Morwell - Places to See

PowerWorks Visitors Centre
Excellent coal and power museum with interesting pieces of old mining equipment set in the heart of the open cut mining area. There are good views of the open-cut mining operation. The main feature is the huge No. 21 Wheel Dredger which was the first of its type to operate in the Morwell mine and was originally used to remove the overburden. The sign records: 'The postwar years brought about radical change to mining methods and the use of this kind of bucketwheel technology is now commonly used throughout the Australian mining industry.' Coal mine and Power Station tours are conducted daily at 11.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. Contact (03) 5135 3415.

Hazelwood Mine
The mine has a surface area of three square kilometres which is constantly hosed down in order to settle potentially explosive coal dust and inhibit oxidation. The water is pumped from reservoirs of artesian water below the surface. Five dredges operate at the coal face, extracting 19 million tonnes of brown coal each year. The coal is then carried along huge conveyor belts to the power stations.

Hazelwood Power Station
The Hazelwood Power Station has a capacity of 1600 megawatts, it requires 160 million litres of cooling water which is supplied by an artificial lake that is also used for boating and water sports. See entry on Churchill. The Hazelwood Power Station is Victoria's second largest power generator.

Jeeralang Power Station
Further south, Jeeralang Power Station, opened in 1971, is controlled from Morwell and used during peak consumption periods, as its gas turbines can reach full capacity in twelve minutes, as opposed to the 5-8 hours it takes for the coal-driven plants to reach their peak.

Energy Brix Australia
This plant is Australia's largest co-generation manufacturing complex producing both electricity and the famous brown coal briquettes. The heat from the generating turbines is used to dry the brown coal used for the briquettes.

Latrobe Valley Regional Arts Centre
The Latrobe Valley Arts Centre is located in Commercial Road which runs south of the railway line. It has a permanent collection of Australian paintings, prints, ceramics, glass and sculpture and often incorporates visiting exhibitions.

Morwell National Park
16 km south of the town is Morwell National Park a flora and fauna reserve of Tasmanian blue, mountain grey and manna gum, messmate, tree ferns and orchids, including the rare butterfly orchid. Bushwalking tracks are signposted. Further south is the Tarra Bulga National Park.