525; private mines (PM) 3, 4 and 22, for the extraction of limestone.
Tenement information can be found via the South Australian Resources Information Gateway (SARIG) |
The deposit | Linwood Quarry produces limestone-based products for the building and construction market in South Australia. Products from the quarry are used for asphalt, road-sealing aggregates, concrete aggregates, and road base materials. Activities conducted on the site include, drilling and blasting, mining (loading and hauling), crushing and screening, and product sales. More information can be found on the Boral website. Linwood Quarry has been identified as a strategic mineral resources area in South Australia. More information about strategic extractive quarries can be found in Identification of Strategic Mineral Resource Areas in South Australia (PDF 4.0 MB) |
Resource estimates and production estimates | Production statistics are available from Operating mines and quarries of South Australia |
Application and approval process | Quarrying first began on this site in 1882 with Boral taking over the operation in 1994. There is currently an approved Mine Operations Plan (MOP) for the Linwood Quarry which was approved by DEM in October 2008. On 6 December 2018, Boral submitted an application for a mining lease for the eastern expansion area and supported by a mining proposal to the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM). The application was made available for public comment on 16 May 2019, with comments to be submitted by 27 June 2019. 11 submissions were received from members of the public. The Department for Energy and Mining reviewed all submissions made by members of the public along with technical input from a number of South Australian government Departments including, but not limited to, the Environment Protection Authority, Department for Environment and Water, and the Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. DEM determined that additional information was required to enable assessment of the application, and a request for a response document was prepared. The applicant was required to formally respond to all matters and requests for further information raised by the public and the South Australian Government. The applicant submitted their response document on 3 June 2020. This response document, along with the public submissions, the government’s request for response document has been published on this website (see “Current documents and reports” below). and the original Mining Proposal can be found on the Boral website. On 14 May 2021 the mining lease for extractive minerals, EML 6525, was granted for a term of 21 years. The operational program for the quarry must be revised by Boral and approved by DEM prior to commencement of mining operations in the eastern expansion area. The revised program was approved on 5 January 2023 and is available below. |
Current Documents and reports | Operational program (MOP/PEPR) – approved 5 January 2023 Mining proposal
Public submissions received Response documents The request for response letter includes a consolidated list of matters raised by relevant South Australian Government departments, and outlines further information required by the applicant. Combined Mine Operations Plan (MOP) and Program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) The EPA licenses activities of environmental significance and monitors water, air and noise pollution. Linwood Quarry's current operations, are subject to this requirement for EPA authorisation. For more information see the EPA website. |
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