Newsletter: Free rides on a brand new trainline

A local council secures $10 million in grant funding and the hunt for the best fish and chips in Gippsland.

Author

Jacob Wallace
October 24, 2025

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

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

✍️ In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about free train rides for a month, the 15 year history of Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, I’ve got a trivia video to test how well you know your Gippsland towns and I’ve been on the hunt for the best fish & chips in the region.

🎤 I spent all of yesterday in Traralgon filming stories and chatting to locals about issues that are important to them. I spoke to so many engaged Traralgons who were concerned about everything from the amount of parking spaces to the upcoming bushfire season. Those interviews will be coming out over the next month so stay tuned.

👨‍⚖️ While I was in town I stopped into the old court house and post office for a video I’m filming on the building’s history. The courthouse is now a bookshop, with all the proceeds from selling books going to refurbishing the courthouse and the garden. If you’re driving through Traralgon stop in and have a look, they even let you bang the gavel.

Traralgon’s old courthouse and post office.

👀 A quick rundown

🎊 This week I wrote a story on the 15 year anniversary of Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) signing a landmark deal with the state of Victoria, called the Recognition and Settlement Agreement, which gave them joint management of 14 parks and reserves across Gippsland.

🙌 The organisation has grown a lot since that agreement was signed in 2010 and it is now a major employer of First Nations Peoples in Gippsland. GLaWAC is continuing to help shape Gippsland’s future with a variety of projects that draw on the knowledge and skills of the Gunaikurnai people.

❝

Caring for Country is not about special treatment, it’s about shared identity. We are strongest when we walk together, building a future that honours the first people of Gippsland and benefits everyone who calls this place home

Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation

🚗 Whenever I’m driving around the region I always take a moment to enjoy the picturesque vistas that are on offer. Take a look at a video I put together of Phillip Island’s coastline.

🎊 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!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

The upgraded Gippsland train line, originally slated for completion by 2022, is finally complete after experiencing delays and cost blowouts. In a gesture of both celebration and thanks, the state government will offer passengers one month of free tickets for the whole of November.

What’s happening: On Tuesday, the Allan government announced passengers on the Gippsland train line will be able to travel for free throughout November.

🚂 How do I travel for free? 

  • Between Nar Nar Goon and Traralgon: Passengers can collect a Gippsland free travel voucher from station staff, or a conductor onboard the train, instead of tapping on with their myki.

  • Between Rosedale and Bairnsdale: Passengers can collect a free V/Line ticket from station staff when boarding or book over the phone.

  • Passengers starting or finishing their trip on a coach or local bus will also travel for free across the network - with connecting services included as part of the Gippsland free travel offer.

What happened: South Gippsland Council's strategic advocacy approach has secured over $10 million in grant funding this year, including $3 million for bridge repairs and $2.4 million for the Simon's Lane intersection with Bass Highway upgrade. 

The funding breakdown: 

  • $3 million for four bridge replacement works between Poowong and Bena.

  • $2.4 million to realign Simon's Lane with Bass Highway.

  • $200,000 in funding through Victoria’s Resilient Coasts grants program for risk assessment work along South Gippsland’s coast.

  • $4.7 million secured through the federal government in conjunction with Wellington Shire and Gunaikurnai Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation to plan for the influx of offshore wind farm workers to the region.

Next year’s planning: At an October 15 council meeting, South Gippsland Shire also laid out their 2026 advocacy priorities - areas where the council will seek funding from the state or federal government. 

🎥 WATCH: Can you guess which Gippsland town this is? 🔍

❓ Test your Gippsland backstreet knowledge by taking a look at the video below and having a guess as to which town the footage is from.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article may contain images of deceased persons.

Fifteen years ago this month, a crowd gathered at the Knob Reserve in Stratford as the Federal Court of Australia formally recognised the Gunaikurnai people as the Traditional Owners of much of Gippsland.

The recognition set up the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), an organisation which now employs almost 100 First Peoples across Gippsland.

What happened: In 2010, the Gunaikurnai people signed a landmark deal with the state of Victoria called the Recognition and Settlement Agreement.

  • The agreements established joint management of 14 parks and reserves across Gippsland, giving Gunaikurnai people a stronger voice in how land is cared for, creating space for culture, conservation and community.

  • The deal covered 1.33 million hectares of land from Warragul to the Snowy River and from the High Country to the coast.

The agreement was the culmination of more than a decade of persistence from the Gurnaikurnai people, signalling the beginning of a new chapter in Gippsland’s history.

The Gunaikurnai Recognition and Settlement Agreement was signed by the State of Victoria and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) on October 22, 2010.

What it led to: Out of the agreement, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) was born. 

  • The group stepped into its role on behalf of the five Gippsland clans - Brataualung, Brayakaulung, Brabralung, Tatungalung and Krauatungalung - to care for Country and advocate for Gunaikurnai families.

🗣️ Grattan Mullett, GLaWAC’s Senior Strategic Advisor, remembers the feeling of that day vividly.

  • “You could just feel the pride amongst our people. It felt like our ancestors were part of that day as well, like something really good was going to happen in the future,” Mullet said in a statement. “We always knew we were Traditional Owners. But now, with native title, we were recognised as the right people to speak for this land.”

🎥 WATCH: San Remo Fisherman’s Co-op review 🐠

🎣 I’m a sucker for fresh fish and crispy chips so I’ve been trying to sniff out the best seafood spot in all of Gippo. Take a look at my video review of San Remo Fisherman’s Co-op below and if you’ve got a suggestion of a spot to try then leave me a comment on the video.

🍻 Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter I hope you have a great weekend.

📧 I’ll be back in your inbox next Tuesday with more fishy reviews, building history, backstreet trivia vids and informative stories.

If you have a story, a piece of information or a scenic photograph that’d you’d like to share with us then please shoot us an email at [email protected] and it might end up in our next newsletter.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

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

Do you think the legend of the Gippsland lion (or panther) are true or a hoax?

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