Latrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nestle ...
area of
Gippsland
Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...
, in South-Eastern
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia approximately 152 km (94 mi) east of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
Morwell has a population of 14,389 people at the .
It is both the
seat of local government
The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority".
In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
and administrative centre for the
City of Latrobe
The City of Latrobe is a local government area in the Gippsland region in eastern Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 75,211. It is primarily urban with the v ...
. Morwell is located in the centre of the Latrobe Valley urban area, which has a population of 77,168 at the 2021 Census and is home to many of the greater urban area's civic institutions, administrative functions and infrastructure.
The city is known for its role as a major energy production centre for Victoria as the centre of a major coal mining and fossil-fuel power generation industry.
Morwell's centenary rose garden located in the central business district, won an award in 2009 for being a 'garden of excellence'. Since 2018, the town has hosted the International Rose Garden Festival Morwell (IRGFM).
Naming
The name of the town of Morwell is likely to be derived from a local
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
word from the Gunai language that means ''inhabitants of the swamp'', referring to the Gunai clan that lived in the area. The nearby town of
Moe
Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Characters
* Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons''
* Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard
* Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...
was named after the Gunai word for ''swampland'', which is a reference to the swamp between Moe and Yarragon that was drained in the 1890s.
From 1914, various newspaper editorials had stated that the name of Morwell comes from the Aboriginal words ''more willie'' meaning ''woolly possum''. However, the Gunai word for possum is ''wadthan'' and the words ''wile'' or ''wollert'' come from
Kulin Kulin may refer to:
Places
*Kulin, Western Australia, a small town in Australia
** Shire of Kulin, a local government area
*Kulin, Iran, a village near Tehran
*Kulin, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, a village in south-west Poland
*Kulin, Kuyavian-Pome ...
words from the
Woiwurrung
The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin people, Kulin alliance.
The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria (Austral ...
language. The traditional lands of the Kulin nation intersect with the lands of the Gunai people to the west of
Warragul
Warragul is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. As of the , the town had a population of 19,85 ...
, a town 50 km to the west of Morwell, which makes the naming unlikely to originate from a Kulin language. The town of
Wollert, Victoria
Wollert is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 26 km north of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Wollert recorded a population of 24,407 at the .
History
"Wollert" i ...
is named after this word for possum.
Morwell River
The Morwell River is a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, located in the West Gippsland and South Gippsland regions of the Australian state of Victoria.
Location and features
Formed by the confluence of the West Branch and East Bra ...
was the first place to be recorded with the name Morwell, using the inconsistent spelling of ''Morewill River'' in the 1847 diary of
Charles Tyers
Captain Charles James Tyers Royal Navy, RN FRSV (13 September 1806 – 20 September 1870) was a 19th-century Anglo-Australian Surveyor (surveying), surveyor and explorer, and the Commissioner of Crown Lands (Australia), Commissioner of Crown Lan ...
, ''Morewell River'' on an 1847 survey map
and ''River Morewelle'' in an 1848 notice of
pastoral lease
A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands.
Australia
Pastoral lease ...
s. Peter Jeremiah Smith established the Morewell Hotel on the river in 1858 and the name of the early settlement around the hotel was recorded as Morwell Bridge in a government survey in 1861. The name of Morwell was used for the new location of the town centre that surrounded the
Morwell railway station
Morwell railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Morwell, and it opened on 1 June 1877.
In 1942, station-hand Llew Vary suggested that the name of Morwell is derived from the English town of Morwell on the Morwell River in Cornwall, but lacked any records of the naming. Members of the Morwell Rotary Club and Methodist Church developed the idea further in 1946 and historian Ivan Maddern strongly advocated for the idea from 1962. Methodist ministers communicated with their counterparts in England, who explained that there was a Morwellham on the
River Tamar
The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities.
T ...
, a 100m-high cliff-face by the river known as Morwell Rocks, a Morwell Barton and a Morwell Priory.
Another theory is that 'Morewell' is a corruption of 'Mary Ville', the original name of the Maryvale pastoral run established in 1845. The run was thought to be named after Mary, daughter of the Bennetts who established the Hazelwood station with Albert Brodribb to the south of Maryvale. However, the Morwell Historical Society wrote that the first recorded reference to 'Morewell' was 1844.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the Morwell district were the
Braiakaulung people
The Braiakaulung are an Indigenous Australian people, one of the five tribes of the Gunai/Kurnai nation, in the state of Victoria, Australia. They were recognized by Norman Tindale as an independent tribal grouping.
Name
The Braiakaulung are al ...
, one of the five
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
clans of the Gunai/Kurnai nation. The Braiakaulung people manufactured stone tools, as long as 5,000 years ago, from
silcrete
Silcrete is an indurated (resists crumbling or powdering) soil duricrust formed when surface soil, sand, and gravel are cemented by dissolved silica. The formation of silcrete is similar to that of calcrete, formed by calcium carbonate, and ferric ...
quarries in the Haunted Hills, west of Morwell and the Gunai/Kurnai had lived in the region for more than 20,000 years, according to evidence found at the
New Guinea II cave
New Guinea II is a limestone cave and rockshelter on the Snowy River at the end of New Guinea Track, near Buchan, Victoria. The cave was within the country of the Krowathunkooloong clan of the Gunaikurnai nation. The deep cave system has an overh ...
near
Buchan, Victoria
Buchan ( ) is a town in the east Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated adjacent to the Buchan River, in the Shire of East Gippsland, upstream from the river's junction with the Snowy River. At the 2011 census, Buchan and ...
.
The first Europeans to travel through the are include party of Count Paweł Strzelecki on their journey from the
Snowy Mountains
The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range cordillera system ...
in April 1840, after Strzelecki had named Australia's highest peak as
Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National ...
. In 1838, Scottish pastoralist
Angus McMillan
Angus McMillan (14 August 1810 – 18 May 1865) was a Scottish-born explorer, pioneer pastoralist, and perpetrator of several of the Gippsland massacres of Gunai people.
Arriving first in New South Wales in 1838, McMillan rose swiftly in Aus ...
rode horses up the Latrobe River near Sale, but not as far as Morwell, then made further journeys to Latrobe River after Strzelecki had visited the area. McMillan named the region as 'Caledonia Australis' after his homeland, but the preferred name was 'Gipps Land', later becoming
Gippsland
Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...
George Gipps
Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of New South Wales, Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights ...
.
The first Europeans to take land in Morwell were called squatters and ran
pastoral lease
A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands.
Australia
Pastoral lease ...
s such as the 17,300 acre Hasellwood (later called Hazelwood) established by Albert Eugene Brodribb and William Bennett in October 1844, the 22,900 acre Mary Ville (later called Maryvale) established by Thomas Gorringe in February 1845, the 24,780 acre Merton Rush station established by Henry Scott in 1846 and the 5,730 acre Scrubby Forest established by Nicol Brown and William Hunter in 1848.
The 1870s were a time of railway building in Victoria. In 1873, the government approved the construction of a railway line from Melbourne to Sale and it was this decision which gave rise to the development of the township of Morwell. The railway station was approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the settlement by the river, leading to new development occurring around the railway station.
The first public sale of land in the town took place in January 1879 but there were at least ten traders operating in the town by that time, a Post Office in the township having been open since 1875 (an earlier PO having served the rural area from 1870 to 1873). On 1 January 1880 Morwell PO was renamed Morwell Bridge and Morwell Railway Station PO (open since 1877) became the main Morwell PO.
A major Research and Development project into the conversion of
brown coal
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
into oil, (Brown Coal Liquefaction Victoria or BCLV) was established in Morwell in 1983/84. Funded by the Japanese Government at a cost of over one billion dollars this project established a 50 tonne per day pilot plant which ran until 1991.
Thriving on the success of the power industry, Morwell developed into a city offering substantial housing and financial opportunities for its many residents. With the general growth of the Latrobe Valley, Morwell's success appeared destined to continue. However, the approval by the City of Morwell to build the Mid Valley Shopping Centre complex away from the CBD led to the decline of the CBD, with many empty shopfronts the result. Further, restructuring and privatisation of the State Electricity Commission in the 1990s led to massive job losses in the region, which accelerated the decline of Morwell's central business district. Many shops are now empty and in a state of disrepair.
Amalgamation of the local councils following a Statewide review of local government boundaries in 1994 saw Morwell become part of the City of Latrobe and the civic centre established in Traralgon. With the re-establishment of an elected council, the civic centre was moved back to Morwell and the new council building constructed in 2005 in the hope of leading to a revitalisation of the city centre. Unfortunately, that revitalisation failed to eventuate. The new justice precinct was completed in 2006 and has somewhat increased CBD activity as alleged criminals come to the Morwell justice precinct for processing through the Justice System.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in March 2011 show the average wage of Morwell residents to be the lowest of the three major Latrobe Valley towns.
Morwell is the headquarters of the Central Gippsland Institute of
Technical and Further Education
Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...
. It contains a major regional art gallery with an excellent local collection and is noted for its extensive rose gardens. Nearby at Churchill is the Gippsland Campus of Federation University. A commemorative bust of Lt Gen Sir
Stanley Savige
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, (26 June 1890 – 15 May 1954) was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First World War and Second World War.
In March 1915, after the outbreak of the First World War, Savi ...
was erected in 2006. Born in Morwell, Savige founded
Legacy Australia
Legacy is an Australian non-profit organisation established in 1923 by ex-servicemen. Legacy provides support to the families of Australian Defence Force men and women who have lost their life or health in conflicts such as World War I, World ...
following World War 1 to assist widows and families of servicemen.
Morwell is home to the Morwell Centenary Rose Garden, a parkland of over 2 hectares on a former railway reserve that showcases over 3500 roses. In 2009, the garden was presented an 'Award of Garden Excellence' by the World Federation of Rose Societies.
Geography
Climate
Morwell experiences an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Cfb''). Nights in Morwell are about 2 °C colder than in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
Governance
At local level, Morwell is governed by the City of Latrobe and is both the
seat of local government
The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority".
In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
and administrative centre. It is represented at local level by three wards – Rintoull in the city's centre; Tanjil, the north and west; and Firmin, the south.
In the
Government of Victoria
The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...
it is represented in the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
by the
Electoral district of Morwell
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
. The state is responsible for
law and order
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
in Morwell. The Latrobe Valley Law Courts located opposite council headquarters in Commercial Road which has branches for the
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state.
The Supreme Court comprises ...
,
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is the lowest court in the Australian state of Victoria.
The court possesses original jurisdiction over summary offences and indictable offences heard summarily, as well as civil claims up to $100,000. It ...
and
County Court of Victoria
The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states.
The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and civi ...
. It is served by a single
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victo ...
police station on Hazelwood Road.
In the
Government of Australia
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...
, it is represented in
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
by the
Division of Gippsland
The Division of Gippsland is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for the Gippslan ...
.
Education
Morwell has education facilities from
preschool education
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...
through to
vocational education and training
Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesman, tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education give ...
Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
. Other education and training provider are located in the wider Latrobe Valley urban area. The city has 4 primary schools - Morwell Central Primary School, St Vincent De Paul Primary, Sacred Heart Primary and Morwell Park Primary and a single junior secondary school – Kurnai College Morwell Campus (est 1963).
TAFE
Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...
study in Morwell is available via TAFE Gippsland (initially GippsTAFE, then Federation Training later), as well as apprenticeships and traineeships through Apprenticeships Group Australia.
Transport
The
Princes Freeway
Princes Freeway is a Australian freeway, divided into two sections, both located in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The freeway links Melbourne to Geelong in the west, and to Morwell, Victoria, Morwell in the east. It continues be ...
(A1) bypasses the town to the south while the old Princes Highway which once passed through east–west through its centre is now Princes Drive and Commercial Road. The highway connects Morwell with other Latrobe Valley cities including Moe to the west and Traralgon to the east. Other main roads include the
Strzelecki Highway
Strzelecki Highway is a short 55 kilometre highway that connects the towns of Leongatha and Morwell. It was named after the Strzelecki Ranges, the set of low mountain ridges the road travels through.
History
The passing of the '' Transport Act ...
(B460) running south toward
Leongatha
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. At the , Leongatha had a population of 5,869.
Canadian dairy company Saputo which trades in Australia ...
.
Rail transport includes both
passenger rail
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
and
freight rail
Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers.
A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...
. The town's only station is
Morwell railway station
Morwell railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Morwell, and it opened on 1 June 1877.Bairnsdale line. Both the
Traralgon V/Line rail service
The Gippsland V/Line rail service or Bairnsdale Line is a passenger service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia between Melbourne and the Gippsland region including the regional cities of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale. It ...
and the
Bairnsdale V/Line rail service
The Gippsland V/Line rail service or Bairnsdale Line is a passenger service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia between Melbourne and the Gippsland region including the regional cities of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale. It ...
stop there with a two way hourly service. Travel time to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
ranges from approximately 109 minutes during peak travel times.Traralgon - Melbourne Public Transport Victoria
General aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
operates from
Latrobe Regional Airport
Latrobe Regional Airport (formerly Latrobe Valley Airport) is located between the Latrobe Valley towns of Morwell, Victoria, Morwell and Traralgon, Victoria, Traralgon, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The airport is about 160 kilomet ...
which services the whole Latrobe Valley urban area.
Sport
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
is popular in Morwell. There are two senior clubs in the city: the Morwell Football Club (est 1905) based at the
Morwell Recreation Reserve
Morwell Recreation Reserve is a multi purpose sport complex located in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. It is the home ground of the Gippsland Power Football Club NAB League team, the Morwell Football Club in the Gippsland Football League, and th ...
, compete in the
Gippsland Football League
The Gippsland League (formerly known as the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is considered the only AFL Victoria major league in Gippsla ...
, while the Morwell East Football Club (est 1973), based at the Morwell East Football Ground compete in the
Mid Gippsland Football League
The Mid Gippsland Football League is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Latrobe Valley and South Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia.
History
The Mid Gippsland Football League (MGFL) was founded in April, 1935.
The MG ...
. The Morwell Football Ground is home to the
Gippsland Power
The Gippsland Power is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia.
Honours
*Premierships (1): 2005
*Runners-up (3): 1999, 2010, 2012
*Wooden Spoons (1): 2003
*Morrish Medal ...
(est 1993) which compete in the
TAC Cup
The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...
and has hosted
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
pre-season matches in 2005 and 2010.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
is also popular with two senior cricket clubs, Morwell and Latrobe, the latter of which
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle (born 25 November 1984) is an Australian cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who currently plays for Tasmania in first-class and List A cricket and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. ...
played for in his younger days.
Soccer has a long history in Morwell. The
Morwell Falcons
Morwell is a town in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland, in South-Eastern Victoria, Australia approximately 152 km (94 mi) east of Melbourne.
Morwell has a population of 14,389 people at the .
It is both the seat of local governme ...
were formed in 1961 and eventually reached the
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...
which was the top league in Australia. Although they disbanded in 2001 an offshoot club, Falcons 2000, was formed as a direct descendant of the original club and continue to this day. The club plays in the
Latrobe Valley Soccer League
Latrobe Valley Soccer League (LVSL) is a soccer league encompassing much of Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley. The association's headquarters are based in the Morwell, Victoria ( Victoria), and are affiliated under the auspices of Football Victo ...
which is the eighth level of
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
Latrobe City Stadium
Latrobe City Stadium is a multi purpose sport stadium located in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1991,
today it is the home ground of the Falcons 2000 SC in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League, and is used for association football, soccer, ...
.
Fortuna 60 and Morwell Pegasus both compete in the same league as the Falcons 2000. Their home grounds are Crinigan Road South Reserve and Ronald Reserve respectively.
The Morwell Cougars Baseball Club usually forms teams in three senior grades and all junior grades of the Latrobe Valley League. Their diamonds in Toners Lane are the only dedicated diamonds in the League.
American Football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
is played at Maryvale Recreation Reserve. This is also the home of the local club Gippsland Gladiators which has been based there since 2010, competing in Division 2, of the
Gridiron Victoria
Gridiron Victoria is the governing body for American football in the state of Victoria, Australia.
Formed in 1997, Gridiron Victoria was an amalgamation of the two existing governing bodies of the time, the Victoria Gridiron Football League and ...
league.
There is also a 25-metre indoor swimming pool, used by the local swimming club for competitive swimming.
Golfers play at the course of the Morwell Golf Club on Fairway Drive.
Gold 1242
Gippsland's GOLD 1242 & GOLD FM 98.3 (call sign: 3GV) is an Australian radio station operating west of Traralgon, Victoria. It is owned by Ace Radio and shares studios with sister station TRFM, formerly 3TR and 3TRFM. The station broadcasts on th ...
service Morwell and the greater Gippsland region. National
public broadcaster
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
ABC Gippsland
ABC Gippsland (call sign: 3GLR) is an ABC Local Radio station in Gippsland, Victoria. The station is based in Sale and covers from Warragul, through to Mallacoota. Amber Irving-Guthrie hosts the Breakfast program, Alice Walker presents Mornings ...
broadcasts on 100.7FM and community station Gippsland FM (Formerly 3GCR) on 104.7FM.
Gippsland FM is the only station in the region with a studio complex in Morwell.
Notable people
*
Paul Abbott (footballer)
Paul Abbott (born 25 October 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Fitzroy in the VFL/AFL
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the ...
, AFL Footballer
*
Ben Ainsworth
Ben Ainsworth (born 10 February 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Gold Coast Football Club with their first selection and ...
, AFL Footballer
*
Veronica Gorrie
Veronica Gorrie (sometimes referred to as Heritage-Gorrie, born 1971/1972) is an Aboriginal Australian writer. She is a Krauatungalang Gunai woman. Her first book, ''Black and Blue: A memoir of racism and resilience'', a memoir reflecting on ...
, Aboriginal Australian writer
* John Hutchinson, Coach and former Soccer player
*
Chips Mackinolty
Chips Mackinolty (born 12 March 1954) is an Australian artist. He was involved in the campaigns against the war in Vietnam by producing posters, and was a key figure in the radical poster movement.
Early life
Chips Mackinolty was born on 12 Mar ...
, Radical poster artist and journalist
*
Rocky Mattioli
Rocky Mattioli (born Rocco Mattioli, 20 September 1953) an Italian Australians, Italian-born Australian former boxer at junior middleweight, and former world champion.
Rocky was the 2004 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame ...
, Italian-Australian World Champion Boxer
* Paul Morris, Motor racer
*
Bryan Quirk
Bryan Quirk (born 26 December 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He was recruited from Morwell Football Club in the then Latrobe Valley Football League.
He was Collingwood fan as a child.
Quirk m ...
, footballer
*
Peter Siddle
Peter Matthew Siddle (born 25 November 1984) is an Australian cricketer. He is a specialist right-arm fast-medium bowler who currently plays for Tasmania in first-class and List A cricket and for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. ...
, Cricketer
*
Cathie Reid
Cathie Reid AM is an Australian businesswoman who was inducted into the Australian Businesswomen's Hall of Fame in 2015 and included in the '' Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence. In June 2019, Reid was honoured with a Member o ...
, businesswoman
*
Archie Thompson
Archie Gerald Thompson (born 23 October 1978) is an Australian former professional association football, footballer. He also is serving as a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory FC.
Born in New Zealand, Thompson played youth football at the N ...
, footballer
*
John Trevorrow
John Trevorrow (born 18 May 1949) is a former Australian racing cyclist. He won the Australian national road race title in 1978, 1979 and 1980. He also competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
He is presently the race director for the Herald Sun ...
, Australian champion Road cyclist.
*
Vin Waite
Vincent Waite (26 February 1949 – 5 July 2003) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the VFL. His son Jarrad followed in his footsteps and started his football career with Carlton, being drafted under the father-son ...
, footballer
See also
*
HM Prison Morwell River
A nursery and workers camp was established by the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) in 1949 at Olsens Bridge at the head of the Morwell River, which is just east of Boolarra, Victoria, Boolarra in Victoria.
The nursery was established to grow ...