🦎 Pies, bees and milk factories

Plus: What is Leongatha missing?

Jacob Wallace
March 11, 2026

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

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

I hope you were able to enjoy some moments of happiness, peace or relaxation with friends or family across the long weekend. And those who kept working on through - we salute you.

🪩 I drove to Meredith on Saturday and spent the weekend camping at the Golden Plains festival. The whole weekend was such a blast. I got to see some bands from my youth like Cut Copy and Basement Jaxx and some newer performers like Smerz, Marlon Williams and Jalen Ngonda.

The highlight for me was listening to Hearts On Fire by Cut Copy, a track released in 2008 that me and my mates had on high rotation at the time.

📸 Take a look at this picture I took looking down at the Meredith festival stage at sunset.

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

🏡 What exactly affordable and social housing is;
🥛 The history of Warragul’s old milk factory on Queen Street;
🎤 Whether Leongatha needs more services and how the town has changed over the years;
🥧 The pies at Yarragon Country Style Bakery, and;
🌿 How we can benefit from more native Australian plants.

🎊 WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

FEB. 21 - MAR. 15 | Neerim Artsfest
FRI. 13/02 - SAT. 14/02 | Phillip Island Penrite 100 Classic
FRIDAY, 13/03/26 | Side by Side at Jak’s Music
FRIDAY, 13/03/26 | Annie & the Caldwells
FRIDAY, 13/03/26 | Hussy Hicks
SATURDAY, 14/03/26 | Tom Curtain’s Outback Experience
SATURDAY, 14/03/26 | Saint Patrick’s Day at the Poowong Hotel

🧺 FARMERS MARKETS 🥧

SATURDAY, 14/03/26 | Coal Creek Farmers Market
SATURDAY, 14/03/26 | Metung Market
SATURDAY, 14/03/26 | Fish Creek Summer Market
SUNDAY, 15/03/26 | Coronet Bay Market
SUNDAY, 15/03/26 | Kongwak Market

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

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🐄 The history of Warragul’s abandoned milk factory

Last week I visited Warragul’s old Vermont Milk Factory on Queen Street, which was established in 1923. The site changed through many hands over the decades but it now sits derelict and rusting.

Take a look at a video I made about the history of the factory below.

🏘️ What’s the difference between social and affordable housing?

While enjoying a sausage roll in Yarragon, I had a crack at explaining the differences between social and affordable housing and how the state government legislation behind the accomodation operates.

Take a look at my video explainer below.

🎤 What does Leongatha need more of?

When visiting Leongatha I spent some time talking to locals about a range of topics. One of the questions I asked was: What services does the town need more of?

Take a look at what residents had to say below.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀

Last week my colleague Archie Milligan from the National Account had a chat to ecologist and educator Clancy Lester.

You might be familiar with Lester from his social media account where he is known at the Bee Man.

Lester talked how it’s useful to use First Nations seasons in Australia’s climate and how native grasses can save a heap of water.

Take a look at the full interview below.

🎥 Watch: Yarragon Country Style Bakery pie review 🥧

I’m still on the hunt for Gippsland’s tastiest bakery pie. This week I stopped into Yarragon Country Style Bakery to munch on a chicken, pumpkin and feta pie.

Take a look at my video assessment below.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor.

As always, if there’s a local news story in your town that you think is being underreported then feel free to send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll make sure to check it out.

I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday morning with more Gippsland yarns, video explainers and local history, so stay tuned.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

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