Welcome to the Southern Inland Region
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WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION HILLTOPS UPPER LACHLAN Young WINGECARRIBEE Taralga Boorowa Crookwell Berrima Bowral MossVale Harden Exeter Binalong Gunning Goulburn Yass Marulan YASS Murrumbateman GOUBURN MULwaREE vaLLEY Gundaroo Sutton Bungendore Queanbeyan Queanbeyan- Braidwood paLERANG Captains Flat Adaminaby Cooma Perisher Berridale Valley Nimmitabel Thredbo Jindabyne Village SNOWY MONARO Bombala Delegate WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION CONTENTS ABOUT RDA SOUTHERN INLAND 1 WHO WE ARE 1 OUR REGION 1 OUR CHARTER 2 OUR COMMITTEE 2 OUR STAFF 2 HilltoPS 3 UPPER LACHLAN 6 GOULBURN MULWAREE 10 QUEANBEYAN-Palerang 13 SNOWY MONARO 16 WINGECARRIBEE 19 Yass VALLEY 22 What to DO SOON AFTER ARRIVAL IN AUSTRALIA 24 APPLYING FOR A TAX FILE NUMBER 24 MEDICARE 25 OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT IN AUSTRALIA 26 EMERGENCY SERVICES 28 EMPLOYMENT 31 HOUSING 33 TRANSPORT 34 SCHOOLS 35 MULTICULTURAL SERVICES 36 WELCOME to THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION ABOUT RDA SOUTHERN INLAND WHO WE ARE Regional Development Australia Southern Inland (RDA Southern Inland) is part of a national network of 52 RDA Committees across Australia. These committees are made up of local leaders who work with all levels of government, business and community groups to support the development of regional Australia. Our aim is to maximise economic development opportunities for the Southern Inland region by attracting new businesses and investment to the region, growing our local business potential and encouraging innovation. RDA Southern Inland is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities and is an Australian Government initiative. OUR REGION RDA Southern Inland works across a region that takes in seven local government areas in the south-east of NSW, encompassing 44,639 square kilometres of NSW land area. It is uniquely located between the two biggest population centres and domestic economies in Australia - Sydney and Melbourne, and surrounds the Australian Capital Territory. RDA Southern Inland includes the following local government areas: HILLTOPS UPPER LACHLAN GOULBURN MULwaREE Queanbeyan-PALERANG SNOWY MONARO WINGECARRIBEE YASS VALLEY 1 WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION ABOUT RDA SOUTHERN INLAND OUR CHARTER If you would like to look at our Charter please visit our website www.rda.gov.au/files/RDA-charter.pdf OUR COMMITTEE The RDA Southern Inland Committee is comprised of people from across the Southern Inland region with a variety of backgrounds and skills, from local government, business and the community - each sharing a commitment to regional development. OUR Staff • CEO and Director of Regional Development • Business Attraction & Development Manager • Communications and Project Officer • Skilled Migration and Administration Officer 2 WELCOME to THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION HILLTOPS ABOUT The Hilltops region is located in the Tablelands of New South Wales. The area is just over an hour north of Canberra and features the thriving towns of Young, Harden and Boorowa, along with a wide range of villages that are bursting with a rich history. The region is renowned for agriculture, including sheep grazing, cropping, viticulture, stone fruits and horticulture. The area is located along a strategic transport corridor, including the Hume Highway, which is the busiest interstate road freight corridor in Australia, and is closely connected to major markets, including Sydney and Canberra. In fact, 60% of Australia’s population can be reached within 10 hours driving time from Young. YOUNG BOOROwa HARDEN JUGIONG 3 WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION HILLTOPS DRIVING TIMES FROM YOUNG Cowra 55 minutes Wagga Wagga 1 hour 50 minutes Canberra airport 2 hours Canberra CBD 1 hour 55 minutes Bathurst and Orange 2 hours 10 minutes Sydney airport 3 hours 45 minutes Sydney CBD 4 hours 5 minutes Melbourne 6 hours 10 minutes LIFESTYLE According to a recent Council survey, the relaxed country lifestyle, peace and quiet and the wide open spaces are the things that people most love about living in the region. Importantly, community is also high on the list. There is certainly evidence of this with there being plenty of services and cultural and community facilities, such as sporting grounds, golf courses, gardens and parks and more than 60 local clubs and recreational groups. Another major advantage of living in the Hilltops area is affordability of housing with low house prices and rent. There are also plenty of options to choose from at both the bottom and top end of the housing market. For families with children, there are a lot of choices in educational facilities including 16 primary and four high schools. There are also seven childcare centres in the area. There are many options for school leavers as well, including the Young TAFE, a regional music school, a campus of the Australian National University and of the Australian Catholic University. A Country Universities Centre (CUC) is also proposed with some CUC courses already delivered locally. The CUC is a facility that provides campus like facilities to regional students. 4 WELCOME to THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION HILLTOPS HEALTH CARE The Hilltops area is serviced by three hospitals, one located in each of the major centres of Boorowa, Harden and Young. There are a number of general practitioners and the region also boasts a range of allied health services including Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Audiology, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Diversional Therapy, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Diabetes Education and Chiropractic. The Young Health Service incorporating Young District Hospital, Mercy Care Centre and Young Community Health Service offers a total of 50 beds covering modern acute care, sub-acute care, palliative care, surgical, emergency, paediatric and maternity service, a high dependency unit, a Renal Department and a separate Oncology Unit. The Boorowa MultiPurpose Service (MPS) is an 18 bed facility and the Murrumburrah-Harden Health Service is a 33 bed facility with both services offering acute care and residential aged care along with a 24 hour emergency department. Senior residents of the community are exceptionally well catered for with a range of aged care facilities in the region including Mount St Joseph’s Nursing Home, Southern Cross Aged Care, Burrowa House and St Lawrence Residential Aged Care. CONTACT Hilltops Council Boorowa/Harden/Young Office 6-8 Market Street, Boorowa NSW 2586 3 East Street, Harden NSW 2587 189 Boorowa Street, Young NSW 2594 1300 445 586 [email protected] https://hilltops.nsw.gov.au PO Box 42, Gunning NSW 2581 5 WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION UPPER LACHLAN ABOUT Upper Lachlan is an area that is known for its quaint villages, fine wool, potato production, wind farms, history and picturesque countryside. The Upper Lachlan region sits high on the Great Dividing Range in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands and is bounded by the Abercrombie, Wollondilly and Lachlan rivers. The regional centre is the town of Crookwell which is 45km west of Goulburn, about 110km north of Canberra and about 130km south-east of Bathurst. Sydney’s CBD is a picturesque 2½ hour drive. Upper Lachlan has an estimated population of 7,841 people in the Shire. Approximately 3,000 people live in the major centre of Crookwell, with the balance made up of people living in the smaller towns of Gunning and Taralga and the villages of Collector, Dalton, Binda, Bigga, Laggan, Grabben Gullen, Breadalbane and Tuena or on rural properties. TUENA taRALGA CROOKWELL GUNNING 6 WELCOME to THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION UPPER LACHLAN DRIVING TIMES FROM CROOKWELL Goulburn 35 minutes Canberra 1 hour, 40 minutes Bathurst 1 hour, 55 minutes Wollongong 2 hours, 15 minutes Port Kembla 2 hour, 20 minutes Sydney airport 2 hour, 30 minutes Sydney CBD 2 hours, 45 minutes Melbourne CBD 6 hours, 50 minutes LIFESTYLE There are three major shopping centres with general stores located in most of the villages. Crookwell’s main street has a great variety of shops including an IGA supermarket, butchers, vibrant cafes, unique gift shops, newsagents, hairdressers and massage therapists. Many of the villages have antique shops and cafes. The cafes are the heartbeat of the town and are always a great place for a quick cuppa or a relaxing lunch. Upper Lachlan Shire benefits from developed infrastructure, including roads, rail, telecommunications and a good transport system to the major centres of Goulburn, Canberra and Sydney. There is a relaxed rural atmosphere throughout the Shire with very little crime. The medical facilities are excellent with seven doctors, a dentist and an 18 bed hospital. The medical centre also has many visiting specialists. Upper Lachlan offers a quality rural lifestyle and the ability to make a comfortable living. 7 WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN INLAND REGION UPPER LACHLAN CAREERS & BUSINESS While agriculture is the main industry in Upper Lachlan Shire, there are many opportunities for employment in the area including manufacturing, retail, service industries, hospitality and much more. The diverse and unique market mix means there are opportunities to establish new business activities, including manufacturing, creating goods for a niche market or expanding upon the existing businesses and services already in place. In Upper Lachlan, there are also the possibilities to combine what you enjoy doing, with what you are good at doing. COMMUNITY Social and economic factors are important influences on the health of a community. Health is strongly linked with opportunities for meaningful employment, education and lifelong learning, social and recreational activities and contributing to the community. Upper Lachlan Shire has a full range of support services, particularly in aged care. The diversity of the Shire’s recreational facilities ensures residents and visitors have many opportunities to spend time enjoying outdoor activities, including fishing, golf, boating, swimming, tennis and many other sports. The region also has a number of resident artists and crafts people so there is no shortage of cultural pursuits. Most days of the week you will find the golf course, squash courts and bowling-green are hives of activity.