Is There a Building Boom Coming for Hervey Bay?
So according to the Chronicle we’re on the verge of seeing the coal industry come back to the Fraser Coast. For several years now there’s been talk of at least one mine opening up around Aldershot just north of Maryborough and now that talk could turn into some action.
According to Northern Energy, a minerals exploration company, there’s around 57 million tonnes of coal reserves sitting under the ground at Aldershot and it’s time that it was dug up and shipped off to buyers around the world.
That’s great news for a region that’s struggling with high unemployment and it will really bring much needed investment and development to the region. Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Howard, Toogoom and even Burrum Heads will all benefit from the dollars that a coal mine will bring to the region.
We can expect to see house and land prices rise as more people come into the area, all the empty commercial and industrial premises that are now vacant will be filled and even more will be needed and many small businesses that are struggling to survive will see their bottom lines improve.
We may even see more office space … like that at 65 Main Street …Â being built in the Hervey Bay CBD.
Now that the scaffolding has been removed we can see what 65 Main Street really looks like
On the down side rents will increase and that could see some people leave the region as rising accommodation prices force them to move on to other areas.
There’s no doubt that if the coal mine at Aldershot does go ahead Hervey Bay will change and it will be interesting to see how we cope with that change.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
What real impact will the coalmine have on our region?
A couple of hundred jobs, many of which will be imported, spread across four towns.
We have vacants shops, vacant office/factory space, approved developments on hold and building sites going spare.
At this point in time we do not need more development.
February 11th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
What about the people in aldershot,will they have to move,sulpher in the air?no town water?opencut too
February 12th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
whoops i said the wrong message,,,
February 14th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
It wont happen, just a pipe dream. The stupid greens will stop that like they do every thing else.
As for Main st, it is just a ghost street. So many empty shops and those there struggling to survive. What happened about the council building a new office in Main st. That would help bring people into the CBD and help the shops in that area.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I was just looking at Main Street yesterday Brian. It really is an odd street when you think that it’s supposed to be part of the CBD.
In the section between Old Maryborough Road and Boat Harbour Drive we have offices and shops on one side and on the other we have shops and modern apartment blocks.
But you’re right, at the moment it certainly is a bit dead.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
“The stupid greens will stop that like they do every thing else”.
That is a pretty old fastion way of looking at things Brian.
Maybe the Greens have a reason for stoping certain things, while a Coal mine may have its positives to all of the local areas it also has its Negatives and I might add very bad negatives. The greens do a lot of hard work and save a lot of things that are on earth and should stay on earth just the way they are…
What if the Greens did’t work so hard to save the whales!!! The same whales that visit our beautiful bay every year and bring so much tourism and much needed business to our local area!!!
The reason why main st is dead is because there is no where to safely park and everything is set out wrong the whole town is set out wrong, if i was to call anything the central CBD it would be Boat Harbour Drive…..
April 11th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
It would be a great thing Unemployment would go down, business would go. up the building idustry would get back on its feet.. and i live in aldershot so the whole open cut thing dosent bother me. all mining companies have regulations to follow whith huge trouble if they dont..i think it would be fantastic for Aldershot and surrounding communities…
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:10 pm
people who live in hervey bay maryborough need to think about the people who will have to live right next to it The pit will be about 2 km away from houses in aldershot .bellhill top in maryborough is coser to the mine than people think about 6 km which is coser than mine owners will build their own towns min 12 km this is only the frist one Howard, Brumheads Oakherst Toogoom are next . people need to check this out for them self As for workers 90% of workers will be coming from elsewere that is what mine ower are saying so were are all the job
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:16 pm
i really hope they bring in the mine give some of us that live in the bay hope that we can move forward an live happy without having to survive off centrelink to live. Jobs are very scarce in the bay unless you are a tradie but im at the age now were a trade is out of the question as there looking for younger ppl.BRING ON THE MINE!!!!
July 11th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
I think this is going to be really bad for the community – yes make more jobs for the community but EVERYTHING is going to rise and not in a good way!
Coal is one of the worse that could get mined. This is all bad!!
September 15th, 2011 at 11:52 am
wake up greenies mining as bad as it is will make money.i don’t like mining towns but i was made redundant in hervey bay in march from a large sales store,broke trying to save my house moving to Gladstone for same job as 25-60buy 60-90die wake up pension sucks towns need young money not young unemployed drop kicks hervey bay breeds ,and when i’m 50 i won’t to sell my house in h’bay and find a nice quiet town to retire LOL. when Sydney was built i bet the oldies wanted less and the young want more.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
i hope it will go,s haed we live in gladstone hopeing to move to the bay were my family is we got 6 kids things to do in hevery bay for the kids nother in gladstone for kids to do.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:41 am
Good morning Vietnam. (Rember ?), Well Good morning Maryborough.Opportunity here if you prepare your self. Why would Northern Energy take workers from thier other mines to work at Aldershot if, they could get trained personel from Maryborough with no accommidation problems. I hear what you say, I can’t drive a dump truck. Well mate, put the V B down and get down to a training center and do a weeks training and guess what ? you can now drive a dump truck.I unerstand there is a training center at Ipswich. Wonder what it be like to have some “real bucks” in the pocket to blow in Maryborough ?
Make it easy for the Company to employ you. It aint rocket science.
November 27th, 2011 at 7:41 am
GO THE MINE, ALL RESIDENTS OF HERVEY BAY SHOULD BE SMILING IF THE MINE STARTS JUST THINK ABOUT IT. THE AREA WOULD FINALLY GET ITS NEW BOAT MARINER , INFRASTRUCTURE, NEW ROADS, BETTER ACCESS IN TO HEVEY BAY, POPULATION, THE AREA VALUE WOULD DIFFIDENTLY BE ALOT HIGHER, AND RESIDENTS COULD RETIRE IN A MORE COMFORTABLE POSITION THAN WHAT THEY ARE RETIRING IN TODAYS TIMES IN HERVEY BAY. RESIDENTS NEED TO REMEMBER MINING COMPANIES HAVE THE TOUGHEST AND HIGHEST LEVEL OF SAFETY STANDARDS AND ENVIRONMENT POLICIES TO COMPLY WITH. DONT STOP SOMETHING THAT HERVEY BAY NEEDS. GO THE MINE……