Infrastructure

Australia Post is working to establish ongoing arrangements for its Post Office in Narrandera and is grateful to locals for their patience and understanding.

Despite our vast natural resources, Australia now has some of the highest electricity prices in the world and the road to “renewables” seems bumpier than ever. The Gannawarra Shire Council meeting last week, saw a motion to oppose the VNI West electricity transmission project planned to pass through the municipality, approved. (April fools image)

Sebastian Calderon. Riverlanders are being treated to the rare sight of an emptied lock in the region, with maintenance and repair work being done on the major water infrastructure. Lock 3, near Overland Corner, was drained earlier this month and is undergoing essential maintenance works...

Construction of a new solar farm and battery at Nhill is now complete and has successfully connected to the electricity grid – supplying cheap renewable energy to power operations at Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWMWater).

Following a thorough assessment led by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, the proposed Moonlight Range Wind Farm 40 kilometres north west of Rockhampton, will not proceed. The project included plans for up to 88 wind turbines, a battery energy storage system, and related infrastructure covering 1,269 hectares in total, including 434 hectares of vegetation that would need to be cleared. 

Queensland's central financing authority, Queensland Treasury Corporation has issued a new EUR 1.25 billion (~AUD 2.15 billion) benchmark bond, receiving significant demand with orders more than seven times the issuance amount ... Treasurer David Janetzki said with global uncertainty at an all-time high, the Crisafulli Government had re-established Queensland as a low-risk investment option.

Rockhampton Regional Council, in partnership with the Queensland Government, has officially opened a new Changing Places facility at Southside Pool, ensuring more people in our community can enjoy a day out with dignity and ease ... provides essential amenities for people with extra support needs, including a ceiling hoist, an adult-sized change table, and additional space to improve safety and comfort.

Joanna Tucker. At least 1000 proposed homes across Yorke Peninsula are being delayed due to a lack of infrastructure within the SA Water network, according to Copper Coast Council. Chief executive Dylan Strong said the issue is not unique to the Copper Coast, but delays in SA Water’s trunk upgrades are affecting local developments.

WaterNSW is closing Bell’s Bay campground and cottages at Toonumbar Dam in late June ... Kyogle Fishing Club has been using the campground for more than 50 years.

The community will be able to have its say at a public meeting on the Pottinger Wind Farm, a State significant development application (SSD-59235464) by Someva Renewables and AGL Energy to develop a 1,300 megawatt (MW) wind farm comprising 247 wind turbines, a 500 MW battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure.

VicGrid, the government body responsible for planning and developing the state's renewable energy zones, has released the Draft 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan for community and industry feedback ... It sets out how much more wind and solar energy Victoria is expected to need over the next 15 years and identifies the most suitable locations for new renewable energy and transmission projects.

Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, says the Victorian Labor government has sharpened its sights on Marnoo, Navarre, Beulah, Warracknabeal, Normanville and Quambatook to bear the brunt of the VNI West transmission line, wind turbine and solar panel burden of their energy targets.

Wagga Wagga residents will have their first chance to see designs for the three new bridges to be built in the town with Inland Rail releasing new visualisations for public viewing. The new visualisations show how the Edmondson Street road bridge, Wagga Wagga Station footbridge – also known as Mothers Bridge – and Cassidy Parade footbridge will look once completed.

Allora Police are unimpressed with a spate of graffiti across the Allora district. "Over recent months, there has been an increase in the instances of graffiti occurring about the area; not so much in town, but on the outskirts and around Hendon, Deuchar and Mount Marshall," … By-and-large the "tags" are being made on the roadway, but also over road signs.

New documents released by Toowoomba Regional Council have revealed more details on how the Greenmount Water Treatment Plant will look and how it will function. Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has submitted a material change of use development application to itself in anticipation of the plant's construction, expected to start this year and be completed by early 2027.

Floodway replacement and improvement works have been finished on Westbrook-Wyreema Road over Westbrook Creek. The $1.3 million project was the third to be delivered by Toowoomba Regional Council under the Betterment Program as part of the wider 2022 Flood Recovery Program.