:: About Chinchilla

The Chinchilla region offers rich diversity, extensive infrastructure, warm community spirit and exceptional investor potential. Just 300km west of Brisbane (three-and-a-half hours' drive), Chinchilla Shire lies in the heart of the Surat Basin.

Home to more than 6200 people, Chinchilla and district offers the right mix to people seeking a 'tree change' to a more relaxed, rural environment. The growing economy retains its rural character, including new and traditional housing, abundant jobs, low crime, terrific community facilities and very low unemployment.

:: Industry

Chinchilla is in the heart of the Surat Basin, an area significant for its abundant natural resources.

Extensive areas of quality farming and grazing land have long made agriculture the major driver of the local economy. Around 25 per cent of Australia's melons (rockmelons, watermelons and honeydew) are grown in this area. The Barakula State Forest (400,000 ha) is Queensland's largest cypress pine and hardwood forest and the largest pine forest in the southern hemisphere.

Many of the resources -including gas, coal and water -have strong regional and national importance. The state government strongly supports strategic investment in the mining, processing and refining of minerals, industries for which Chinchilla's infrastructure provides a cost-competitive advantage.

The region is well supported by telephone, internet and mobile phone services, as well as mobile satellite phones and two-way satellite internet. Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone Broadband ADSL is available to residents and businesses and are being progressively rolled out. ISDN services (128k data speed) are available to businesses.

With industrial land scarce in surrounding areas, Chinchilla is proving attractive to investors seeking to relocate or establish their business. Fully serviced land -with adequate provision of services such as three-phase power, waste management, water, energy, telecommunications and associated corridors -is available within Chinchilla. A 23 lot industrial park of 1800sq m, fully serviced land in Chinchilla provides an area suited to industrial development with further industrial land available in various combinations as demand grows.

The Warrego Highway passes through Chinchilla, and is a two-lane, high-speed freight corridor linking western Queensland directly to Ipswich and Brisbane. Within the district, Council maintains 3,200km network of national highways, state controlled roads, town streets and local rural roads.

Chinchilla has an all-weather, fully sealed strip, as well as a grass strip and modern terminal with amenities. Presently, major users of the airport are charter flights, crop sprayers, the Flying Doctor, mental health workers, company planes and private users.

Chinchilla is surrounded by two major power stations; Kogan Creek and Braemar. The 450MW Braemar plant opened on August 24, 2006 while Kogan Creek provides 25 per cent of Queensland's contribution to the NEM, via a 28km transmission line into the Queensland and NSW distribution networks. Queensland Gas Company, with ANZ, will also feed the NEM upon completion of the gas-fired Condamine Power Station. Chinchilla and the surrounding areas are supplied from a 132/110/33kV bulk supply substation in Chinchilla. It's fed primarily from Powerlink Queensland's substation at Tarong Power Station, with alternate 110kV supply from Dalby, providing a duplicated back-up supply. A 33kV three-phase distribution system supplies Chinchilla and the surrounding areas, transformed down to 1kV for the town area, and 19.1kV for remote areas.

With an estimated 250 years' worth of viable coal resources, Chinchilla is considered Australia's future energy hub. The coal is close to the surface which means reduced extraction costs for cheaper electricity, giving the establishment of generation units in this region a competitive edge. Surat Basin coal is typically low in nitrogen and sulphur, has an acceptable ash content and high volatility and reactivity, giving it excellent combustion properties. It also has high hydrogen content, which is ideally suited to coal gasification and liquefaction technologies. Significant quantities of coal seam gas in the area are expected to drive further growth and mining activity in the region.

In stark contrast to most of regional Queensland, Chinchilla is in the rare position of having sufficient water supply for both its present and predicted future needs. The Chinchilla Weir was built in 1973, and is 8km south of the town of Chinchilla. It fulfils the dual purpose of providing irrigation water along the alluvial flats of the Condamine and source of water supply to the town of Chinchilla. The Charley's Creek Weir provides backup for the town supply with a significant number of private bores in the community also providing additional water for gardening and auxiliary supplies.

:: Investment Opportunities

With the region at the centre of energy exploration and investment in the Surat Basin, Chinchilla investors are well placed to prioritise technology and innovation as a way of enhancing competitiveness and productivity.

A dedicated freight line linking Chinchilla to export markets via the Gladstone port will be operational from 2011. The Dawson Valley Railway Project also offers the opportunity for the railway line to be constructed as dual-gauge tracks, enabling it to be linked to the proposed Melbourne-Toowoomba-Darwin railway.

In the Surat Basin, extensive coal deposits provide numerous possibilities for exploitation and development. Included in these are coal-mining by-products such as coal seam gas and coal seam water. Queensland leads the world in coal seam gas extraction technology. Gas to Liquids (GTL) plants harness coal seam gas to produce diesel, naphtha and jet fuel. The gasification phase has been successful at Chinchilla but technical aspects of the GTL phase and the overall cost-effectiveness remain unproven. A key additional issue will be whether carbon dioxide produced can be stored economically underground (sequestration). Potential production of liquids at Chinchilla could be about 20,000 barrels a day, equivalent to 800 million litres of diesel a year.

The State Government's 13% Gas Scheme, which began in 2005 and requires electricity retailers to source 13 per cent of electricity from gas generation, presents an ideal business opportunity for both gas companies and their support industries. There is also significant potential for water produced with coal seam gas to be used by industry and agricultural producers. SunWater and Queensland Gas Company have already embarked on a gas to water project at Chinchilla with plans for a similar project being pursued by Arrow Energy.

Clean coal technologies, which enhance the environmental performance of coal, are fast becoming a priority for the Australian energy industry. Coal-fired power generation stations are now required to embrace clean coal technologies in their design and practice. Extensive industry support exists for these technologies, as well as research and development through organisations such as the Centre for Low Emission

Near Chinchilla, Kogan Creek Power Station has adopted air-cooling technology that reduces water consumption by up to 90 per cent. Opportunities exist for support industries to develop innovative, sustainable solutions for energy providers.

A technology embraced overseas but still in its early days of acceptance in Australia is the natural gas-fuelled vehicle. With an extensive Commonwealth Grant program supporting the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, Australia vehicle operators can now obtain a cost-competitive and more environmentally friendly edge by choosing these vehicles. CNG is one of the cleanest burning commercial fuels available in Australia and significantly reduces fuel bills, matches diesel performance and has a more positive impact on the environment. CNG adaptation is not limited to cars but can be used to power urban delivery and collection trucks, light commercial vehicles, passenger trucks, larger articulated haulage trucks, buses, sedans and tractors.

As a high-energy fuel (with an equivalent octane rating of 130), CNG provides all the power of diesel and increases engine life.

:: Lifestyle

The Chinchilla News is a weekly paper focused on the events and activities for Chinchilla and surrounds. An informative read, it covers the areas of Tara, Miles and Wandoan. The Surat Basin News, a quarterly publication, also provides residents with well researched and formatted information around activities of the resources and mining sector. Television, radio and alternative media is easily accessed from Chinchilla and district.

Chinchilla's picturesque main street is a bustling retail centre with wide open footpaths and adequate parking. Small arcades and shopping centres support the well established businesses of the main street. As well as a rapidly growing retail sector, as evidenced by the doubling of capacity of the IGA Supermarket, the three major car dealers of Ford, Holden and Toyota are all located in town. All four major trading banks -Westpac, Commonwealth, National and ANZ - have branches in Chinchilla, as well as Suncorp. There are also agencies for Heritage Building Society and the Bendigo Bank.

From the first years of early childhood through to primary school, secondary school, vocational pathways and tertiary training, Chinchilla is a regional centre for education. Within the town of Chinchilla, a C&K-owned kindergarten provides early education for under-5s, with private (Chinchilla Christian School, St Joseph's School) and state schools (Chinchilla State School, Chinchilla State High School) catering from Prep to Year 12. Across the district, state schools operate at Brigalow, Hopelands, Auburn River, Burra Burri and Kogan.

The Chinchilla campus of Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE proactively partners with industry and business to provide employees with appropriate skills. A hostel, Leichhardt House, provides accommodation for students attending schools in Chinchilla, with preference given to students from remote homes who are in high school. An outstanding feature of education in Chinchilla is the widespread availability of choice, with small class numbers.

Residents of the Chinchilla region are spoiled for choice with medical facilities. Chinchilla has a fully equipped hospital, with its own operating theatre, accident and emergency ward and maternity award. It currently has 25 acute beds, four maternity beds and 20 long stay places. Other hospital services include inpatient and outpatient care, social work, physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health, community health services, a women's clinic and x-ray facility.

Full community health services exist to cover home visits, home nursing, child care and immunisations, and alcohol and drug support. Five general practitioners, a speech therapist, physiotherapists, an occupational therapist, optometrist, podiatrist and two chiropractors work in Chinchilla town. In addition, a visiting surgeon and obstetrician/gynaecologist, physician, mental health team, psychologist and dietician regularly visit the town. There is a private dental practice with two dentists and a hygienist, as well as a public dental hospital. Natural therapists are located within or regularly visit the district. For people who are elderly or require high care nursing, Illoura Village offers 18 high-care beds and 34 low-care beds, as well as independent living areas.

Chinchilla has high quality facilities, over and above the expected standard for a regional town. The centrepiece is Chinchilla's Cultural Centre - an award-winning, 700-seat auditorium and cinema, with function room, theatrette, outdoor patio, bar and kitchen. It forms part of the Heeney Street Civic Precinct, encompassing shire offices, the White Gums Gallery, library and public amenities. Nearby, the Chinchilla Aquatic Centre offers a 25m indoor heated pool, 50m outdoor pool and gymnasium.

Throughout the district, social infrastructure is at an equally high level. Strong community service groups such as Apex, Lions and Rotary drive a number of high quality community initiatives and projects. Chinchilla Weir includes picnic shelters, public amenities and a public boat ramp. The annual campdraft, which started in 1923, attracts competitors from all over the nation while sporting facilities for golf, squash, bowls, tennis, cricket, rugby league, soccer, racing and polocrosse are exceptional. The cricket oval has floodlighting for night games.