Mildura

[Modbury_Man]

Whilst not part if SA, Mildura is closer to Adelaide than Melbourne and if it were in SA, Mildura would be our largest regional centre by a long shot.

Now with Rex cutting Adelaide to Mildura flights, there's literally no public transport direct from Adelaide to Mildura. Qantaslink pulled out of the route during Covid, Greyhound stopped running it's Adelaide to Sydney service years ago, and the Mildura to Renmark 'shuttle' coach (connecting with the Adelaide to Renmark coach) ceased in late 2020.

It just seems strange that neither State Government has picked up on this big gap in regional transport nor has there been much noise from the community from what I can tell?

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/rex-cu ... ne-routes/

[claybro]

Whilst not part if SA, Mildura is closer to Adelaide than Melbourne and if it were in SA, Mildura would be our largest regional centre by a long shot.

Now with Rex cutting Adelaide to Mildura flights, there's literally no public transport direct from Adelaide to Mildura. Qantaslink pulled out of the route during Covid, Greyhound stopped running it's Adelaide to Sydney service years ago, and the Mildura to Renmark 'shuttle' coach (connecting with the Adelaide to Renmark coach) ceased in late 2020.

It just seems strange that neither State Government has picked up on this big gap in regional transport nor has there been much noise from the community from what I can tell?

Just on Mildura. Although closer to Adelaide =, it is well connected to Melbourne-but even then there is no direct train. There is a significant distance between Renmark and Mildura by road -with nothing much in between, so it is easy to see why the SA state government would ignore the link. Unfortunately-with regional state rail systems stranded within their local states, it really has a detrimental on regional cities, like Mt Gambier, and Mildura. If the state government of SA had any desire for regional rail, they could upgrade the rail through the Riverland and get Victoria to assist fund upgrade/construct the section, Renmark to Mildurra. It would significantly reduce pressure on the roads for freight, cars and buses, and create a tourism boom for those regions. Likewise if the SE had a semi fast regional train Adelaide-Mt Gambier and then on to Portland, Warrnambool through to Melbourne- it would also assist SE SA and Western Victoria become stronger regions in trade and tourism. All freight should realisticaly go to the nearest Port...in the Milduras case would be Port Adelaide -SE SA would be Portland. Unfortunately interstate competition and rivalry will never allow it so now truck companies make a killing whilst tearing up regional roads which are in such bad disrepair it discourages tourism. In short- your observation is of a broken federal system where states are too much in competition to the detriment of local communities.

[Saltwater]

Worth noting that Victoria have recently introduced a $9.20 daily cap on transport within the state, so someone could theoretically go from Mildura to Melbourne return, same day, and only pay $9.20.

No idea what it costs to run the service, but an example of Melbourne asserting it's primacy in capturing a city (Mildura) within it's economic zone where another capital (Adelaide) is closer. You'd have to ask what the economic benefit to SA would be if we were to offer an equivalent service into Mildura, with similar pricing, and what the return would be.

Here's another example where Mt Gambier residents are using the fare cap to catch buses into Victoria, which I'm sure Spring Street have no concerns with if it means people are spending money in Vic: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/ ... /102301720

[rev]

Whilst not part if SA, Mildura is closer to Adelaide than Melbourne and if it were in SA, Mildura would be our largest regional centre by a long shot.

Now with Rex cutting Adelaide to Mildura flights, there's literally no public transport direct from Adelaide to Mildura. Qantaslink pulled out of the route during Covid, Greyhound stopped running it's Adelaide to Sydney service years ago, and the Mildura to Renmark 'shuttle' coach (connecting with the Adelaide to Renmark coach) ceased in late 2020.

It just seems strange that neither State Government has picked up on this big gap in regional transport nor has there been much noise from the community from what I can tell?

Just on Mildura. Although closer to Adelaide =, it is well connected to Melbourne-but even then there is no direct train. There is a significant distance between Renmark and Mildura by road -with nothing much in between, so it is easy to see why the SA state government would ignore the link. Unfortunately-with regional state rail systems stranded within their local states, it really has a detrimental on regional cities, like Mt Gambier, and Mildura. If the state government of SA had any desire for regional rail, they could upgrade the rail through the Riverland and get Victoria to assist fund upgrade/construct the section, Renmark to Mildurra. It would significantly reduce pressure on the roads for freight, cars and buses, and create a tourism boom for those regions. Likewise if the SE had a semi fast regional train Adelaide-Mt Gambier and then on to Portland, Warrnambool through to Melbourne- it would also assist SE SA and Western Victoria become stronger regions in trade and tourism. All freight should realisticaly go to the nearest Port...in the Milduras case would be Port Adelaide -SE SA would be Portland. Unfortunately interstate competition and rivalry will never allow it so now truck companies make a killing whilst tearing up regional roads which are in such bad disrepair it discourages tourism. In short- your observation is of a broken federal system where states are too much in competition to the detriment of local communities.

Sending trains from Adelaide to the Riverland and Mildura, going through the Barossa. Both state governments & feds contribute.
Connect it to the line between Victoria and NSW that runs through Wodonga-Albury, on to Canberra and Sydney.

[SBD]

...

Sending trains from Adelaide to the Riverland and Mildura, going through the Barossa. Both state governments & feds contribute.
Connect it to the line between Victoria and NSW that runs through Wodonga-Albury, on to Canberra and Sydney.

SA used to have trains through Gawler, Roseworthy, Eudunda to Morgan. It was a very busy route as it was key for moving freight between paddlesteamers on the Murray River to export through Port Adelaide. Morgan competed with Echuca for export freight from much of the Murray Darling Basin.

I think I've seen there was a proposal to extend the Morgan Line to meet the railway that crossed the Paringa Bridge and went west as far as Barmera, and even to go to Wentworth in New South Wales.

In 1932 there was a proposal to fill in the ten miles between Morkalla in Victoria and the state border and another ten miles to reach the Renmark line, but nothing ever came of it.