moving mountains the exhibition

MOVING MOUNTAINS - people power in action - captured for the first time, the inspiring stories behind the success of the grassroots community movement led by the BOSS subcommittees Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic (KTSRS) and the Croftby Community Group in an eleven year protest against coal mining and coal seam gas extraction. 

Featuring a rich tapestry of stories, images, artworks and authentic memorabilia, the exhibition celebrated the many remarkable people who joined forces in landmark protest events that helped to protect the Scenic Rim. 

This inspiring story of connecting communities supporting one another was a true David and Goliath style victory and living proof that standing up and speaking out together can literally move mountains. 

It's not hard to imagine how different the Scenic Rim might look if the planned open cut coal mines near Boonah had gone ahead, and if networks of gas wells now criss-crossed pristine farmland. 

The exhibition acknowledged a future made possible by the actions of a wonderful community with the vision and care to work together, for more than a decade, to protect the values of the Scenic Rim. 

As a result of these efforts, gas exploration and drilling dod not eventuate in the region, and the Scenic Rim has received international recognition as a unique place to visit and live. 

The exhibition featured stories and displays of local and national significance.

These included: the world premiere of the Dreadlock and Akubra song inspired by the Kerry Blockade by Dana Lyons (the singer songwriter behind the hit Cows with Guns); screenings of the new Moving Mountains documentary which provided a background to the threats to the region of coal and gas extraction and the motivation for community actions to protect the Scenic Rim; footage from the Kerry Blockade; never before seen images from the years of protest by KTSRS campaigns; original paintings by Jan Drynan from her series, The Mongrel Dogs of Kerry, original signage and cliff banners from the Protestors on Peaks action, Mongrel Dogs of the Scenic Rim book by Heidi Ross, and so much more. 

Thanks to community working together using dynamic, creative, and spirited forms of protest such as Protestors on Peaks, where banners were dropped from mountains and signs created in pastures, and the Kerry Blockade where one brave young man climbed the drill rig and many locals faced arrest. These actions were undertaken with goodwill and determination to protect the Scenic Rim and ensured the region would remain coal and gas free.

The exhibition ran from Saturday 17 June til Saturday 14 October 2023, with a full program of associated special events across the region of movie screenings, creative workshops and more.

You can read more about our exhibition planning here, and see the facebook page here.