South Gippsland finds its own solutions to public transport 'deserts'
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On a tidy back street in Leongatha, a minibus is getting ready to depart.
The driver conducts some final safety checks before pulling away from the Leongatha Community House and heading into town.
Its first stop is the home of Leongatha local Yvonne Osborne, who is on her way to visit a friend in Korumburra, 15 minutes down the road.
Unable to drive and with no access to public transport, she relies on the bus to visit friends and attend appointments.
She is not the only one.
Soon, the seats fill up with elderly commuters, some with health and mobility issues, all on their way to town for shopping, medical appointments, or lunch.
Ms Osborne said the service was life-changing for her.
She no longer had to rely on her nieces, who lived in Melbourne, to get her where she needed to go.
Leongatha Community House manager Maddison Redpath said the area was "a transport desert".
"They can catch taxis … but a lot of people who are accessing this service are on pensions, so it allows them to do it at a more affordable cost," she said.
The minibus makes the round trip from Leongatha to Korumburra every Wednesday.
Up to 13 people can fit on board, each paying $6 to help with running costs.
Ms Redpath said the dream was to run the bus for free.
"Unfortunately, in regional Victoria, there are an awful lot of them where there's no service at all," Dr Currie said.
"The people that end up being isolated in these cases certainly have lower opportunities in life, they struggle to get to activities they would like to get to … and that can go as far as health." Dr Currie said the alternative for many people was to move to another town with better public transport, even if it meant leaving family and friends behind.
He said that while community services filled a gaping hole, a comprehensive solution to the problem needed the attention of all levels of government.
The line was progressively closed from the 1950s.
The region is now serviced by sporadic regional V/Line buses, which connect some of the shire's major towns along a bus line to Yarram.
South Gippsland Shire Mayor John Schelling said better public transport would allow people to access outer-suburban hospitals and make it easier for tourists to visit Wilsons Promontory.
Mr Schelling said a lack of public transport would hinder the growing offshore wind farm industry, forcing workers to rely on cars.
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said this year's state budget included funding for more frequent coach services between Leongatha and Yarram, which were expected to begin next year.
The large regional centre of Mildura, in the state's north west, does not have any passenger rail services.
Residents of Gippsland's Bass Coast Shire are also forced to rely on occasional buses to its tourist hotspots.
Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead said the municipality had become car-dependent.
"It's critical that we have those services right across Bass Coast, linking all of our towns and then linking from Bass Coast into the broader Melbourne regions," she said.
The recent state budget included funding to continue bus services in Bass Coast, including the Anderson to Cowes service, Bass Coast and South Gippsland TAFE bus, and Wonthaggi to Leongatha service via Inverloch.
By Danielle Kutchel
The driver conducts some final safety checks before pulling away from the Leongatha Community House and heading into town.
Its first stop is the home of Leongatha local Yvonne Osborne, who is on her way to visit a friend in Korumburra, 15 minutes down the road.
Unable to drive and with no access to public transport, she relies on the bus to visit friends and attend appointments.
She is not the only one.
Jennifer Fleming and Lanie Verboon, volunteer drivers, finish their first trip to Korumburra for the day. (ABC Gippsland: Danielle Kutchel)
Soon, the seats fill up with elderly commuters, some with health and mobility issues, all on their way to town for shopping, medical appointments, or lunch.
Ms Osborne said the service was life-changing for her.
She no longer had to rely on her nieces, who lived in Melbourne, to get her where she needed to go.
Leongatha Community House manager Maddison Redpath said the area was "a transport desert".
"They can catch taxis … but a lot of people who are accessing this service are on pensions, so it allows them to do it at a more affordable cost," she said.
The Leongatha Community House bus departs for the day. (ABC Gippsland: Danielle Kutchel)
The minibus makes the round trip from Leongatha to Korumburra every Wednesday.
Up to 13 people can fit on board, each paying $6 to help with running costs.
Ms Redpath said the dream was to run the bus for free.
'No service at all'
Monash University public transport researcher Professor Graham Currie said young people, the elderly, Aboriginal communities, and people with disability were most affected by public transport deserts."Unfortunately, in regional Victoria, there are an awful lot of them where there's no service at all," Dr Currie said.
Residents get ready to board the Leongatha Community Bus into town. (Supplied: Leongatha Community House)
"The people that end up being isolated in these cases certainly have lower opportunities in life, they struggle to get to activities they would like to get to … and that can go as far as health." Dr Currie said the alternative for many people was to move to another town with better public transport, even if it meant leaving family and friends behind.
He said that while community services filled a gaping hole, a comprehensive solution to the problem needed the attention of all levels of government.
Towns 'forgotten'
South Gippsland once had a passenger V/Line train line that had services between Melbourne and Leongatha with branches to more distant towns.The line was progressively closed from the 1950s.
The region is now serviced by sporadic regional V/Line buses, which connect some of the shire's major towns along a bus line to Yarram.
Maddison Redpath, Jennifer Fleming and Lanie Verboon are from Leongatha Community House. (ABC Gippsland: Danielle Kutchel)
South Gippsland Shire Mayor John Schelling said better public transport would allow people to access outer-suburban hospitals and make it easier for tourists to visit Wilsons Promontory.
Mr Schelling said a lack of public transport would hinder the growing offshore wind farm industry, forcing workers to rely on cars.
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said this year's state budget included funding for more frequent coach services between Leongatha and Yarram, which were expected to begin next year.
Dependent on cars
South Gippsland Shire is not the only regional area in Victoria without adequate public transport.The large regional centre of Mildura, in the state's north west, does not have any passenger rail services.
Residents of Gippsland's Bass Coast Shire are also forced to rely on occasional buses to its tourist hotspots.
Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead said the municipality had become car-dependent.
"It's critical that we have those services right across Bass Coast, linking all of our towns and then linking from Bass Coast into the broader Melbourne regions," she said.
The recent state budget included funding to continue bus services in Bass Coast, including the Anderson to Cowes service, Bass Coast and South Gippsland TAFE bus, and Wonthaggi to Leongatha service via Inverloch.
By Danielle Kutchel
