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'The Last Valley is a dramatic story of conflict and mismanagement arising from a simple truth; there is little Australian forest left to log. Set in East Gippsland, Victoria, this program reveals the social and environmental consequences of unsustainable logging in the area through the stories of the environmentalists; the loggers and the local community.

The opening scenes follow a group of "greenies" determined to save a patch of rainforest in the process of being logged. Enter a tough crew of loggers from nearby town Orbost and all our stereotypes about forest conflicts are confirmed. However, this is soon diffused as the two groups realise a common enemy in the form of the government logging department and its policies.

The documentary then takes us through the chain of events that lead to the collapse of the East Gippsland timber industry in 2001. This is sparked off when Japan cuts back on woodchip imports and culminates in a government announcement that the rate of logging will be halved in the region, causing huge job losses.

We follow Orbost logger Ron Millikin as he considers the effects of this disaster on his family. He accepts an exit package to leave the industry he has been part of for 28 years - and which is the main industry in the region. As the last tree is toppled, a faller sums up this story by saying "They told us it was sustainable... that we could go on cutting trees forever... and now they've changed their minds". - ABC 4Corners program