The suggestion of Sydney's second airport being established at Wilton would be a huge boost for the Illawarra. The only objection raised by some residents seems to relate to aircraft noise, but the Wollongong/Shellharbour coastal plain is nestled fifteen hundred feet lower than the escarpment - and Wilton is twenty miles further inland, hence aircraft taking off and landing will have sufficient height distance to remove noise as a factor.
An airport at Wilton will deliver the answer to so many of the problems that plague this region.
The first bonus will be jobs - jobs - jobs. Not only will building an airport be a jobs bonanza that runs for years, manning the huge complex that is an airport today will soak up thousands of people permanently - and it is a proven fact that employers usually favour those who live closest to their place of employment.
We have been constantly urging an upgrade of our Sydney rail connection. The existing rail line was constructed in the pick and shovel, horse and cart era and the topography makes taking out all the bends and curves impossible. The only answer that has been suggested is a costly new tunnel connecting Thirroul with Waterfall, but the necessity of a rail connection between Wilton airport and Sydney opens up a whole new ball game. A shorter tunnel connecting Wollongong to the other side of the escarpment to access that rail line opens up the prospect of high speed rail.
Another Illawarra dream has been a decent expressway between Wollongong and Sydney for road users. We have the F6 connecting us as far as Heathcote, but that road extension from the south remains just a vacant land corridor. The infrastructure necessary to make Wilton a reality will demand both a decent rail and road link - and that can only mean the F6 extension becoming a reality - and delivering the ready access that we have been denied for so long.
Unfortunately, the good news is subjected to the reality that even if the airport got an immediate government decision, it would be at least a decade - and probably a lot longer - before we would see the first planes in the sky overhead.
Planning and building an airport involves the bureaucracy - and the bureaucracy moves at snails pace. There will need to be an enquiry to determine the pros and cons, and when that is settled there will be the usual bun fight over land acquisitions and compensation payments. Then all sorts of experts will crawl out of the woodwork to have their say on the environmental issues that need to be settled. It would not be surprising if some rare form of insect, flower or animal was found to inhabit the site.
The actual work of building a modern airport will involve the efforts of world class companies and it is possible that no Australian company has the capacity to undertake a job of this size. We are talking about a project running into billions - which some will compare with that of the Snowy Mountain scheme of last century.
Wilton airport will be the long term salvation of the Illawarra, but just don't get too excited - too soon.
The beneficiaries are most likely to be the tiny tots who are presently enrolled in pre-schools around this area - and the kids who are yet to be born. !
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