Alcoa leaves door open for Eden Project

A $150 million plan to reinvent Anglesea’s former coal mine as an internationally recognised tourism destination remains in limbo, with no timeline for its revival.

But Alcoa says the Eden Project is still a possible long-term option for the site.

The proposal, first unveiled in 2019, would transform about 40ha of Alcoa’s former mine land into a tourism and education destination centred on four themed precincts: earth, fire, air and water.

Progress has long been tied to plans for a lake within the rehabilitated mine void, with the project’s water precinct requiring the lake to be at least half full before proceeding.

That requirement aligns with Alcoa’s Anglesea Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan, which proposes filling the void with about 18 gigalitres of water.

With the water body filling very slowly – it was at 3.5 gigalitres in April 2025 – Eden considered a plan to “unshackle” the other three elements and deliver those first in June 2023.

The UK-based company began reviewing options in early 2024 before announcing later that year that active development of the Eden Project had been paused.

In an update published in September 2024, the Eden Project team said it remained enthusiastic about the Anglesea vision despite the delays.

“The site is in a great location and has the potential to become a living demonstration of the Eden Project’s ethos of transformation and regeneration,” the update said.

“We are pleased that Alcoa and many others in the community share our enthusiasm for this vision.

“However, it’s obvious that development of the project hasn’t happened as quickly as we would have liked, due to a variety of factors out of our control.”

These factors included the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked about the project’s future last week, an Alcoa spokesperson said the company remained focused on investigating long-term land use options for its freehold land.

“This continues to be explored in consultation with the Surf Coast Shire, Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action and the broader community,” the spokesperson said.

“While the Eden Project remains on hold, it may still be considered for a potential future land use for the area.

“Any decisions will involve ongoing consultation with the various stakeholders.”

The proposal received backing from both Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism and the Business & Tourism Anglesea Association when it was announced, although community opinion has remained divided.

Debate over the project has mirrored broader discussion surrounding the Anglesea Futures framework, which was established to guide the long-term use of the former mine land following Alcoa’s exit from coal mining.

Meanwhile, Alcoa continues to pursue plans to fill the mine void within seven to 10 years through a combination of natural inflows, groundwater from the Upper Eastern View Formation aquifer and peak flows from Salt Creek.

Southern Rural Water is yet to determine whether groundwater extraction will be approved.

The Eden Project had not responded to questions before publication.