Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/142338
diggingdeep jetty, and the town entered the history books when a solo Japanese plane dropped three bombs on its airstrip in May 1943 – thankfully with no casualties. Seventy years on, Chevron's presence in Onslow is the biggest thing to happen to the town since that historic incident. Chevron has committed $250 million to social infrastructure projects for Onslow, including a desalination plant for the town's water, a new power station, upgraded health services, expansion of school and childcare facilities, a picnic and playground area, an aquatic and recreational centre and major upgrades to Onslow Airport. With these changes, there are unavoidable growing pains. The small town's population is expected to treble to more than 2,200 over the next five years. Carol Stratford from the Onslow Visitors Centre says, "Yellow shirts are everywhere and you just don't know everybody anymore." Long-time resident Nelly Wright says those residents not linked to the boom have been hit hardest. "The atmosphere and structure of our little town is changing – and I'm not sure if it's for the best or not." Ms Wright worries about the diminishing numbers of 'grey nomad' tourists, who once sought out their slow-paced town. "They are coming here less and less, and the rising prices of fuel, food and accommodation [are] having a negative effect," she says. Accommodation for locals and service workers currently presents the biggest challenge. According to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, the 2013 median house price in Onslow is $940,000, nearly triple the statewide regional average of $370,000, with an average rental price of $1,600 a week, more than four times the average for the rest of regional Western Australia. Three-bedroom homes in town are on the "Seventy years on, Chevron's presence in Onslow is the biggest thing to happen to the town." Previous page and above: Red sky along the Pilbara coast as a result of a sandstorm; the remains of Onslow Old Town, beaten by the elements. market for $1.2 million and commanding up to $3,000 a week in rent. These prices are pushing the locals out, observes Ms Wright. "A lot of old Onslow residents are leaving town; the town is changing very quickly. We can't stop progress – we know that – but it is sad to see it not be the same old town it used to be." Probably the busiest couple in town since the recent influx of workers from around the world are the managers of Onslow's only post office. Their office system was definitely not designed for the extra business. With the growing cost of living in Onslow and the far greater range of goods available online, many residents and FIFO workers are ordering supplies over the internet at better prices. Online shopping parcels make up about 75 per cent of the daily post that fills Onslow's small office. Chevron says that it has consulted extensively with the community and the shire in a bid to address their concerns, and is building a 5,000-bed camp to house workers and relieve rental market pressures. With construction now well underway, local businesses are already benefitting from one of Australia's largest resource projects. Estimated to create 6,500 jobs, directly and indirectly, during peak construction and to spend $17 billion on Australian goods and services over the life of the project, Chevron is 33