It was the Government’s approved the construction of a railway line from Melbourne to Sale in 1873 that led to the development of the township of Morwell, with the first public sale of land taking place in January 1879 prior to the opening of the railway line in April of that year.   At this time there were around ten traders operating in the town, with a brickworks, pottery, butter factory, schools and cordial factory established in the following twenty years.

The Shire of Morwell was formed in 1892.  Following fires in the commercial area in both 1890 and 1912, the Morwell Waterworks Trust was formed and in December 1913 a town water supply from Billy's Creek was connected.

Morwell’s development was further fostered following the establishment of the Yallourn open cut mine and power station in the 1920s and the opening of the Maryvale Paper Mill in 1937, all of which provided Morwell with opportunities for employment and trade.

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) commenced work on the Morwell power station and briquette works in 1949 with production at the plant starting in 1956, which provided briquettes for domestic and industrial use, including in the production of Town Gas for Melbourne at an adjacent gasworks built by the by the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria.

Further development by the SECV at Hazelwood strengthened Morwell’s economy, which underwent subsequent retraction in the 1980’s and 1990’s with subsequent electricity industry restructuring and privatisation.

Competitive Advantages

Morwell has a number of competitive advantages that include affordable housing, well, developed infrastructure, a broad range of business activities and highly skilled workforce.  It has a vast array of social, sporting, cultural and educational facilities, which when combined with an affordable and high quality lifestyle, make Morwell not only a great place for business, but a great place to live.

Morwell is located in the centre of the Latrobe City, the key industrial and commercial area of Gippsland in Eastern Victoria, and has an extensive and well-established range of services and infrastructure.  Morwell’s central locality (which provides the best location for servicing the Latrobe Region) and transport connections, such as Latrobe Regional Airport and the Gippsland Rail Corridor, make Morwell the ideal location for decentralised industry or commercial activities.

Morwell is well serviced by retail businesses both in central Morwell and at Mid Valley.  It has an eight theatre cinema complex, excellent swimming and leisure centre and high level soccer, football and cricket facilities.