The Abel's Reef bulk sample gold operation would begin in spring and should only operate for a couple of months, mining engineer Paul Ulrik said, speaking on behalf of mine owners.

He said the work plan was approved on May 30 and Fortitude Mining had just started the public consultation process.

"Gayle Osborne from Wombat Forestcare was given a copy of the works plan on July 9," Mr Ulrik said.

"The meeting on Sunday was an information session and we already know that information."

Wombat Forestcare member David Stephens said people were becoming aware of water and food implications and the insecurity surrounding these.

He said while Fortitude Mining described the four-hectare operation as "tiny", in terms of the ecology that area was massive.

"Sure, on a mining scale it is tiny, but how much irreparable damage do you want to do?" Mr Stephens said.

"It impacts on water going to Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat.

"If they go another 500 metres they would be in Moorabool headwaters as well as Lerderderg headwaters.

"If a river dies from the mouth up, like the Murray River, it can only be restored from the headwaters down.

"It's vital we have best ecological behaviour at the water source."

Mr Ulrik said while there were still a number of issues to discuss and permits needed before the operation could start, no water would be discharged off-site.

"There's no way we will disturb water," he said.

"We know we're not below the water table. We're not disturbing any old mine tailings. I suspect we're not going to go to the 20 metre depth that we're allowed to."

He said if they found gold quickly, then the hole wouldn't be very big.

"We take the sample out and then we fill the hole in," he said.

"We will be putting a fence around it and replanting is part of our conditions, otherwise we wouldn't be allowed to operate elsewhere.

"Probably about five organisations, including the Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Sustainability and Environment, will be monitoring it. Victoria's practice of monitoring and controlling mines is the best in Australia, if not the world."

Mr Ulrik said he was an environmentalist and had a Trust for Nature covenant.

"We've got 12 months from the start-up date to find an offset one and-a-half times the size of the land we disturb to get the bulk sample," he said.

"We cannot purchase the offset until we've finished and they assess how much has been disturbed.

"The offset has to be comparable vegetation. We'll probably look at buying a Trust for Nature covenant."

He said DSE had already marked the trees for felling.

"There'll be about 250 cubic metres of millable timber and about 200 cubic metres of firewood if we go to the

3.8-hectare maximum, which is highly unlikely, but we've got an option to do that," he said.

"Bulk sampling is used to find what grade of gold is there. Bulk sampling and open cut mines are both just holes in the ground. There's a whole host of things we need to learn from the bulk sampling first.

"If it's of a high enough grade, a larger mining licence will be applied for."

Mr Stephens said the outcome of the community meeting included calling for a moratorium on the activation of any mining licences or exploration licences within the Wombat Forest.

"Two thirds of the Wombat Forest is under mining leases," he said.

"If they can access it and get away with it here, they can do it anywhere."