Newsletter: Latrobe’s “miserable” bus stops

Plus the best dinner spots in Traralgon and the history of a courthouse built in 1886.

Author

Jacob Wallace
October 29, 2025

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

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob.

✍️ There’s a heap of topics to cover in this midweek edition of our newsletter. I’ve got two videos from questions I put to Traralgonites about where their favourite spot to eat in town is and what they thought the biggest issue for the area is.

🏛️ Elsewhere, during Monday’s Latrobe City Council meeting, one of the topics discussed was the “miserable” state of the bus timetable and infrastructure in the shire. Councillor Steph Morgan said the current bus schedule of Latrobe was “perplexing”.

🗣️ "The amount of people I've seen crouching next to a bus stop in the pouring rain or wind is not okay," said Morgan. "We want people to utilise our bus services. They can't because it is a miserable experience."

🎤 I spoke to Latrobe City Mayor Dale Harriman about the state of the shire’s bus stops and the push to get more funding from the state government.

❝

Most of them don’t have shelter, there’s nowhere to sit on 99 percent of them, it’s really bad. If it's raining then it's pretty pathetic.

Latrobe City Mayor Dale Harriman on the bus stops in the shire.

📸 Finally, take a look at a picture a snapped of the scenic Strzelecki Ranges around Loch on Friday afternoon.

🎥 And here’s that video I promised, asking: Where is the best spot to have dinner in town?

Take a look at what Traralgon locals had to say about their favourite dinner destinations.

🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

🤳 If you’re not already subscribed, you can keep up to date with everything we’re reporting on at the Gippsland Monitor on these platforms:
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🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns, local interviews and silly videos!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

Two out of seven of the Environment Victoria awards presented in Melbourne on Thursday went to Gippslanders, with a focus on water protection and nuclear power opposition.

What happened: Environment Victoria has recognised the work of community groups and individuals from around the state for their contribution to environmental activism over the last year.

  • Catching up: Environment Victoria is a state-wide not-for-profit organisation founded in 1969. It now has more than 200,000 individual members.

Gippsland represented: Kurnai Gunai woman Electra Green and the community group Nannas for Action both won awards at the event.

  • Electra Green won an individual award for her activism on protecting Gippsland’s rivers and waterways.

  • Nannas for Action won an award last night for drawing attention to urgent environmental issues in Gippsland, including their opposition to a nuclear power plant in the Latrobe Valley.

If you work nine-to-five in Traralgon and live in Yallourn North, don’t bother waiting for a bus ride home – the last service leaves 13 minutes before you finish for the day. 

This is the reality facing many Gippslanders, as Latrobe City Council looks to solve an ongoing public transport problem across the region.

What happened? Latrobe City Council has unanimously backed a comprehensive review of the region's bus network after councillors detailed its inadequacy, from workers unable to get home before dark to residents crouching in the rain at bus stops.

Latrobe City Mayor Dale Harriman told the Monitor the council is reliant on Transport Victoria - which is run by the state government - to update bus routes and timetables.

Harriman said there’s no shelter and nowhere to sit at 99 percent of the bus stops in the shire.

How many people use bus services in the shire?

🗣️ “We know that 10-15 percent of the population [in Latrobe City Shire] that are at working age don't have a driver's licences or access to their own transport,” said Harriman. “And then you have all the under 18-year-olds, including apprentices who need to get to work.”

Harriman said he had heard of cases where elderly people were paying exorbitant rates for taxis to get around the shire instead of taking a bus.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

Here’s a story from the National Account that got my attention: tropical fish, usually spotted in QLD, are being spotted along the Mid North Coast.

It spells bad news for the kelp forests along the southern reef.

How long before we start seeing something similar on the North Shore? Time will tell, but it feels like something that has quickly moved the needle from “possible” to “probable”.

Fish from the tropics are moving in, and Australia's kelp forests are paying the price

As warm waters drive fish south from Queensland, kelp forests in New South Wales are under siege – and scientists warn the consequences could ripple across Australia’s underwater ecosystems.

🕺 NOVEMBER EVENT GUIDES 🥧

☀️ There are plenty of markets across the region providing fresh produce, scrumptious food and handmade arts and crafts through all the seasons.

🧺 Gippsland markets provide a great opportunity to support local businesses and community endeavours while often paying less for produce and products than what you would normally pay in a supermarket.

Check out our list of markets on this November below and send us an email at [email protected] if we’ve missed any and we’ll make sure to add it to our list.

🎊 With so many gigs, exhibitions, festivals on in Gippsland the Monitor has compiled a list of the biggest events in the region this month so have a browse and make the most of it!

📧 If you have any suggestions you’d like to share please email us at [email protected]

🎥 WATCH: The history of Traralgon’s Old Courthouse 👨‍⚖️

🏫 Built in 1886 this old court house and treasuring office still operates as a post office. It has a long and storied history, take a look at the video below to learn more.

🎥 WATCH: What’s the biggest issue in Traralgon? 🛣️

🎤 I asked Traralgonites what they thought the biggest issue facing the town was, take a look at what they had to say below.

🙌 Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter. I’ll be back next week with more stories, local legends, and fun polls, so stay tuned!

📧 If you’d like to share anything with us, whether that be a local issue you think is underreported, a picturesque photograph of the Gippsland countryside or an event happening in your town then you can shoot us an email at [email protected] and maybe it’ll end up in our next newsletter.

👋 Have a great week and I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday morning.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

🐈‍⬛ P.S. The results are in from our last poll on whether or not the fabled Gippsland panther is real or a hoax. Amazingly, 61.5 percent of you said the panther is real while 38.5 percent thought it was a hoax.

If you know anyone who says they are certain they have seen the Gippsland panther, I’d love to chat to them. You can send me an email at [email protected]

Watch out for big cats everyone!