Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford visited Hamilton and announced $500,000 would be given to the $3.18 million project, which is being led by the Southern Grampians Shire Council.

“We’re proud to back this project and give Hamilton the support it needs,” Ms Pulford said. “Council is to be congratulated for bringing this project forward – the Hamilton economy has many strengths and this new industrial estate will build on these strengths.”

The estate will include 27 lots, each 2000 square metres in size.

It’s estimated the project will create 16 jobs during construction and at least 100 new jobs as the lots are filled. Council estimates show it will generate at least $12 million across the shire as the lots are occupied.

Southern Grampians Shire Council chief executive officer Michael Tudball said the project was “already off to a flying start”.

Mr Tudball said it was the biggest project of its kind in years, and the economic benefits would spread beyond Hamilton through the whole of the Southern Grampians and to the wider region, impacting on other centres such as Portland, Warrnambool, Mount Gambier and Horsham.

“This started with our economic development strategy nearly two years ago as our previous industrial estate was full in town,” Mr Tudball said.

The CEO said a survey was conducted to work out what type of lots needed to be developed.

“It was identified that for manufacturing, logistics, and transport, etc, they would need bigger lots to put developments on,” Mr Tudball said.

He said the lots were about double the size of those in traditional industrial estates.

Mr Tudball said six businesses had already expressed strong interest in purchasing lots. He said some of the lots, which will be set up with infrastructure including water access, roads and landscaping, will be constructed by the end of this year.

“This half a million allows us to put all that infrastructure in first,” Mr Tudball said.

“It would have had to be staged otherwise. This allows us to do it all at once.”