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.
• 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
Industry
Offshore 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.
Industry
Mining
• 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.
Industry
Dairy
• 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.
Industry
Grain
•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.
Industry
Horticulture
• 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.
Industry
Timber
• 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.