The Big Vision

In the early 1970’s Albury-Wodonga was chosen to become the first centre for national growth. Prime Minister, Mr Gough Whitlam, the NSW Premier, Sir Robert Askin, and the Victorian Premier, Mr Rupert Hamer, met on 25 January 1973 and agreed to develop Albury-Wodonga into a major inland city, with a population of some 300 000 by the year 2000.

The Albury Wodonga Development Corporation was established in 1974 and began purchasing and developing large tracts of land. It held a total of 24,079 hectares.

John Alker-Jones was part of those exciting times, working on a project without precedent in Australian history. We spoke with John at the Gateway Lakes rowing club on Gateway Island, on the big vision of the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation.

Parklands gratefully acknowledge the support of the NSW Government, through the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the Heritage Council NSW, to make these Hume and Hovell Track stories.