Shepparton Court: Two men fined total of $12,500 for illegal firewood removal

Significant penalties have been handed down to two men for illegal firewood collection near the Murray River.

Two Goulburn Valley men have been convicted and fined a combined $12,500 after pleading guilty to 14 charges of illegally removing firewood from public land.

Last Friday, a 29-year-old Congupna man admitted to illegally cutting and taking timber multiple times between August and September 2021 from the Lower Goulburn National Park and the Loch Garry Wildlife Reserve.

He pleaded guilty to 11 charges relating to disturbing wildlife habitat, illegal firewood collection, illegal off-road driving and obstructing an authorised officer in carrying out their work.

A Congupna man had two chainsaws destroyed as part of his penalty for illegal firewood collection.

He also had two chainsaws and a trailer destroyed as part of the penalty imposed in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.

A 37-year-old man from Shepparton, who had previously been convicted of similar offences, pleaded guilty to three charges of illegally cutting timber, disturbing wildlife habitat, and driving off-road in the Loch Garry Wildlife Reserve in September 2021.

His penalty was “steeper” due to being a repeat offender.

Conservation Regulator authorised officers detected the pair after they were captured on hidden cameras in the wildlife reserve, which were installed as part of Operation River Gum.

Operation River Gum was a joint operation between the Conservation Regulator, Forest Fire Management Victoria, and Parks Victoria to address illegal firewood removal from vulnerable ecosystems along the Murray River.

The Lower Goulburn National Park and the Loch Garry Wildlife Reserve are home to sensitive environmental sanctuaries for wildlife, including threatened and rare species.