Rural Placement - Traralgon

General practices & community psychiatry at Traralgon, Moe, Warragul, Leongatha/Korumburra, Trafalgar and Sale. Women’s health based at Sale and Warragul (2006)

Site Description:

Traralgon is 157km southeast of Melbourne, reached directly via the Princes Highway. It is the largest city in the Latrobe Valley and currently undergoing expansion with new housing developments and shops.

The GRCS is based within the Latrobe Regional Hospital, the largest public hospital in Gippsland, with easy access to the wards and tutors.

Mention of the Latrobe Valley tends to bring to mind images of the huge Loy Yang Power Complex with open-cut coal mine and the Maryvale Paper Mill, Australia’s largest paper-making complex. In fact, the Valley is surrounded by vast areas of natural beauty. To the south are the Strzelecki Ranges with a number of scenic tourist drive routes, including the Grand Ridge Road through and the drive to the Tarra Bulga National Park replete with mountain ash, fern gullies, waterfall, bush walks and picnic areas. North of Traralgon are extensive alpine ranges which include such attractions as the ski resort of Mount Baw Baw, the Thompson Dam, horse riding in the high country, state and national parks, and the historic community of Walhalla (also reached by steam train). The Gippsland Lakes and Wilson’s Promontory are also within reach of a day or weekend trip. The Gippsland area is also known for its natural produce, much of which is good news for medical students: wineries, fruit farms, venison farms and cheese production.

What to bring:

Students placed at Traralgon are here for either:

• a full year (year 3s or year 4s doing all four disciplines here);
• a semester (year 4s doing general practice OR both women’s and children’s health);
• half a semester (year 4s doing only children’s health here); or
• one or more rotation during year 5.

Therefore what to bring will depend on your needs during the duration you are here. Some students bring their every wordly possession. Others maintain their property over a couple of locations (e.g. some at their parents’ place back in Melbourne). There is some limited opportunity to store some stuff over uni holidays, but this must be discussed well ahead of time with Julie Luke or Asra Bechaz.

Costs:

Accommodation is provided free of charge.   Travel between the accommodation and the hospital is at your own cost.   Travel for educational sessions are paid at 15c per km.   Students have access to the GRCS staff car if available.

What’s great about this site:

Students from various year levels have the opportunity to mix socially and support each other, as the numbers are not too small to feel isolated and not too large to feel anonymous. There is also overlap between tutors at the various year levels so students returning feel even more “at home”.

Tutors, medical practitioners and nursing and allied health staff are particularly friendly and helpful. The wards are friendly and patients generally very happy to see medical students.

We have a relatively small but devoted and enthusiastic staff who enjoy getting to know our students individually.

There is no battling with traffic while you study here - but Melbourne is close enough for an easy cruise down on weekends. Alternatively, there is enough going on, especially with sporting groups, that you can easily entertain yourself staying here over the weekend.

Accommodation:

Purpose built student accommodation is located at Moe (an easy 15-20 minute drive to Traralgon).  Accommodation is dormitory style and consists of eight bedrooms, communal kitchen, dining and a six-shower/toilet complex.   A unit is located on the lower level of the same building consisting of four rooms each with ensuite.

Along with this student accommodation two houses are located in Newborough (five minute drive from the Moe accommodation).

Students undertaking their general practice placement at Leongatha are provided with a two-bedroom unit close to the practice. This may be shared with another young professional as arranged with the GRCS manager.

Accommodation for Year 5 students is also available in the Monash University School of Rural Health building on the Latrobe Regional Hospital site.   Sixteen rooms are available with an ensuite shared for each two units.   A fully equipped communal kitchen, dining and lounge room plus laundry with appliances is also available.

Travel:

Train service to and from Melbourne to Moe, Morwell and Traralgon.   There are 12 services daily.  

By car the Traralgon site and Moe accommodation is off the M1 Freeway travelling on a dual carriage freeway.   Latrobe Regional Hospital is 16 km from Moe/Newborough.

Students can use the staff car park (at the rear of the hospital).   Alternatively it is possible to catch a v-line train to either Morwell or Traralgon and a bus (or taxi) from there.  Bus services are scheduled to meet the train at either station and there is a bus stop at the hospital.

Academic Contacts

Year 3 Coordinator – Associate Professor Daryl Pedler
Year 4 Coordinators -
 Dr Alisdair Barnes (General Practice & Women’s Health),
 Dr Radha Prabhu (Psychological Medicine) 
 Dr Joseph Tam (Children’s Health)
Year 5 Coordinator – Dr Michael Kunze

Administrative Contact

Clinical Site Administrator (Yrs 3-5) – Mrs Julie Luke