🪐 How to discover planets

Plus: $65 milly but no hospital.

Author

Jacob Wallace
April 17, 2026

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

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

Yesterday morning I drove to Mirboo North to speak to Vietnam veteran Ian “Max” Speedy about his experience flying for the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam (RANHFV) during the conflict, and what it was like returning to Australia after the war.

We will have some video excerpts from that interview on our website over coming days.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

  • 🏥 How a $65 million Gippsland healthcare investment will be spent;

  • ⛽️ A fire at one of Australia’s two oil refineries;

  • 💰 How much each political party spends to get your vote, and;

  • 🔭 How a Churchill resident helped discover over 100 planets.

🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🏥 Labor tips $65 million into Gippsland health, but no dough for new Warragul Hospital

On Monday, the state government announced a $65 million investment to upgrade health services in Gippsland. But there was no commitment to finally build Warragul Hospital - which would replace the ageing West Gippsland Hospital in Warragul.

  • The funding will primarily be spent on improving West Gippsland and Wonthaggi hospitals.

At West Gippsland Hospital and the nearby Cooinda Lodge aged care facility, the investment will pay for infrastructure upgrades.

At Wonthaggi Hospital, the upgrades will include a new pharmacy, pathology clinic and medical imaging suite.

  • Wonthaggi Hospital underwent a $115 million redevelopment, which was completed in November 2022. Those upgrades delivered new operating theatres, a procedure room, emergency department and inpatient ward.

Other projects

The latest $65 million will help fund upgrades to Latrobe Regional Hospital, new ambulance stations in Traralgon, Moe, Warragul and Morwell, and the expansion of the Phillip Island Community Hospital.

  • The first stage of the Phillip Island Community Hospital in Cowes opened in June last year with an urgent care centre, which offers after-hour care for minor, non-emergency injuries.

  • The second stage of the project aims to deliver chemotherapy, dialysis, dental and day surgery services.

The West Gippsland Healthcare Group purchased land for a new West Gippsland hospital in Drouin East 18 years ago. 

In 2022, then premier Daniel Andrews pledged $675 million to build the new facility, exceeding the $600 million commitment by the opposition.

Andrews said at the time that construction would begin in 2024 and the hospital would likely be completed by 2028.

Since then, there has been no major budget allocation for the project.

AROUND VICTORIA ✍️

Energy Minister Chris Bowen says a blaze at one of Australia’s last remaining oil refineries will impact petrol production.

One of just two refineries in Australia, Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery supplies 10 percent of the nation’s fuel. Emergency Services were called to the facility in Corio, about 60km southwest of Melbourne, shortly after 11pm on Wednesday following reports of explosions and flames.

About 50 firefighters, 10 fire trucks and a boat attended the blaze with firefighters telling reporters the inferno started small but after several explosions grew into a large, intense fire.

Fifty percent of Victoria’s fuel comes from the site, according to Viva Energy’s website. 

The refinery can produce more than 120,000 barrels of oil per day, manufacturing petrol, diesel, jet fuel, LPG, avgas and low aromatic fuel.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said petrol production has been affected, while jet fuel and diesel are being produced at reduced levels.

Bowen told Nine: "At this point, the impact is mainly on petrol production, but obviously this is very early days."

In November, a power supply disruption at the refinery led to the safety flare billowing black smoke over the community. 

In January 2026 another “operational disruption” led the flare to burn “larger than normal”.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

How much do the political parties spend to get your vote?

That’s a question my colleague Archie Milligan from the National Account dived into this week.

In the video, Archie gives a comprehensive breakdown of how much money the major political parties spent per primary vote.

Take a look at the video below.

🎥 Watch: Churchill man helps to discover over 100 planets 🔭 

Last week, I wrote a story on Churchill resident and amateur astronomer Chris Stockdale and his backyard observatory.

If you’d like to know how Stockdale finds undiscovered planets in the night sky then take a look at the video below.

🙌 Cheers for catching up with us at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter.

👀 Call out. I’m writing a story about a South Gippsland Shire decision to develop 11 permanent residences at Sandy Point caravan park. If you live in Sandy Point, I’d love to hear from you.

Feel free to email me at [email protected].

I’ll be back in your inbox next Wednesday with more local yarns, informative interviews and fun upcoming events.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

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