Forum Replies Created
Dalby is not in the centre of the Coal/Gas market.
It is still driven by cattle.
The workers need to be further west, around Chinchilla, Miles, Wandoan or Roma.
The workers in Dalby are occupied around the Kogan area and there is no more demand through there.
Go west young man!!China's need for coal wont stop if their economy slows.
They dont have enough of their own and what they dont take will go to India.
If you had been in Wandoan a bit more than 12 months you would have seen that coal is the smallest part of the towns growth.
The missing link railway, coal seam gas, gas pipelines to gladstone, these are all providing the manpower more than Xstrata.
We identified this when we did our research and bought in Wandoan 7 years ago and this is why we are still holding there.
Wandoan will become the next Port Hedland within 15 yearscamnlisa wrote:Hi Icegoffy, it will never flood – Dysart physically can't flood,
Lisa
Thats what they thought in Toowoomba
Perhaps another way to look at it would be to ask the question – "Am i so morally corrupt that i will do whatever it takes to get the FHOG rather than live an honourable honest life?"
The amount of money involved in the FHOG is insignificant in the long term, and dont forget it belongs to the Australian taxpayer not the tooth fairyHere is an article out of today's Australia.
01/02/10 Xstrata in $15bn Queensland coalmine bonanza
ANGLO-SWISS miner Xstrata is hatching plans to build a huge 100-million-tonnes-a-year thermal coal operation in Queensland that could cost $15 billion and rival the Hunter Valley as the nation's biggest coal-producing region.
Xstrata, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, and its Japanese joint venture partners intend to expand almost fivefold the current planned output of 22 million tonnes a year near the small town of Wandoan, 400km northwest of Brisbane, in the next 10 to 20 years.
The plans come as Xstrata chief executive Mick Davis calls an end to nearly a decade of aggressive growth by acquisition, saying his company will now focus on organic growth.
Xstrata's plans are ambitious. By comparison, Newcastle, the world's biggest coal port, ships about 90 million tonnes of coal a year, while Queensland currently produces less than 45 million tonnes a year of thermal coal.
Thermal coal is used in power stations.
Coking coal, which is higher quality, is used to make steel. It is mostly exported from Queensland.
According to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, global coal consumption is forecast to grow almost 40 per cent in the next 20 years as electricity demand increases.
Xstrata Coal's chief development officer, Jeff Gerard, told The Australian that Wandoan was expected to expand in four stages and could be producing 100 million tonnes a year sometime in the 2020s.
"Xstrata Coal is developing all of this based on a strong view of demand," Mr Gerard said yesterday. "We will be maintaining our lead position as a thermal coal exporter.
"Growing demand globally means there are a number of basins that will need to open up around the world, and Wandoan is ranked highly against all others in terms of quality, cost and proximity to port."
Last year, Xstrata tried unsuccessfully to merge with AngloAmerican in a deal that would have created Australia's biggest coal producer, among other achievements.
In a presentation at the end of last year, Mr Davis told investors not to hold their breath for another company-transforming acquisition.
While it may make bolt-on acquisitions, Xstrata was focusing on making existing assets perform and developing new ones, he said.
All coal from the first Wandoan mine, which will be one of Australia's biggest, could be exported through Gladstone's planned Wiggins Island terminal.
If Wandoan is expanded, under Xstrata's plan to have four mines each producing 25 million tonnes a year there, coal would probably be shipped through Xstrata's planned Port Alma terminal to the north of Gladstone.
Port Alma is being designed to handle 35 million tonnes a year, but could be expanded.
Xstrata owns 75 per cent of the Wandoan leases, with Itochu and Sumitomo owning 12.5 per cent each.
Xstrata says the area could contain between four and 7.7 billion tonnes of coal. About $3bn will be spent building the first mine at Wandoan, which is currently going through the approvals process, and about the same again for infrastructure. Construction is to start next year, with first coal exports in 2014. The three other mines are expected to cost $2bn-$3bn each, with lower infrastructure costs.
The ETS and any resource rent tax could affect the development, Xstrata said.
karen. wrote:current situation:
we bought it knowing it needed a restump but because it was going to be our "home" we were wanting to restump, raise the height, and build in underneith.Being in Mackay did you check whether you were in the cyclone flood plain.
It happens rarely but that is why many houses in the area are built on stumps.
Never becomes a problem unless someone builds in underneath.
Same goes for those looking at Brisvegas properties.
+ you lose the breezes underneath that help keep these old houses coolkaren. wrote:current situation:
we bought it knowing it needed a restump but because it was going to be our "home" we were wanting to restump, raise the height, and build in underneith.Being in Mackay did you check whether you were in the cyclone flood plain.
It happens rarely but that is why many houses in the area are built on stumps.
Never becomes a problem unless someone buids in underneath.
Same goes for those looking at Brisvegas properties.
+ you lose the breezes underneath that help keep these old houses coolI would like to provide a response to some of the above post
SteveHarryPotter wrote:[ note for those of you thinking of doing this you cant get accommodation in either town, they are booked solid 12 months out……so I stayed in Rocky]Anyone who needs a bed in Wandoan can rent my fully furnished 1 bedroom cottage in the middle of town on a nightly basis @ $100 per night.
I only use it 3 or 4 times a year so it is always available, clean and serviced.HarryPotter wrote:Wandoan, well there is only 2 agents in town and the guy I spoke to only had a few properties available. The rents are all over the place but some Xstrata execs are due in town around March with some major announcement due from them about April/May.
This place is simmering and will go off once the rail line is officially announced as a go ahead. Was due before Xmas but still waiting. The rail line is a joint venture between Xstrata and a number of other firms who are paying for it to be built.The company building the rail line is ATEC and approval to commence was granted last week.
Research ATEC or Everald Compton for info.
This company is also building the Melbourne to Toowoomba link, which will result in a melbourne-brisbane-darwin link, which will be a godsend for this country.HarryPotter wrote:I can tell you the agents do get their cut with commissions though.My thoughts here as an existing owner is that Wandoan Realty, run by Ray Mortimer is the only agent to deal with.
He has a vast knowledge of the area and the customer service he provides to owners would put most agents to shame.
He looks after all maintenance, cleaning, laundry & furniture issues for me and i couldnt be happier.
I have found his overall cost to be far cheaper in the long run than the agents i use on the sunshine coast, Roxby Downs and Cairns.
This may come across as a plug, but i believe that credit should be given when its due, just as much as complaints should tooWantingToInvest wrote:I'm thinking of Dalby as well. Even though there is a lot of land…people still want to be near the centre of town which will still stay mostly in the same place.
I hear there is a big Engineering firm building offices at the moment…good news I think!Ostwald, at the edge of town, also Black Toyota and the one thing that means the most – Ergon has just built TWO new substations
DodgerC wrote:Have been nosing around Wandoan and it appears that it is in the phase of the calm before the storm. Also Chinchilla and Miles are in line for more infrastructure projects with a new mine started near Chinchilla. Have you any further thoughts scedd
Wandoan is the starting point for the new railway line to Banana (ATEC) which will take all the Surat Basin coal to ports at Gladstone, Bowen & Mackay.
Wandoan is the location of the new Xstrata mine which will be the largest coal mine in OZ (30 million tons per year)
Wandoan is getting a coal seam gas power station, built by GE from the USA
Wandoan is getting a water pipeline from the Natan dam, 85kms away, which has got Govt approval.
Wandoan has got Cougar Energy & Arrow Energy drilling for Coal seam Gas.
Wandoan has the Cockatoo coal mine.
Wandoan has Xstrata to the west, native title issues to the south, floodplain to the east and the airport to the north. There is nowhere for the town to grow, so existing land is becoming a premium.
Wandoan is getting a 1200 man camp by RED for the Xstrata single men workers, so the families and managers will be looking for accommodation in town.
Hows that for a monotonous reply.
And in case anyone is wondering why i sold the house, i have been presented with my 1st grandughter. so i liquidated 2 properties and bought my son and his wife a house.
Isnt that why we do this.
I can provide links and info to anyone who doesnt believe or is interested.
SteveIts time to have a look at Wandoan, but avoid the really cheap houses as they need full reno's and the mining and drilling companies in town are looking for clean tidy furnished houses.
We just sold a 5 bedroom on 1012sqm for 235k, settles next monday.
It is furnished and is leased for $450 per week.
It cost us 195k 18 months ago, but it had 3 blocks on 3 titles for a total of 3036 sqm.
We de-amalgamated the blocks and are building units on both of these, unless someone wants 1/2 an acre in town.
Come March next year you wont rent here under 1k a weekcarpe_diem wrote:….whatever you decide to do don't look back ever.
Carpegood advise – no regrets and dont EVER look back
Unless your walking along a nudie beach
i am going to go the other way.
If you can afford it and its all you can afford, then anything IS better than nothing.
After all, unless you lock the money away and dont touch it, this is enforced savings and it will help your credit history when you do want a loan.
But do your sums first!!newbi2 wrote:Hi Steve,I looked at Wandoan just over 12 months ago, with the same thought as you. I got the feeling that the mines have learnt this time around as most of the land for sale had already been purchased by the mines themselves and when I spoke to a few locals, the feeling was the mine was going to build their own workers accomodations. I dont know if that has changed at all in the last year. Be interesting to see if anyone has any more recent info.
Mick
I looked at it a different way to you.
My thoughts are that the miners camps will be for single men.
The families, managers and those who dont like camp life will want to live in town, as well as the support industries.
With the coal seam gas coming of age, i dont think the town will need Xstrata to boom anymore.
I think Arrow energy may be enough, with the railway and water pipeline.
Anyone else?i have been watching this topic for a while, waiting to see if anyone has identified the next town to go off with mining.
For my 2 bobs worth , i think it will be Wandoan.
With coal seam gas, Cockatoo mine, Xstrata's new mine (the biggest in OZ), the missing link railway & the Nathan dam,
this place will have to start booming.
Has anyone got any comments or opinions.
Thanks,
Steve
