Traralgon, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Traralgon, situated in the economically important Latrobe Valley, is located 162 kilometres south-east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and 38 metres above sea level. It is thought that the town may have been named by Edward Hobson, an early settler, after two Aboriginal words possibly meaning "river of little fish".

The area was settled in the 1840s as an agricultural and pastoral centre but grew during the gold rushes due to its important location on the road from Melbourne to Sale. The town site was surveyed in 1858 with land sales commencing the following year. The arrival of the railways in the late 1870s gave the town a further economic boost. The shire of Traralgon was created in 1879. The town became a borough in 1961 and was declared a city three years later.

Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, a medical scientist specialising in immunology who won the 1960 Nobel Prize, was born in Traralgon in 1899. Novelist Mary Grant Bruce also lived and wrote in the town a number of times during her life, drawing on the area for the settings of some of her novels.

In economic terms, Traralgon now relies principally on a pulp and paper industry and on the Loy Yang Power Complex, 6 km from the town, which first opened in 1984 after the discovery of massive brown coal reserves in the area. The open-cut mine and the two power plants with their 260-metre chimneys constitute the largest power complex in Australia. Loy Yang supplies about 40 per cent of Victoria's electricity.

Things to see

Tourist Information
Traralgon Visitor Information Centre is located at Southside Central on the Princes Hwy, tel: (03) 5174 3199.

Traralgon Hotel and other Historic Buildings
The two-storey, Victorian-style Traralgon Hotel is a brick structure classified by the National Trust. Erected in 1914 to replace the original 1858 building it is notable for its iron lace balconies, ornate iron balustrades and hipped iron roof. The Post Office and Court House, recently restored, were opened in 1886.

Other Attractions
The attractive Victory Park Gardens feature a giant mountain ash, a time capsule and a quaint band rotunda. South of the town are Hazelwood Dam, a man-made lake where water sports can be enjoyed, and Tarra-Bulga National Park. Wirilda Environmental Park is also nearby.

Narkoojee
To the north of Traralgon is Glengarry. At 1110 Francis Rd is Narkoojee which was established in 1981. It produces chardonnay, cabernets and merlot. The cellar door is open weekends but phone before visiting. There is a picnic and barbecue area and a basket lunch is available by arrangement, tel: (03) 5192 4257.