SHEARERS' quarters and rental accommodation as far away as Camperdown are being pressed into service to accommodate Mortlake power station workers as their numbers peak at about 450.
Stirling Draffen of "Heatherlie" at Hexham said he had been accommodating two power station workers in his shearers' quarters for the past eight months as well as another power station worker and his family in a farmhouse near Mortlake.
Mr Draffen said he had renovated the previously vacant farmhouse to house the family, which included four children.
He said he knew of other farmers in Mortlake and surrounding areas who had opened up farmhouses and other buildings on their properties to accommodate workers from the power station.
Among them is Neville Symons, of Ellerslie, who recently rented out a two-bedroom house at Koroit by placing a noticeboard on the side of the Hexham-Ballangeich Road, west of the power station.
Mr Symons said the notice board had been on the roadside for less than two weeks before the house was let by a man who had come from Sydney to work on the power project.
Waves of traffic, starting as early as 5am, carrying power station workers from Warrnambool and Koroit along the Hexham-Ballangeich Road ensured the notice got lots of exposure.
Other residents need only place a notice at the power station site advertising local accommodation to get a response. Brendan Williams, from James H. Monk's Terang real estate agency, said many of the workers had found accommodation in Warrnambool, particularly the younger ones who wanted a night life.
Mr Williams said there was no rental accommodation left in Terang, very little in Mortlake and some workers were travelling as far as Camperdown.
"We have had steady demand since June last year," he said. "We have placed about 25 workers in Terang and a further 15-16 in Mortlake."
The strong demand had pushed rents in Terang up to $350 a week and modest homes in Mortlake that previously fetched $135-$140 a week were now being let for up to $320.
A generous living away from home allowance for skilled workers such as electricians enabled them to pay high rents.
Mr Williams said there were workers in motels in Terang who were still desperately looking for longer-term accommodation.
About a quarter of the workforce comes from within a 100-kilometre radius of Mortlake with the bulk from Geelong, Melbourne, the Latrobe Valley and interstate.
The principal building contractors, Bilfinger Berger, also has a "family" of workers who travel with it to projects throughout the nation. It decided not to build an accommodation camp for workers because it believed they would be happier in the community.
Warrnambool Holiday Park is hosting some of the power station workers .
One of the park's owners, Lisa Moore, said about a dozen workers were resident there.
Some were staying for only a month but most had been at the park since before Christmas and would be there until next Christmas.
"We find them good guests," Mrs Moore said.
Moyne Shire Council chief executive officer Brett Stonestreet said the large number of energy projects proposed for the shire meant there could be a long-term demand for accommodation in the region.
However, Mr Stonestreet said that until many of the proposed energy projects were approved, developers were unlikely to invest in building accommodation to meet that expected demand.
Mr Williams said investors who had built accommodation in Mortlake to cater for the power station workers had been disappointed with the sale prices being fetched.
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