Emergency response - Dial “000” to report a potentially life-threatening issue such as a fire, medical emergency or a vehicle accident. They will ask you pertinent questions, including the address of the incident. The address is obviously crucial, and GPS positioning data is invaluable if you have it. The “000” service will sort out which local service body responds, whether it’s medical (ambulance), fire (CFA) or car accident/flood/storm (SES).

CFA Country Fire Authority - All three villages have a CFA presence. If it’s a life threatening emergency you don’t have to contact them directly – the “000” service will contact them, and experts there will work out which one or more is best to respond. It’s best to remember that those vehicles and trucks are staffed by volunteers from your local community. SES has a separate phone for non-life threatening issues at 132 500.

Communications - The beautiful landscape country with a 1000 hills means not all internet and phone providers are available in all areas. Talking to your neighbours and asking questions on your community facebook group are the best ways to find out which internet providers work better in your specific location. The networks coverage maps are a rough guide only, and be sceptical of specific advice from the retail outlets.

Power - Ausnet Services is the sole energy provider or distributor in Gippsland, but they are not a retailer themselves. You’ll have to sift through the many offers to find a provider that fits your bill.

The Victorian Government website compare.energy.vic.gov.au provides some useful price comparison information, but the assumptions that they use as a base are quite broad and may not apply to you. However, you have to start somewhere! Each will have a number of plans, and finding the best takes time – and actual data on your usage! You’ll need first to find a retailer, and monitor your usage over a 12 month or so period. Most homes in Victoria are fitted with a smart meter and Ausnet’s www.myhomeenergy.com.au website can give you half-hourly data on peak and off-peak usage (plus any solar feed-in). It is the only way to accurately monitor and manage your ongoing power usage to help lower your bills and use less energy. To register with Myhomeenergy you’ll need your NMI number, which is provided on bills. Discounts are available for pensioners and some other categories, and are applied by the retailer on your monthly bill. Keep an eye out for Victorian and Commonwhealth government relief packages. All you need to know about the Victorian energy system, including discounts, is at www.energy.vic.gov.au

Water - South Gippsland Water (SGW) takes care of the infrastructure and supply of water (chlorinated) to your urban residential areas. Water is pumped into the Poowong Water Tower and fed from there and other sources to the three villages. If you are connected to the town water there will be a standard above ground water meter somewhere near your property boundary. Check out its whereabouts! Water pressure problems? Upgrading and leaks of Mains water usually means underground boring or trench digging on your/Council’s nature strips. SG Water does a great job remediating the damaged area by topsoil, seeding and re-filling any sunken areas for 12 months after job completion. Then responsibility is taken over by SG Council. During this initial 12 months, SG Water are keen to hear of any subsidence issues, so contact them on 1300 851636 “Faults”.

Don't be surprised to receive separate Water bills from two different organisations. It seems strange and it is a little unusual. South Gippsland Water (SGW) will bill you for a service charge or water supply and sewerage system and a usage (or volumetric) charge. That’s the bigger bill. The other is a smaller (quarterly) bill from South East Water, which is actually in turn billing for another party – Melbourne Water. Melbourne Water is the caretaker of the health of our river system covering the Lang Lang, Bass and Little Bass Rivers. It’s actually a Waterways and Drainage levy, for the management – not the supply – of drainage and sewerage services. For residents, this charge is currently $118.16 and for rural $64.88. Business owners pay a different (higher) rate. Everyone on rate-able properties in the Loch, Nyora and Poowong areas are in the catchment area and should be paying it. If you’re not, think yourself lucky. Of course, you could do some self-reporting to keep those rivers healthy. You can find more by about waterways and drainage levy at www.melbournewater.com.au

Stormwater and Drainage - Your excess drain water from your roof or property will find its way into a stormwater system. South Gippsland Shire Council is the actual agency responsible for the provision and maintenance of minor drains and the management of any stormwater overflows from its drainage system. If you own a property, you are responsible for ensuring that water from roofs, paving and paths is collected in underground pipes and directed to the legal point of discharge so that water runoff does not affect other property owners. Problems with water flow between neighbouring properties are generally a civil matter to be resolved between the property owners.

Sewerage discharge (sometimes called waste water) - South Gippsland Water (SGW) has progressively supplied almost all smaller town household blocks in the three villages with a Pressure Power System. This involves underground storage on your block via a collection tank and pump unit to grind waste and force out water; and a pump control panel (attached to an exterior wall of the house) with sensors. The sensors should both report blockages to the SGW central control system, and to automatically pump out your tank before it becomes full.

Household/kerbside waste collection - General waste (red bins) are collected weekly in all three villages – that is, early Wednesday morning, so put your bins out on Tuesday. Yellow (recycling) and green (plants) bins are collected fortnightly, also on Wednesdays. Loch and Poowong share the same red/yellow pick-up days, with Nyora the alternate week. Search “Waste and Re-cycling” for further info, including a link to calendar covering the pick-up schedule of red, yellow and green bins in the Shire on www.southgippsland.vic.gov.au

Waste transfer Stations - All waste may be dropped off, for a fee at one or more of several Council landfill or transfer stations. Korumburra is the closest for most of us, but please note that certain nearby towns (e.g. Warragul, Drouin) are in a separate Shire, and will generally not accept your waste. It’s important to check the SG Council website for opening hours and conditions at Korumburra and other Shire stations.

Annual free green waste drop off - A free “clean” Green Waste disposal (called an amnesty) is provided within the South Gippsland Shire at any of Council’s transfer stations. It starts from the Saturday prior to the Melbourne Cup (early November) until the end of December. This apparently goes through a different composting process to the green fortnightly pick-up service, and this particular free disposal does not allow certain nuisance materials, listed on the Council’s website. Most of these nuisance plants can be disposed via the fortnightly green bin pick-up, as normal.