Desperate for development: Alberton resident hopes offshore wind will see return to glory days

Boom and bust.

Alberton resident Geoff Nielson has lived through it. He recalled a time of plenty, when Esso and BHP began gas exploration in the Bass Strait in the 1960s.

“All these workers came in and they needed housing,” Nielson told the Monitor. “There was a boom in Yarram because [people wanted] Kodak cameras, they wanted gumboots. The retail took off.”

He opened a pharmacy in Alberton in 1978 and ran it until 2023, when he sold the business.

The economic activity didn’t last.

“It died in about 1978 to ‘80. Then we lost our train, then we lost the courthouse. Then the Shire of Alberton was redefined and absorbed into Wellington Shire.”

Nielson said the slide led to aspects of Alberton’s infrastructure - such as drainage and roads - being neglected. He’s hopeful new investment into Gippsland’s offshore wind zone will bring people and money back to Alberton.

“The town desperately needs some sort of development,” he said.

What happened: In March, Nielson handed a petition with 30 signatures to Wellington Shire council asking for a review of planning limitations he claims are stymying Alberton’s growth, and for money to be spent fixing the town’s outdated drainage system.

Drain strain: Nielson said the drains on Alberton’s streets are so bad at removing water that sometimes people can't even get out of their driveways.

• “Like many coastal areas, they're very old subdivisions and the drains are just dug out with a backhoe.”

In response, Nielson got more than a letter back from the council.

Councillor Garry Stephens addressed the petition at an April council meeting, saying Wellington Shire was about to hire staff using funding from the federal government to begin planning for Gippsland’s offshore wind zone.

Stephens said this will include an analysis of Alberton’s planning and drainage.

• In August last year, Gunaikurnai Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), South Gippsland Shire and Wellington Shire Councils received $4.7 million in federal funding to help lay the groundwork for the population boom expected from the offshore wind zone.

The case for Alberton

Nielson is hopeful the offshore wind development will bring people back to the town.

• The state government is predicting 15,000 jobs will be created during the height of construction, with 7,500 ongoing maintenance jobs. Construction is expected to begin in 2029.

Yarram residents need work

In November last year, the Associated Kiln Driers sawmill in the nearby town of Yarram closed, resulting in the loss of 73 jobs.

Stephens, who lives in Yarram, told the Monitor: “It's important we find jobs wherever we can. We need economic development to sustain our community.”

• He said he was only speaking on behalf of himself, not all councillors.

Stephens is hopeful ongoing maintenance jobs from renewable energy projects will be around for decades.

Program Director at Next Economy (a not-for-profit that advises government on renewable investment), Jacque Bell, told the Monitor Australian local councils are working with developers to improve roads and build new housing in their towns.