🦎 Where’s the most dangerous road in Gippsland?

Plus problem gambling on the rise and the ultimate November gig guide.

Author

Jacob Wallace
November 07, 2025

⏱️ This Friday edition of our newsletter is a 6-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

This week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

📸 First off, though: take a look at this incredible photograph our reader Zak Brown sent in of the Thomson River Dam.

Image credit: Zak Brown.

📧 If you have any pictures of Gippsland you’d like to share with us, feel free to send them through to [email protected] and they could end up in next weeks newsletter.

🙌 I’ve been writing a story this week about Victoria’s historic treaty legislation which formalised an agreement between the Victorian Government and First Peoples. Amongst other things, the treaty aims to give First Peoples a greater say in the issues that impact them.

🎤 Yesterday I spoke to the Chair of the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation Troy McDonald about the momentous treaty, what it means for Victoria and Australia and how it will help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. That story will be published today.

🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

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🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns, local interviews and silly videos!

STORIES THIS WEEK ✍️

As the Latrobe Valley’s coal-fired power stations reach retirement age, the companies that run them are looking to shift to renewable energy projects that will continue to power the state.

End of an era: Coal-fired power stations can’t last forever. The average lifespan of a coal-fired plant in Australia is 29 years and the youngest in Victoria (Loy Yang) is now 32-years-old.

Older and less consistent: As these power stations age they become less reliable. 

Cheaper forms of energy: The CSIRO and AEMO have both found that solar and wind power are the cheapest forms of energy generation. It’s no wonder that the energy companies running Latrobe Valley’s power stations are looking to shift to renewable projects.

The sites of retired (or retiring) coal-fired power plants

  • Hazelwood, run by ENGIE and closed in 2017.

  • Yallourn is run by EnergyAustralia and is expected to close in 2028.

  • Loy Yang A is run by AGL and is expected to close in 2035.

  • Loy Yang B is run by Alinta Energy and is set to close in 2035.

What do these companies have planned now that coal is on the way out?

Energy companies in Victoria’s east are mostly looking to install large battery storage systems.

  • These systems can hold excess solar and wind power when less people are using electricity during the day – and then dispense that power during peak energy hours in the afternoon and during the night.

In a council chamber showdown on October 27, Latrobe City councillors approved a Traralgon West shopping development almost three times the size of what was originally proposed.

What happened: Late last month, Councillor Adele Pugsley put forward an amendment to expand the size of commercial land proposed as part of a new shopping centre development in Traralgon West. The development is located at 5495 Princes Highway, just east of Boyd’s Lake.

The amendment sought to:

  • Increase the size of the development from 1.38 hectares to 1.85.

  • Increase the size of retail space from 1,200 square metres to 3,500. 

The vote: The council voted 5-4 in favour of expanding the new shopping precinct despite four councillors voicing concerns about the impacts on existing town centres and planning integrity.

NEW EVENT GUIDES 🕺

There’s plenty of live music, dancing and fun to be had in Gippsland this November, here’s our list of the best local gigs this month.

If you know of any shows you think we should add, don’t be afraid to email [email protected] with your suggestions.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

I enjoyed this piece my colleague from the National Account put together on new data from research firm Roy Morgan that reveals the number of problem gamblers in Australia has increased by 110,000 people in 12 months.

The majority of those problem gamblers are under the age of 35.

Take a look at a video Archie made on this story below.

🎥 Watch: Where’s the most dangerous road in Gippsland? 🚗 

I spent an afternoon in Traralgon talking about a range of issues, one of the questions I asked them was where they thought the most dangerous road in Gippsland is. Take a look at which roads they picked below.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you found some stories that both informed and entertained. I’ll be back in your inbox next week with more of Gippsland’s latest news with local perspectives.

If there’s anything you’d like to share with us, whether it’s an upcoming event, a photograph you’ve taken of a scenic Gippsland view or some local gossip you think is newsworthy then send it through to [email protected] and maybe it’ll end up in this newsletter.

👋 Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great weekend.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

P.S. here’s a little something extra for you.