Strewth is Back
It’s good to see that Strewth - the blog that throws a light on the less attractive side of Hervey Bay politics and local development - is back after a short break. It’s also good to see that it doesn’t seem to have lost any of its sting.
I was interested to see that the Gossip even rated a mention when one contributor referred to a rather unpleasant episode late last year when someone thought it would be smart to post a comment on Strewth in my name. It’s nice to know that my ramblings here seem to get under someone’s skin.
In that reference to the Gossip on the latest edition of Strewth the contributor also referred to a post I made on September 26 2005 about the Urangan Beach Front in which I made some rather unflattering comments about Peppers. Thanks Jonangel for reminding me of what I said; interestingly now that it’s built I haven’t changed my mind about that development at all.
It may not be quite the eyesore that it was when it was being built but it certainly hasn’t been the great boon to the local economy that some might have hoped. Just ask some of the small business people who, instead of finding that their businesses have boomed because of Peppers, have found that they’ve actually lost money instead.
All that Peppers really seems to have done for Hervey Bay is to pull in other developers and property groups and push up commercial rents to the point where local businesses simply can’t afford to stay in business. And if you doubt that all you have to do is take a drive along Main Street Pialba, Liuzzi Street and Bay Drive to see how many ‘For Lease’ signs are on display.
In Liuzzi Street a new development of 10 units that opened in mid-October still only has three tenants. The new commercial units in Bay Drive have been available for several months and still have no tenants and down in Main Street very high rents have kept quite a few shops opposite Pialba Place vacant for many months.
