Written by
12/02/2024
Austral Bricks is seeking to secure a 30 + year supply of raw materials to continue the production of its iconic Sydney red bricks and support construction in NSW.
As an ASX listed brick manufacturing company, Austral Bricks has actively explored for clay minerals in Western Sydney since 2016 in order to identify a suitable resource to underpin its long-term raw material requirements for its Sydney brick manufacturing plants. Since 2016, a total for four exploration licences have been taken out to secure exclusive mineral rights, including at Cumberland, Cawdor, Horsley Park and Kemps Creek.
A total of 62 properties were identified as potential exploration targets within Western Sydney between 2016 and 2023 and a total of 30 landholders were approached regarding access for exploration. Following extensive review, it was identified that 203 Greendale Road in Bringelly – a circa 300-acre site – is the most ideal site available for development of a clay/shale operation and was purchased in March 2022.
About 105 acres will be set aside for all extraction, stockpiling and despatch of raw materials, while 180 acres will be used for restoration and enhancement activities and establishment of a biodiversity stewardship site in perpetuity. Austral Bricks anticipates up to 850,000 tonnes per annum of annual extraction.
Indicative layout plan
A total resource of at least 22.5 mega tonnes is sought which would produce a total of 6.5 billion bricks. This is equivalent to about 812,000 residential homes, meeting a growth in population of about 2 million people over the 30-year period.
The project site is strategically located with frontage to Greendale Road, 2.3km west of The Northern Road – a key State road which provides access to the north and south. It is proposed that raw materials would be transported via Greendale Road and The Northern Road which would ensure the effective use of this key infrastructure.
Brickworks Limited, Austral Bricks’ parent company, is a publicly listed company. Formed in 1934, between 1934 and 1937, the company acquired many brick plans in and around Sydney. Brickworks also owns a range of other companies which produce a wide range of products for the building industry, including Bristile Roofing, Austral Masonry and Austral Precast.
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