Even the most pessimistic of people should find it difficult to dismiss the benefits that would be generated by such a ground breaking development.

The construction and establishment of an underground physics laboratory has the potential to deliver exponential gains - not just in the short term, but for at least a decade.

Unlike the subject of the science study itself, the real time benefits are not complex, they are things we all want to see happen in this town.

Job creation, investment partnerships, education opportunities for schools and the community and the potential to position Stawell at the heart of the cutting edge of international scientific investigation.

Doubt it? Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics (CoEPP) at the Terascale don't. They have developed a 10 year plan signalling they are here for the long haul.

This is something Stawell so desperately needs, investment that will take us forward and into the future for generations to come. Not just the next two to five years.

Northern Grampians Shire Council and CoEPP will host an event to bring the community up to speed on efforts to detect dark matter next Tuesday night.

The event will put residents at the forefront of the research taking place and provide them with an update on the tests that continue to be undertaken at the site of the Stawell Gold Mine.

It will give you the opportunity to discuss the physics of dark matter, learn about worldwide programs for the direct detection of dark matter and realise the potential Stawell has to become host to the first underground physics laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere.

We can all admit to being a little wary and daunted by the complex nature of the subject matter, but none of us can deny the obvious advantages of Stawell becoming a world leader.

- Ben Kimber.