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| Latrobe valley; Does any one live there | |
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| Topic Started: 8 Feb 2007, 08:41 AM (854 Views) | |
| pete&co | 8 Feb 2007, 08:41 AM Post #1 |
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Hi all, im after some info on what live is like in the latrobe valley. Will probably have to live around that region as OH is looking for work in a power station. I have done some research on the net but still none the wiser. Would really like to know areas to avoid if any. Thanks in advance
:D Nadine and Pete. (ps how do you get the smiley faces to appear on your post, i clicked on one and letter D has appeared above but no smiling face). |
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| pete&co | 8 Feb 2007, 08:45 AM Post #2 |
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oops i can see smiley face appeared when i posted message, so ignore that bit (im not very computer savvy, and kids are in bed so couldnt ask them) :) :) :) |
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| Bordy | 8 Feb 2007, 11:53 AM Post #3 |
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Don't worry about not being computer savvy Nadine. I run Britvics & I'm hopeless with computers :rolleyes: I don't think we have many members around the Latrobe Valley although I seem to remember someone from Traralgon. Heres a site that might give you some info. http://www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/ |
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| pete&co | 8 Feb 2007, 08:09 PM Post #4 |
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Thanks for that web site Bordy its got lots of useful info on it, and hopefully my computer skills will get better with time. Nadine :Grin: |
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| mugatu | 9 Feb 2007, 12:03 PM Post #5 |
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Hi Pete&Co I'm actually from Traralgon myself, I read this forum from time to time as I have been living overseas for a number of years now and my family and I are moving back to Victoria later this year - for me as an Aussie it will be coming "home", but for my wife it will be a completely new experience. We are open as to where we will settle down, so this forum is great for both of us - my wife can get some independent information about some areas, and it gives me some insight into areas I had never considered before. Anyway, enough gasbagging about me, I think the Latrobe Valley is a great place to live ... parts of it at any rate! I may be a bit biased but out of the three main towns (Moe closest to Melbourne, followed by Morwell then Traralgon), then Traralgon is well and truly your best bet! About the power industry - the Latrobe Valley suffered quite a downturn after the privatisation of the power industry in the early 90s. The former SEC (State Electricity Commission) was also known as "Slow, Easy and Comfortable" because just about anybody and everybody could get a job there. When the industry was privatised, a huge number of people were made redundant and the "golden handshake" payouts meant that many of those out of a job packed up and moved to sunny Queensland, further impacting on local businesses. Traralgon has suffered the least out of the three towns because it has a more diversified economy. The Maryvale Paper Mill and the forestry industry continues to be a major employer, and Traralgon was a hub for the surrounding agricultural regions even before coal was discovered there. There are also many other mid-sized private and a couple of governmental employers (Australian Securities and Investments Commission the biggest), whereas to put it bluntly (but unfortunately accurately), the biggest employer in Morwell after the power industry is Centrelink (Social Services). Traralgon, as the oldest and biggest of the three, also has a more varied housing stock. Moe and especially Morwell largely consist of blocks of ex-SEC and ex-public housing - Traralgon also has its fair share (especially near the Year 7-9 high school, in the east), but there are also some nice relatively tree-lined areas with period housing (1920s-30s Californian Bungalows) near the centre (Henry Street, Moore Street some examples). There are also some nice new housing estates, some with views of the mountains and nice parklands. The combination of high unemployment and public housing has unfortunately meant some social problems in the Valley. There are plenty of 'Bogans' around, maybe someone else on this forum could enlighten you what one is - MOE is also said to stand for Moccasins On Everyone (the sheepskin slippers being the chosen footwear in the region along with tracksuit pants). Moe became notorious after the tragic case of the murder of a baby boy named Jaidyn Leskie. Murders can happen anywhere in the world, but the characters and circumstances of the case, where the boy was being looked after by the mother's de-facto (controversially acquitted of the murder) while she was out drinking, shone a rather sad light on the lives of some of the welfare-and-drug dependent people there. That being said, I still consider the Valley a much safer area than most of Melbourne, and in my 20-odd years there, my family never needed to contact the police about anything, hopefully will stay that way. Apart from the three main towns (of which I would only recommend Traralgon), if you are tempted to get some acreage, there are nice areas such as Tyers and Traralgon South, which are nice and bushy but a quick drive into town. Churchill is home to a campus of Monash University (a uni with a very good reputation), but the town itself doesn't have much character, and is rather shabby in parts, but the foothills nearby are nice (Jeeralangs, Hazelwood South) - kangaroos, koalas, wombats, you name it! The Latrobe Valley is a great place if you are into the outdoors lifestyle, and some pursuits such as golf etc. cost less and are less crowded than Melbourne. There are great national parks both north and south of the Valley (Tarra Bulga is a temperate rainforest, and if you head north you reach the Alpine wilderness, including the historic gold mining town of Walhalla, nice pristine rivers and both cross-country and downhill skiing in winter (for a couple of months at least)! Further afield you have Wilson's Promontory to the south (one of the most beautiful national parks in Australia) and the Gippsland Lakes. It is not too far from Melbourne - its freeway (sorry, motorway) basically all the way from Melbourne to the Valley now, takes slightly over two hours depending on traffic in Melbourne itself, and there is a fairly frequent train service from the Valley to Melbourne too. However, as with basically all of regional Australia, public transport within and around the towns is virtually non-existent, so a car is an absolute necessity! If you have a job lined up, go for it, housing and going out is cheaper than Melbourne, but you're not too far away from the city for your dose of high culture and shopping - and the Aussie Rules Footy, which I consider falling under high culture (Go Bombers)! :) There is culture along the lines of local plays, choirs etc, but you probably have to search for it more than you would in Melbourne. If I could find work in the area I would go back there or to Warragul, also an established town, closer to Melbourne and more agricultural than industrial, but otherwise I guess it will have to be Melbourne. P.S. The air quality isn't the best, being among the coal power stations and whatnot, but apart from Morwell, where the open-cut adjoins the southern boundary of the town, you don't notice the industry much in the town, because the power stations are out of town a bit. Perhaps important to point out: The paper mill is also the source of a funny smell now and then :crazy: it has been improved and is merely a minor annoyance now, but once you've been in the Valley for six or so weeks, you won't notice it anymore anyway :wink: Hope you made it through the mammoth post, if you want, write me a message and I'll get back to you if you have any specific questions! Mugatu |
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| Bordy | 9 Feb 2007, 01:13 PM Post #6 |
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Excellant Post Mugatu. Good luck on your journey home to Aus. |
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| mugatu | 9 Feb 2007, 08:54 PM Post #7 |
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no worries, thanks for the forum! |
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| pete&co | 9 Feb 2007, 09:28 PM Post #8 |
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Hi Mugata, Thanks for taking the time to write as you said a mammoth post, we read it with interest. The power industry in the uk suffered privatisation in the early 90's too so I am well aware of those issues, fat cats, pay offs etc. However the uk is now starting to recover with jobs for people with the right skills etc. We have done some research into the area. but it is difficult to find out what what living in an area is really like, so information of people like yourselve is invaluable. Your right about this forum being an invaluable aid to the people thinking of taking that leap to move down under, it can feel very daunting, but its reassuring to hear comments from all the other people who have made that leap. I havnt got a job lined up at the moment, but if a job was available then living somewhere in between would be a good compromise , such as your suggestion of Warragul. We can now start to look at areas that are commutable into the valley. Curious what "Bogans" are but could have a good guess, and the image of the folks in Moe made us both laugh (moccasins on everyone). Hope your move back to oz goes smoothly, and hopefully we will get to introduce ourselves one day at one of the britvic gatherings. Pete and Nadine. :D |
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| pete&co | 9 Feb 2007, 09:35 PM Post #9 |
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Sorry about spelling your name wrong Mugatu :bashful: , I checked (and altered as i thought suitable) OH reply to you (as hes a man of few words, strong silent type), but didnt think to check that. I will give him a bit of this when he gets back in :realmad: (and he will be to tired to argue back as hes gone to the gym
:D ) Nadine |
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| mugatu | 10 Feb 2007, 12:13 AM Post #10 |
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Thanks Pete and Nadine, Warragul is a really nice place in my opinion, it has a relaxed feel with a compact town centre. Lots of trees and a slighty undulating setting make for a nice streetscape. It is a separate town, so has a nicer community feel than some new outer suburbs of Melbourne, but has most city comforts - restaurants, arts centre, cinemas, albeit on a smaller scale. It all depends on how far you are used to commuting. Warragul for example is a 45 minute drive from Traralgon, and it's easy driving (no peak hour or traffic jams to worry about), and with the extended freeway, less than an hour away from Melbourne's south-east. Many people commute to both the Valley and the city, so if you're unsure of work, its a good mid-point. As mentioned by OzTennis elsewhere on this forum, you can get some community info and photos of many Victorian towns on this site: www.travelvictoria.com.au The photos are not just of tourist attractions but more the typical look of the town, i.e. main street, shopping centre, outskirts etc. - not terribly exciting but gives you some idea nonetheless. Don't worry about my name, it's only my "nom-de-plume" taken from one of my favourite films :ph43r: All the best with the move too! |
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| pete&co | 10 Feb 2007, 06:52 PM Post #11 |
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Thanks for that website Mugatu, spent hours looking at places across Victoria on it and went to bed bleary eyed. Have found two power stations that are situated out of the Latrobe Valley (to date), so feeling happier that we may not be restricted to one area. Cheers Nadine :D |
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| coupy73 | 12 Feb 2007, 07:11 PM Post #12 |
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Hi Pete and Co, Yes we are in the latrobe valley, (technically just outside it in a small village called trafalgar).We were told all the same stories regarding the valley and how run down and dirty it was. Dont believe it!!!! Obviously it depends on your experience in the UK. we were from a big city which like all big cities has its bad areas. compare these bad ares to the latrobe valley and Moe Morwell and traralgon look like paradise. Just my opinion on the places in the area(sorry if this upsets any ex-latrobes out there) Moe (pronounced Moe-EEE) Probably has the worst reputation of them all but is nothing at all like the 'down trodden' area of the UK. is really just a very large village/small town with a smallish shopping area, but does have a couple of decent supermarkets and a K-mart. Has high unemployment, but is genrally clean and tidy. some rough areas but as mentioned not as big or bad as UK cities. Newborough more or less joins onto Moe and is the posh end with nice houses etc Morwell Situated between Moe and Traralgon it is a fairly big town but in my opionion doesn't seem to have a centre or a soul, as the 'Town Centre' is split by the train line. Mid valley is the areas biggest shopping centre, not really on a par with trafford centre or Bluewater but does have most of the high street stores including Target and Big W. Traralgon is the biggest place in the area and is the centre for administration and commerce etc. has a largish town centre and nice areas for housing. is a very up-and-coming area for people moving to the 'bush' Warragul is a little further from the power station (about 25-40 minutes dependent on the power station). A small town which I feel is a bit 'posher' then the Valley. (a point that its residents are quick to portray) Not that great for general everyday shopping but has some nice speciality shops (cloths, craft etc) We lived in warragul for the first 8/9 months or so after we arrived so know the place reasonably well. has a theatre which attracts some surpisingly big names (comedians, Australian singers etc). Very hilly though!!! Druoin is very simular to Warragul but a little further out for travelling to the power stations. There are lots of little villages (or towns as they call them here) like Yarragon (very Arty) Trafalgar (the best place, cause we live there!!! :thumbsup: ) Yallourn (right on top of one of the power stations).There are probably more further west of traralgon but I very rarely travel that way. As for the power stations, as part of my job(environmental monitoring) I regularly go to them. Yallourn is probably the biggest in terms of mining but seems fairly clean and modern. Hazelwood is situated right next to morwell and is probably the most depressing as it looks old and the stacks tend to dominate the skyline a bit. Next to Hazelwood is Energybrix which makes coke/coal briquettes and also generates a small amount of power, this is a very dirty place and looks like a prison. Loy yand is probably the best site (on my visits it seems the cleanest and most modern, by clean I mean tidy not environmentally cleam!! :blink: ) All these stations are easily accessed from the Princess highway which runs right through the valley. Living in the west of the towns you are about 1.5 hours from Melbourne on an easy drive (will be even easier when they open the Pakenham bypass). you can drive up to the mountains in about 1 hour and ski!!. you are about 45mins to 1 hour from some great beaches at inverloch area. wilson prom is superb for walking and wild life spotting (roos wombat, wallabies etc). House prices are cheaper then in the suburbs of Melbourne and if you are building then plots are usually bigger for the money. Obviously you need to go to the 'big smoke' for things like concerts or big theatre shows which we do fairly regular but we treat this as a day out rather then a chore The area has good sporting facilities with some great golf courses, I ve just started playing so tend to see a bit more of them then the better players, there is a local soccer league with teams in the big towns and some of the smaller ones too. Obviously Aussie rules is big in this area along with netball and also cricket in the summer As I mentioned I am a UK city boy and never imagined living in the country but absolutley love it. by living here I feel we get a real taste of Australian life not a expat life as in some areas, which is excellent if you want that but it is just not for me (each to there own) :yeap: If you want any other info just let me know (PM me or on the forum) Cheers and good luck Rich |
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| NJJ | 22 Sep 2007, 09:11 AM Post #13 |
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Traralgon smells funny. |
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| coupy73 | 24 Sep 2007, 05:50 PM Post #14 |
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:confused: :wacko: |
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| Terry | 20 Oct 2008, 12:30 PM Post #15 |
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Totally agree with Mugatu. Warragul would be my first choice followed by Traralgon. |
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| pete&co | 23 Oct 2008, 10:30 PM Post #16 |
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Hi Terry, ive just noticed your reply so I thought I would give a quick update. Weve been in oz for nearly 6 months, went to Warragul (all our research was centered around there), did a few open for inspections, had a few meals and then drove to Traralgon and decided to settle here. I felt Warragul was to small, lots of competition for houses, and the people wernt as friendly as in Traralgon. In hindsight I wish we'd stayed with our original plan and gone to Warragul. My daughters high school leaves a lot to be desired (but she's happy), im now looking at working in Warragul, so will have to commute (not great after a night shift), and my OH didnt get a job in a power station, he spends 2 weeks in Morewell and 2 weeks in Gove in the northern territiories. Plus Warragul makes a trip into Melbourne that much easier. I do like Gippsland, and weve been skiing and go out on dirt bikes at the weekends, and now looking foreward to spending some time at the beaches. Still not sure where we will eventually settle, as I don't feel settled here yet. The people are very friendly down this way though which is lovely. Nadine x |
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| Terry | 27 Oct 2008, 08:32 AM Post #17 |
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Hi Pete&co My preference for Warragul is because of its nearness to Melbourne and its lack of industrial areas. The fact that one can commute to Melbourne on a daily basis and still live a country lifestyle would be attractive to a lot of people. Nevertheless, Traralgon is a very up and coming area with a lot of good things happening there. Cheers. |
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