Billion dollar boom: Ballarat factory to reopen with 150 new jobs

  • By Peter Gordon
  • •
  • 18 May, 2021
This is a fantastic article to read for our clients who have previously purchased in Ballarat, and those who are currently building here. We identified Ballarat as a an area of opportunity for investment several years ago. Ballarat is the largest city of the Central Highlands of Victoria. It’s the 3rd largest inland city in Australia and the fastest growing city in Victoria. It's home to 109,505 people and supports 48,443 jobs and has an annual economic output of $15.015 billion.  Another major factor is that it’s within commuting distance to Melbourne . 
    Growing population, building approvals and GRP driven by manufacturing and health care sectors.  Ballarat's Alstom factory will be given new life after a state government promise to spend almost $1 billion to build new trains.

    At least 150 new jobs are expected to be created at the Creswick Road factory, which has virtually lain dormant since the last trains contract was completed in 2019. The 2021/22 state budget, to be unveiled on Thursday, will include $986 million to build 25 new X'Trapolis 2.0 trains for Melbourne's metropolitan system. There are expected to be 750 new jobs in total across manufacturing and supply chains.

    It has not yet been made clear what percentage of the 25 new trains will be constructed in Ballarat. The manufacturing of the trains is expected to begin late in 2022. Visiting Ballarat on Tuesday, acting premier James Merlino made the announcement. Premier Daniel Andrews visited the Ballarat workshops in 2015 to announce a $120 million order for 30 new X'Trapolis carriages.

    In 2019, workers at Alstom held rallies demanding the state government commit to new long-term construction contracts, including at MP's offices in Ballarat. There were fears that when work was completed on the current order, there would be no more work and jobs would be lost, and the historic Ballarat Rail Workshops could be closed. By mid-2020, the workers were reassigned to other roles, following Alstom's takeover of rival Bombardier. These included maintaining V/Line's Bombardier-built VLocity fleet at Ballarat East.

    The state government also allocated $12 million to complete the X'Trapolis 2.0 design work at this time. The state government has also begun the tender process for its Next Generation Trams project, of which Alstom is one of the bidders. Bombardier is also a bidder, but with strict rules in place to separate it from Alstom's, as well as UGL, which has a facility in Ballarat.

    A winning tenderer is expected to be announced before the end of the year.

    Article courtesy The Courier 18th May 2021

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    Introducing The Palms Estate, Cairns - The Northern Beach's Premier Address

    By Peter Gordon • April 26, 2023

    Quiet simply, the Palms is the place to buy!

    The northern beaches of Cairns is the Nation's best location for property investors right now, and The Palms is the premier development in this boom region.

    It has the best location being elevated and backing onto the rainforest. It will have amazing facilities with a shopping village, a primary school, parks and green open space, a water park and an expanse of wildlife corridors.

    It has taken the developers three years to get planning approval for this unique development to be able to hit the market. There are only 300 lots spread across 85 acres of the best land in The Northern Beaches.  Residents will have an abundance of open space right at their doorstep.  The Palms is also the only Certified Enviro Development project in Far North Queensland.

    > Cairns Snapshot

    In the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, the winner is ... Brisbane

    By Peter Gordon • April 20, 2023

    Sydneysiders and Melburnians, put aside your equally outstanding flat whites for a moment. Stop bickering about whether great beaches beat cool laneways (they do) and desist from debating whether all baristas require waxed moustaches (ideally).

    Because Brisbane is closing in on the title of Australia’s best city, and we must join forces to keep this subtropical upstart in its place.

    Time  magazine recently named Brisvegas on its “World’s Greatest Places” list, and omitted our cities. It’s a huge shock (and who knew they still published Time  magazine?). But they might be onto something.

    Time  points to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be hosted in the maroon metropolis. Brisbane will do a fine job, even though it’ll baffle the world when rugby league is added to the schedule and Queensland is allowed to field its own team.

    Time’s  most radical claim is that Brisbane is worth visiting now, but tourism is surging. Not only did Lin-Manuel Miranda recently drop in to catch Hamilton , but hundreds of Hamilfans flew up to watch his interview with Leigh Sales (presumably unaware that it would subsequently arrive on iView for free).

    Incredible Lifestyle At An Affordable Price  Equity of approx $390K on completion

    By Peter Gordon • April 6, 2023
    This small duplex development just a short drive from Hervey Bay on Queensland’s beautiful Fraser Coast, offers an incredible lifestyle at an affordable price. With unprecedented demand and very limited supply, prices look set to skyrocket.

    A leading local agent has appraised each side of these duplex's to be worth $665k on completion and rent for $495 per week. So that is massive potentail instant equity of up to $390K on completion, which is incredibly hard to find.
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