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Transport Challenges in Wellington Shire. Presented by Ian Campbell Acting Manager Economic Development. Wellington Shire Its Place in the world. Third largest local government area in Victoria Broad based economy; agriculture/food, oil and gas, timber, RAAF base, tourism and services.
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Transport Challenges in Wellington Shire Presented by Ian Campbell Acting Manager Economic Development
Wellington ShireIts Place in the world • Third largest local government area in Victoria • Broad based economy; agriculture/food, oil and gas, timber, RAAF base, tourism and services. • Population 41,000
Wellington Regional Profile • Bulk of Shire population within 30 minutes of Sale • Sale in turn is only 30 to 40 minutes by road from Traralgon and Bairnsdale • Significant business and population linkage • Over 3000 vehicle movements daily between Traralgon and Sale
Sale • Junction of Princes Highway and South Gippsland Highway • South Gippsland Highway to Longford currently being raised above flood • Princes Highway duplication to Traralgon underway in sections. • Only 3 passenger trains per day compared with 18 to Traralgon
IndustryOffshore Oil and Gas • Turrum and Kipper Field development almost complete with anticipated 30 years of gas supply. • Increased use of West Sale Airport for helicopter transfer to gas platforms. • Next phase, building a gas conditioning plant at Longford will present some transport challenges in trucking large components by road up the South Gippsland Highway from the port.
IndustryMining • Extensive reserves of Brown Coal in Wellington Shire. • Similar in size to Latrobe Valley • Exploitation of these reserves will require significantly improved transport infrastructure to port. • Coal seam gas also emerging as a potential industry with exploration currently underway. • Mineral sands another prospective industry in East Gippsland and Wellington.
IndustryDairy • Dairy is a significant part of the Wellington Economy • Murray Goulburn at Maffra exports 100% of its dairy product. • Significant use of B Double tankers from farm to factories and refrigerated transport to warehousing and port. • At peak 4.5 million litres of milk to Leongatha, 2.2million litres to Maffra (60% of Wellington milk) • Maffra Tanker fleet travels 7,000 to 10,000 km per day impacting on roads. • Leongatha fleet 16,000 km per day.
IndustryGrain • Significant importing of grain, fodder and fertiliser from interstate and intrastate • Climate change may lead to dryer climate with potential for Gippsland grain growing for local dairy consumption, reducing inbound grain freight.
IndustryHorticulture • Increase in vegetable growing in scale and number of major companies both growing and processing. • Covino Farms and Mulgowie farming company both have significant processing capacity and currently truck produce nationally to customers. • BM Fresh expansion from Bacchus Marsh may be the first of several enterprises seeking water security to move to the Macalister Irrigation district. • As the value of water increases, horticulture will be the high value user.
IndustryTimber • State of the art timber mill at Heyfield (formerly known as Gunns) producing finished flooring, architraves etc • Hancock Plantation Victoria - significant tracts of plantation timber and tree nursery. • Timber mills at Yarram and Heyfield • Timber trucks also passing through from East Gippsland with timber won by tender • Impact of timber trucks on roads
Major projects • RAAF Base East Sale redevelopment $170 million. 2013 to 2015 • Longford Gas Conditioning Plant $$$ Million commencing 2013 – requires transport of major components • Princes Highway and South Gippsland Highway works currently underway
Emerging trends • Aging workforce • Aging population • Fly in Fly out workers for oil and gas projects. • Major project components being fabricated overseas then being moved from Port to site requiring widening works on roads and corners • Increased fuel cost.
Opportunities • Increase number of trains passenger trains between Sale and Traralgon by stabling 3 at Sale rather than Traralgon. • Air5428 Military pilot training project to be tendered in 2012 for commencement in 2018. • Reconfigure school bus contracts to allow more public access to public transport.
Opportunities • Currently no rail freight beyond Morwell. Potential freight to East Gippsland • Lack of passing loops on the Gippsland Line limits freight options • Upgrade rail lines and bridges for mining use.