Medical practitioners and their families enjoy a wonderful lifestyle in the city of Wagga Wagga. Set on the beautiful Murrumbidgee River in a picturesque rural region, Wagga Wagga has all the facilities and services of a large metropolitan city. With its growing population of 60,000 and steady growth in industry, business and service organisations, the future is bright for Wagga Wagga.

Medical Services in Wagga Wagga

GENERAL PRACTITIONERS
There are over 30 GPs either working full-time or part-time in the city of Wagga Wagga with visiting rights to both Wagga Wagga Base Hospital and Calvary Private Hospital.

The Wagga Wagga and District Division of General Practice is a professional network for GPs that provides links with other health professionals, community groups and health organisations. The Division supports local GPs with recruitment, locum placement, and provides a mechanism for GP involvement in health policy decision making, local updates in obstetrics, anaesthetics, paediatrics and mental health. The Division also coordinates the Rural Health Education Foundation satellite broadcasts which occur 2 - 3 times per month.

The Rural Health Training Unit located at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital plays an important role in developing and coordinating programs to meet the particular training needs of health providers in South Western NSW.

In 1998 the Federal Government committed $11.2 million over four years plus $2 million in capital funding to develop a Clinical School in Wagga Wagga. The school will be established in conjunction with University of NSW, Charles Sturt University and Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. This will allow 20% of UNSW medical students to undertake their clinical training in Wagga Wagga and the Riverina area.

WAGGA WAGGA BASE HOSPITAL

Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is the regional referral hospital of the Greater Murray Health Service. This 222-bed acute regional hospital and has specialists in most major disciplines: medicine, paediatrics, surgery, orthopaedics, anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT, ophthalmology, geriatrics rehabilitation, psychiatry and emergency medicine services. The Emergency Department has 3 staff specialists and has a major trauma role. The Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is a significant teaching hospital boasting registrars in medical, surgical, orthopaedics, anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, with a number of resident medical officers and medical students and is a primary allocation centre.

The hospital is serviced by more than 60 VMOs and staffed by Registrars and RMOs. Community nursing, oncology and palliative care, renal dialysis, the Pregnancy Education and Support Center and services for psycho-geriatric patients are also available at the hospital. Located approximately midway between Sydney and Melbourne, the City of Wagga Wagga has a population of 58,000 providing an excellent country lifestyle with the social, recreational and business amenities of a major rural city.

REGIONAL IMAGING RIVERINA

REGIONAL IMAGING RIVERINA provides a level of diagnostic and therapeutic medical imaging services previously only available in metropolitan centres. Their state of the art equipment includes: General Radiography, Helical q Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, DSA, Cardiac Catheterisation and MRI with Echo-Planar capabilities.

OTHER SERVICES

Other health related services in Wagga Wagga include five pathology laboratories, seven nursing homes, four retirement villages and four early childhood centres.

Community Health services include child and family health, adult health, mental health, developmental disabilities, rehabilitation and geriatrics, sexual health, aboriginal health, women's health, drug and alcohol, sexual assault and health education.

Wagga Wagga Ambulance Service has an accredited rescue unit and provides a 24-hour service for emergency and non-emergency cases.

SPECIALISTS
Over 40 specialists service the city of Wagga Wagga in the specialties of general surgery, vascular surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, medical imaging, pathology, oncology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, ENT, anaesthetics, psychiatry, urology, cardiology and general medicine.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
The Division of General Practice provides and coordinates an ongoing relevant Continuing Medical Education Program in Wagga Wagga and surrounding towns.

CALVARY HOSPITAL
Calvary Hospital is a well-established 100 bed private hospital in the Riverina providing acute surgical, medical and obstetric services in a fully renovated modern facility. On-site services include a cardiovascular and physiology centre, medical imaging unit providing comprehensive services, pathology laboratory and collection centre, and private practitioner consulting suites.

LIFESTYLE FEATURES OF WAGGA WAGGA

PEOPLE
Approximately 60,000 people are currently living in Wagga Wagga. There has been a strong population growth (17.1%) since 1981 and the population is projected to exceed 70,000 by the year 2013, 90% of the population are Australian born and 40% will be from non-English speaking backgrounds. There is a lower than average proportion (9.7%) of people in the 65 year and older group.

EMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESS

Employment is concentrated in the industries of retail/wholesale trade, government administration and defence, education and health and community services. This reflects Wagga Wagga's status as an administrative centre and the presence of large defence establishments namely the RAAF Base and Kapooka Military Camp. Wagga Wagga is the retail and service centre for the Riverina Region and enjoys a shopping population of over 200,000. Wagga Wagga provides all the benefits of big city shopping with numerous shopping centres, supermarkets, national retailers, locally owned specialty stores, antique shops and boutiques.

COMMUNICATIONS
Available in Wagga Wagga are five free to air television channels including ABC and SBS as well as pay television networks. Newsagents stock numerous local newspapers as well as national, Sydney and Melbourne papers. There are FM and AM commercial radio stations as well as the excellent ABC NewsRadio, ABC radio, SBS radio .Wagga Wagga has numerous internet providers and both digital and analogue mobile phone service.

TRANSPORT

It usually takes less than ten minutes by car to get just about anywhere within the city and there is a comprehensive public transport system.

Wagga Wagga is situated 45kms from the Hume Highway which connects Melbourne to Sydney and Sydney to Canberra. The road distance from Wagga Wagga to Canberra is 245km, to Melbourne 435km, and to Sydney 470km.

Wagga Wagga is serviced by Regional Express Airlines who offer regular daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne. Daily rail service is available to Melbourne or Sydney and coach operators offer regular service to eastern capital cities other regional centres.

HOUSING
Housing types range from luxurious executive style homes with lake frontages through to rural allotments and everything in between. The older City areas boast lovely tree lined streets with nineteenth century cottages while the newer suburbs reflect the latest styles of modern architecture and all at much cheaper prices than you would expect to pay in capital cities.

CHILDCARE AND EDUCATION
For young families, Wagga Wagga offers over 15 childcare services/centres.

School facilities include 14 preschools, 27 primary schools and 8 high schools including public and private with denominations including Anglican, Catholic, Christian, Lutheran, and Seventh Day Adventist. There is also a special school catering for students aged 4 to 18 with intellectual disabilities.

Riverina Institute of TAFE has a large campus in Wagga Wagga. TAFE provides quality secondary education and training services for operators, tradespersons, managers and para-professionals in a wide range of employment areas.

The Riverina Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) is situated just outside Wagga Wagga. CSU offers over 100 courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level within the Faculties of Arts, Commerce, Education, Health Studies, and Science and Agriculture.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES
In the northern section of the City and in close proximity are several fine churches including St John's Anglican, St Michael's Catholic Cathedral, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church and Wesley Uniting Church. Other denominations represented include Apostolic, Baptist, Bethlehem Lutheran, Church of Christ,

Christadeiphian, Christian Family (Assembly of God), Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Latter Day Saints, Reformed Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist.

PARKS, GARDENS AND NATURAL FEATURES
There is wealth of natural beauty in Wagga Wagga with the picturesque Murrumbidgee River, Wagga Wagga Beach (a popular swimming spot in summer), the Botanical Gardens with a small zoo and walk through aviary, Wollundry Lagoon, Victory Memorial Gardens and much more. Scattered within and around the city are numerous reserves, walking and cycling tracks, swimming and fishing areas - it's a picnic paradise!

CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT

Wagga Wagga boasts a wide variety of restaurants including Indian, Thai, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Lebanese. For wine-lovers, there is the Wagga Wagga Winery and the Ron Potter Winery at CSU. Nightlife ranges from trendy cafes, nightclubs, wine-bars through to friendly pubs and service clubs. Festivals and major sporting events are held throughout the year including a jazz festival, the Wagga Wagga Gold Cup and the Australian Veteran Games.

The city has a strong performing arts base with productions held by CSU theatre students and the acclaimed Riverina Theatre Company. There is also a six-screen cinema showing all the latest movies. Music performances (and tuition) are offered at the Conservatorium of Music and the Wagga Wagga City Art Gallery houses the National Art Glass Collection as well as a wide range of local and visiting exhibitions.

SPORTING FACILITIES
Wagga Wagga is known as the "City of Good Sports" and has a rich sporting heritage. Within the city, over 320 hectares are allocated to active recreation and 36 grounds cater for different sporting activities.

Sporting activities such as skydiving, canoeing, gliding, water-skiing, cricket, ballooning, golf, tennis, netball, softball, fishing, football, target shooting, and racing can be enjoyed in or near the city. Wagga Wagga enjoys proximity to the ski-fields of southern NSW and northern Victoria.

FAMILY FACILITIES
•Early childhood –25 facilities cater for children in pre-schools, childcare centres and other flexible childcare services for families.

•Primary & secondary schools –8 secondary and 24 primary schools, including both private and public. –Religious schools: Lutheran Primary, Christian College (yrs K-12), Anglican College Yr 7-12, 4 primary and 2 secondary Catholic Schools.

• Special needs –Kurrajong Early Intervention Services and Williams Hill Public School provide services for students with intellectual disabilities. –Integrated special needs support and programs are also available at area schools and child care services.

Adult Education
•Riverina Community College

• Caters to adult educational needs and to businesses, organizations and industry through its workplace training programs.

•Riverina Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE)

• Three campuses located in Wagga Wagga.
–provides specialist training in crops, livestock and horticulture.
–hosts the National Aerospace Centre of Excellence,
–Tourism & Technology Centre.

•Riverina Conservatorium of Music
–provides high quality musical education for people of all ages throughout the Riverina region.

Charles Sturt University

•Few universities combine the advantages of rural and city living as well as CSU's Wagga Wagga Campus. Sprawling over 640 hectares of Australian bush land five minutes from the city centre, the Wagga Wagga Campus offers a unique study experience. As well as a range of cutting-edge technical facilities, the campus supports the University's own award-winning winery, cheese factory, vineyard and farm.

• –Visit the CSU Web Site for information on undergraduate, postgraduate and distance education courses