The earliest inhabitants of the Morwell district were the Gunai aborigines. Their first contact with Europeans would have been with pastoralists who came south from the Monaro region of New South Wales in the 1840s in search of pasture for their stock.

In 1841, McMillan and Strzelecki made journeys of exploration through the region which would later be named Gippsland and during the 1840s the squatting runs of Maryvale, Merton Rush and Hazelwood were taken up in the area which is now Morwell.

The first transport link between Gippsland and Melbourne was via the old coach road, which ran from Sale, through Rosedale and to the north of the present township of Morwell, crossing the Morwell River at Morwell Bridge (Morwell West ).
This road was appallingly bad, especially in winter, when coaches and drays could be bogged in the mud for days at a time, and was quite inadequate for the transport of stock and supplies between Gippsland and Melbourne.

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 coach road traversed low, swampy ground and it was decided to locate the railway on the slightly higher land to the south. Steam locomotives of the day could not pull a normal load uphill from a standing start so the site of what was to become Morwell Railway Station was located on a slight rise. Railway construction workers established camps there and were soon followed by traders offering their services to the workers.

The first public sale of allotments in the town took place in January 1879 but there were at least ten traders operating in the town by that time. A description of the township in 1878 from west to east along Commercial Road, is a follows:

On the south-west corner of Commercial Road and Hazelwood Road was a house belonging to Robert Henry, a carpenter. On the south east corner was a hotel, first called the Railway Hotel and later the Cricketers'Arms. Moving eastwards from the hotel was John Rintoull, the blacksmith, Mr Lutted the wheelwright, Mr Plummer, a butcher, Mr Martin, the shoemaker, then a house belonging to Mr O'Connor, a railway worker. After this came Fitzpatrick's Hotel (later Murdoch's), Gilbert's store, then Kelleher's Hotel, (later the Club Hotel), and,next to Kelleher's, on the corner of Commercial Road and Tarwin St, a slab building used by John Quigley as a hotel, store and butcher's shop. Another hotel, owned by Christy Walsh, was on the south-east corner of Commercial Road and Tarwin St, and next to it, in Tarwin St, was Green's drapery store.

The railway was built in stages over about two years but on April 2, 1879, the first train to run right through from Princes Bridge to Sale signalled the completion of the line. It was now possible to make the trip to Melbourne in a day and Morwell became an important railhead for the movement of goods and stock.

The 'eighties and 'nineties were a period of consolidation and growth for the infant township of Morwell. Schools were built to educate the children of families settling in the area - Commercial Road School opened in 1880, Sacred Heart Catholic School in 1884 and there was even a boarding school run by the Misses Toner.

A brickworks and a pottery were established in the 1880s, a butter factory was built in 1890 and cordial factory also operated in Hazelwood Road.

Sport and recreation were not neglected. Agricultural shows were held annually, there were picnic race meetings and athletics carnivals, tennis, cricket and football clubs were formed and the musical interests of the residents were catered for by a brass band and a choral group.

Dances were held in the railway goods shed from 1877 until the Mechanics Institute was built, around1880. This building, in Tarwin St, housed a lending library and became the social centre of Morwell, providing a venue for dances, concerts and meetings. It was burnt down in 1935 and was replaced by the Morwell Town Hall which still stands on the corner of Hazelwood and Commercial Roads.

Even in the 1880s, coal was seen to be of importance to Morwell. In 1888 two coal mining companies were established - The Great Morwell Coal Mining Company, floated by William Tulloch, situated to the north of the town on the Latrobe River, and the Maryvale Proprietary Coal Mining Company, also to the north but closer to the township. Both these companies produce steam coal and were part of the industrial growth of the town which included timber getting, food processing (butter and cordial factories), brick and pottery manufacture and the transport of goods along the main railway line.

A number of other coal mining companies were set up at the same time but all had limited success and were forced out of business mainly due to competition from the successful mines in Korumburra and Outtrim.

The Great Morwell Coal Mining Company experimented with briquette making and in 1893 a briquette plant was built. It was burned in a bushfire in 1895, and a second briquette factory was established in 1897 but the high moisture content of the coal made it unprofitable and the Greater Morwell Coal Mining Co was liquidated in 1899.

As we entered the 20^th century, Morwell continued to be mainly a centre serving the agricultural population of the area. In 1892, the township, which had previously been part of Traralgon Shire, gained local government autonomy and became, with its surrounding district, the Shire of Morwell. The first Shire Office was in Commercial Road on the approximate site of the present Morwell Court House car park.

Fires in the commercial area in 1890 and 1912 caused major damage to shops. This led to the formation of the Morwell Waterworks Trust and in December 1913 a town water supply from Billy's Creek was connected.

The development of the Yallourn open cut coal mine and power station in the 1920s contributed to Morwell's development, providing employment and trade. In 1923, Morwell's streets were lit by electric power (which replaced the former petrol lamps) and shops remained open until 9pm on Friday nights.

World War 1 had had a minimal impact on Morwell's development, though a number of the town's young men served in the armed forces, but World War 2 gave an impetus to the industrial development of the region. A flax mill operated for several years in Morwell, processing flax brought in by rail from various parts of the state. This was used to make webbing and other materials for the armed forces. The mill was destroyed in the disastrous 1944 bushfire which killed thirteen people in the outlying districts and caused great damage and stock loss.

Maryvale Paper Mill had commenced operation just prior to the outbreak of war and contributed to Morwell's development by providing housing and employment for Morwell residents.

The influx of migrants from war-torn Europe, plus the return of Australian servicemen after the war, caused a housing shortage. In the eight years between 1949 and 1956, the Victorian Housing Commission erected 1471 houses in Morwell. At that time, too, the State Electricity Commission was planning the development of the Morwell open cut coal mine. In 1951 a test bore revealed that Morwell coal was suitable for briquestting and the S.E.C's Morwell Project got under way. Morwell Power Station (completed in 1963), Hazelwood (1970) and the Jeeralang gas power station (1979), plus the Morwell Briquette Factory and the open cut mining operations, all contributed to a boom in Morwell's economy.

In September 1990 the Shire of Morwell was given 'rural city' status and proclaimed the City of Morwell, a status thought to be more suitable to its predominantly urban character.

The 'seventies and 'eighties saw many new businesses attracted to the town but the coal and power industries continue to be the mainstay of Morwell.

The downsizing and subsequent privatisation of the S.E.C's operations and the merging of the City of Morwell, with other local cities and shires, into the Shire of LaTrobe, have had an impact on the town's economy, but, on the whole, Morwell's residents approach the start of a new century with optimism and appreciation of their town's unique character, a blend of modern, urban, cosmopolitan society with the beauty and tranquillity of the rural areas which surround it.

Morwell Historial Society

President - Stephen Hellings
P.O. Box 1163
Morwell 3840
Phone 51346580

Secretary - Elsie McMaster
Phone 51341149