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Watch this space

3/11/2017

7 Comments

 
Picture
By Brett Tessari
​
IN MY other life I’m a Wonthaggi real estate agent. Lately people have been asking about all the SOLD properties on display in our office windows. Shouldn’t we replace them with houses that are actually for sale?

The truth is that if we took down all the places that have been sold there would be too much window space. We have buyers queuing up to buy properties. Demand is so great that we can list a place in the morning and it’s under contract by the afternoon.

I’ve never seen anything like it. Agents who have been in the game longer than me say the same thing. Wonthaggi has been well and truly discovered and the boom is spreading to the rest of Bass Coast.

While our vendors can’t believe the prices they’re getting, Bass Coast is still bargain territory by Melbourne standards. I have Melbourne buyers eager to buy sight unseen. That’s how strongly they believe in the future of this place. 

Friday’s announcement by the State Government of a new Wonthaggi Secondary College added one more reason to be confident about the potential of Bass Coast.
I’d just returned from a trip to Europe and was still feeling jet lagged, but that news sure blew away the cobwebs. It was amazing to look around and see the joy on people’s faces. A lot of people worked hard behind the scenes for that. Too many to list here but well done to everyone involved.

It’s been a long time coming and it was easy to say that Bass Coast had dropped off the Spring Street radar but the pieces are all starting to fall into place. The new college shows that the State Government is now pushing our way after many years with little support from either Liberal or Labor.  

Council finances are turning around too. This means we’ve got money to put into projects that, in turn, attract state and federal government grants. Take the highball stadium on the new senior campus. The council will contribute $1.5 million with the government picking up the rest of the tab. For our contribution, we get a $6 Million sports and performing arts centre for the whole community.  

I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in our first year on council but I’m under no illusion that we can claim all the credit for the position we find ourselves in. I was one of those that was critical of the previous council. Now that I’m on the inside, I can see they made a lot of hard calls, and copped a lot of flak for it, but the shire is now reaping the benefits. So belated credit to them for that.

The whole of Bass Coast is starting to boom but I think everyone now recognises that Wonthaggi has to be the hub so the rest of the shire can retain its character.
Wonthaggi will retain its coal mining heritage but it’s got to expand, and at a fair rate to accommodate all the people who want to come here. I would love to see Wonthaggi become a regional centre.
​
We’ve got the new senior campus. We desperately need a new hospital next, but at least we’re getting a new emergency department. We have big plans for the old senior campus once the school moves. It’s right in the heart of the town next to the reserve. Imagine a cultural centre there.

Will we lose our character? We won’t be able to walk down the street and know everyone, but growth will bring opportunities, especially for our young people. So many of our kids have to move away to get a job. I see it through my involvement with the football club. But as the town grows, there’ll be more work. We’ll need more professionals. There will be plenty of construction jobs.

We’ve got some amazing people living in Bass Coast and more arriving every week. A lot of them are retirees but one of the first things they ask after they buy a house is how they can get involved and contribute to the community. We’re going to have great skills to draw on.

Some people wonder if it’s a bubble that’s going to burst. Personally I think we’re just beginning. There are exciting times ahead. 
Picture
Cr Brett Tessari with year 11 leaders Jewel Masrey-Chase and Jack Mendes, on the Wonthaggi Secondary College campus, following the announcement of a new college.
7 Comments
Sue Saliba
4/11/2017 07:58:33 am

Along with this increase in population goes a responsibility, particularly on the part of our Council, to protect our natural environment.
On Phillip Island, the human population increases and the native birds and animals along with the indigenous vegetation suffers dramatically. A new resident moves in and up go the huge suburban paling fences, out comes the chainsaw and yet another gum tree (or two or three) is coming down. There is less and less habitat every day as a result of the wonderful (to some) local property boom.
Council should hang its head in shame at the state of the island's northern foreshore - what should be indigenous coastal vegetation (and a rich source of habitat) is a mass of weeds and private (illegal) tracks as well as lawns that adjacent land holders have created in their (illegal) appropriation of public land. Before putting out the welcome mat to more people, Bass Coast Shire needs to look after the natural environment it has and put in place proper procedures to make sure that all residents, visitors and potential new home owners understand their responsibilities to the local natural environment.

Reply
Frank W Schooneveldt
4/11/2017 08:21:21 am

Brett, I fully support your comments and glad to read that the Bass Coast Shire finances are in better shap than once thought.

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Phyllis Papps
4/11/2017 11:22:53 am

Great article Brett. But I totally endorse comments made by Sue Saliba regarding residents, potential new owners, visitors etc. understanding their responsibilities related to protecting our wonderful natural environment.

Also, I should add that many areas of Bass Coast Shire are lacking the proper infrastructure and community services to cope with this influx of people coming to our wonderful region. I Do realize some of these are issues related to State Government and Federal Government responsibilities.

Being a tourist or visitor or holiday home owner is totally different to living here permanently where we experience what I call the 'chain saw massacres.' Trees are destroyed and blocks of land are sub-divided. Then more trees are destroyed and this has a major impact on the native birds, animals and indigenous vegetation.

We welcome people to come here and live in this beautiful region and share its delights. BUT there is always a price tag. The word is RESPONSIBILITY and respect for conservation of our environment.

We don't want to become another inner Melbourne Suburban district.

Reply
Bradley Drew.
4/11/2017 01:11:31 pm

Brett good article, thanks for the acknowledgement, all the best moving forward.

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Mark Robertson
4/11/2017 05:29:33 pm

Cr. Brett, whilst you are dealing with the queues of eager developers, could you please let them know of Wonthaggis other secret - that we already have a heritage and culture which runs far deeper than our long-closed coal mines. Wonthaggi is a unique place- the town with a heart, the town which refused to die. Our fantastic (but overstretched) facilities were achieved by generations of community-minded residents, and will need thoughtful expansion plans to cope with the seething masses. The profit-seeking developers need to understand that our community is not some outer-suburban paddock, ripe for exploitation. I would be horrified to see our town sacrificed to the gods of suburban sprawl and big brands - even to "protect" the rest of our shire. The recent development approval for the Miners Rest site provides little comfort to me. A prominent, welcoming site for our many new visitors, and the best that the developers can come up with is the unholy trinity of booze, fuel and junk food.....Wonthaggi should be playing to our strengths - quirky businesses offering our legendary service, and a sense of hidden delights, both natural and anthropomorphic and, dare I say it, a growing sense of sophistication. I fear that our town will, instead evolve into yet another sad suburban wasteland. Is this really what we want to attract? Come on council and business leaders, think big and think different, we only get one shot at this!

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bob middleton
4/11/2017 06:30:40 pm

If we are not careful, and by we I mean all of us and future councils, the answer to Brett's question "will we lose our character"[s a resounding YES. Developers pushing for smaller and smaller allotments and council's planning on building envelopes and building materials show a lack of awareness as to Wonthaggi's character.
A case in point is the recently developed Heartlands estate. Such an opportunity lost on a lovely site. It looks like the cramped outskirts of Cranbourne. Why do we insist on brick as the dominant building material in our town? Go see Heartlands, walk along Poplar and Outlook Drive in North Wonthaggi and then stroll through the old parts of South Wonthaggi and tell me which has the most character. All credit to Brett ,especially for his acknowledgement of the work of the previous council and his obvious love of our town. But I am firmly with Sue and Phyllis and Mark Robertson on this one.

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Rob Easton
6/11/2017 07:16:50 pm

Brett, it takes a wise person to be able to stand back and acknowledge the successes and understand the challenges of one's predecessors. The previous council's foresight ensured a plan was put in place for the future success of the entire shire. I am pleased the current council are working to the plan and looking to the future of the shire and our residents. Maintaining balanced, continued growth is the next hurdle for you and your team. Yes, please don't forget our heritage and natural assets, but in parallel please don't let us miss out on opportunities to grow and develop either ... We can have both. And after all, we didn't all buy here to retire ...

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