Population in the area around Wyee and the southern tip of the lake has been growing rapidly for some time and infrastructure improvements seem set to encourage still more growth.

Because the area is near both the F3 freeway and the main rail line to Sydney, a portion of its growth has come from people who work in the capital but who can’t afford city housing prices. A common complaint has been that the area lacks enough of its own job-creating businesses and industries. Darkinjung’s plan for its 260 hectares of land at Bushells Ridge could change all that.

Access to transport is important, but not the only favourable factor. Indeed, some efforts to create ‘‘employment zones’’ in other areas – marketed on proximity to transport – have been disappointing.

Bushells Ridge might be more successful because it is relatively close to Sydney, and might more easily attract Sydney businesses to relocate in a bid to cut land and property costs. Companies that do so may also benefit from access to previously untapped markets in the Hunter and on the Central Coast.

Impending major mining developments on the Central Coast hold the prospect of opportunities for enterprises that support the coal industry. One mining company is considering building its own rail junction at Bushells Ridge, creating an asset that other businesses might find appealing.

The plan is in its early stages and many issues must be addressed before a decision can be made on the site’s future.

But Darkinjung is to be applauded for its entrepreneurialism. If the plan is approved, the indigenous communities of Lake Macquarie and Wyong stand to be major beneficiaries. Not only are members of those communities likely to gain employment in the new estate, but the land council should earn continuing income from the project.