Open House Latrobe
Discover the stories, places and people that have shaped Latrobe through this special edition of Stroll the City. Taking you beyond a single town centre, this self-guided audio experience connects a series of locations across the region, exploring its rich industrial heritage, evolving landscapes, remarkable architecture and vibrant communities.
There’s no set order to this tour, it’s designed so you can dip in and out of the stops as you please, at your own pace and in between other Open House Latrobe activities. If you’d like to follow a route, we suggest you could start at the top of the list in Moe, make your way through Morwell and finish in Traralgon.
Please note before you begin:
- Stay safe: Be alert to traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. If driving, only stop where it is safe and legal.
- Respect access: Some sites are fenced, private or closed to the public. Please don’t enter restricted areas—enjoy them from a safe distance.
- Respect neighbours: Keep noise down and don’t block driveways, entrances or roads.
- Stay aware: When listening, keep your attention on your surroundings, particularly near roads.
- Explore respectfully: Take your time, follow signs and leave places as you found them.
Whether you’re visiting for Open House Latrobe or rediscovering your own backyard, enjoy hearing from local voices, architects, historians and community leaders as they share the histories, ideas and ambitions that define the region today.
Latrobe is home to remarkable places that tell the story of the region’s industrial, civic and social history. Professor Philip Goad, Chair of the Heritage Council of Victoria, shares with us its significant heritage value – from the coal and electricity industries to historic courthouses and post-war architecture.
Throughout the tour, our guide Tania Davidge will meet some of the people who care for these places, alongside architectural historians and local experts. Their stories, knowledge and personal connections bring these spaces to life, revealing the diverse character of Latrobe.
Heritage Council of Victoria Chair Professor Philip Goad is Chair of Architecture, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, and Co-Director of the Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage at the University of Melbourne. He is internationally known for his research and is an authority on modern Australian architecture. In 2019-2020 he was Gough Whitlam Malcolm Fraser Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University.
Tania Davidge is a design advocate, architect, writer and Executive Director at Open House Melbourne. She is passionate about communicating the importance of good design to public audiences in ways that encourage people to think more deeply about the issues that shape our cities.
211 Lloyd St, Moe VIC 3825
At Old Gippstown, this little weatherboard house offers a tangible connection to a town that no longer exists. Built in 1930 as part of Yallourn’s planned garden city, it was one of the homes provided for employees of the State Electricity Commission and their families. When Yallourn was demolished to access the coal beneath it, many of its timber houses were relocated – this one arriving at Old Gippstown in 1975. In this stop, hear from Libby Scott about the house, Yallourn’s remarkable history and the story of Dr James Andrews, whose home and collection are preserved here.
Old Gippstown is open 10am—4pm, Wednesday to Sunday. See their website here for more information.
Libby Scott has a long association with Old Gippstown Heritage Park. A volunteer since 2007, her love of heritage buildings and collections led her to work across cataloguing, heritage building preservation and collections management. Libby has also secured successful grant funding for essential heritage building repairs. In 2014, she was appointed to the Gippstown Reserve Committee of Management and has served as Chair since 2017. Libby’s published book, Telling the Gippsland Story, details the park’s buildings and collections. She has catalogued the majority of Dr Andrew’s artefacts in Yallourn House, liaising with his relatives, and has a keen interest in the history of the now-extinct township of Yallourn.
59-61 Lloyd St, Moe VIC 3825
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Moe Courthouse is a striking example of Brutalist architecture and one of Victoria’s notable regional civic buildings. Designed by Alan York and the Public Works Department and opened in 1979, its bold concrete forms, sculptural details and exposed circulation give the building a distinctive character.
While you can’t enter the courthouse, you can explore its architecture from the outside. In this stop, hear from Andrew about the building’s significance, its place in the Victorian Heritage Register and its uncertain future – and why continued use and community connection are so important to its future.
Dr Andrew Murray is a Research Fellow in Architectural History at the Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage (ACAHUCH), at the University of Melbourne. Upon completion of his PhD in 2023, he worked as a caseworker for the Twentieth Century Society in London and is the current vice-president of DOCOMOMO Australia.
30 Moore St, Moe VIC 3825
Moe Plaza is more than a shopping centre – it’s a place where commerce, community and culture come together. Owner Hans Henkel saw potential in the plaza’s grand entrance hall and began bringing cultural events to the space, including opera. In this stop, hear from Hans and Lyster Opera’s Jamie Moffat about the plaza, the challenges facing regional retail and the remarkable acoustics that make it such a special performance space. For Jamie, bringing opera to regional audiences is about ensuring access to the arts isn’t decided by your postcode.
Newstead St and surrounding streets, Newborough VIC 3825
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Newborough’s prefabricated post-war homes tell a fascinating story of housing, migration and community. Introduced by the government to help address the housing crisis, these distinctive homes provided a new start for European migrants and, despite their simple construction, became part of a strong sense of community. Many remain today, adapted over time while retaining their connection to this important period in Newborough’s history. In this stop, hear from Nina about the story of these remarkable homes. It’s also worth driving around the neighbouring streets to discover more examples and see how these houses have been adapted and made their own.
Nina Burke is a Connector, Ideas Generator Thinker and President of the Great Latrobe Park project (GLP). Nina moved to the Latrobe Valley with her family in the late eighties. As an “at home” Mum, she was called on to provide community support in many ways, leading to numerous roles over the years with the valuable assistance, guidance and friendship of many wonderful people. As part of GLP, Nina is championing the transformation of the Latrobe Valley’s former coal mines into a thriving, multi-use regional park. Nina has a wealth of local knowledge about Latrobe and these houses, including having renovated some!
Morwell Centenary Rose Garden, Avondale Road, Morwell VIC, Australia
The Morwell Centenary Rose Garden is a much-loved community landmark, established in 1992 and designed by the Rose Society of Victoria. Its diverse collection of roses is cared for by a dedicated group of volunteers, who play an important role in keeping the garden thriving. And in November each year the Morwell International Rose Garden Festival sees thousands come out to enjoy the roses in full bloom.
In this stop, we meet Carl to learn about the garden, its history and the people who have helped shape and care for it over the years.
Carl Ellefsen is the President and Chairperson Morwell Centenary Rose Garden. Carl started coming to the Morwell Rose Garden in 2007, with the Rose Society of Victoria for their annual rose pruning weekend at the end of June and eventually gave pruning demonstrations. In 2015, he moved to Morwell from Chadstone and became a volunteer and Friend of the Garden, working in the rose garden every Tuesday morning. In 2018, Carl joined the committee of the Morwell Centenary Rose Garden and in 2021 he became the President and Chairperson of the committee.
73-83 Church Street, Morwell VIC 3840, Australia
We’re standing on a quiet residential street in Morwell, where behind the fence is the former La Mode factory – a building with an important story about women, work and industry in the Latrobe Valley. Opened in 1945, the factory employed generations of local women, including many migrant women, and provided specialised training in corsetry and garment making. Designed as a modern and pleasant workplace, it also had a strong social and community focus.
In this stop, hear from historian Helen Doyle about La Mode’s place in Morwell’s history, its architectural and social significance, and the future possibilities for this much-loved local building.
Dr Helen Doyle is an Associate at GML Heritage and an historian with over twenty-five years’ experience in heritage assessment across a broad range of place types and landscapes.
She specialises in developing thematic frameworks and thematic histories for a range of places and for local municipalities. She combines a deep knowledge of local history and the historical landscape with meaningful engagement with Traditional Owners to prepare Aboriginal cultural values assessment for many aspects of heritage planning projects, including heritage reviews, CMPs, interpretation plans and thematic histories.
Helen is the History member of the Heritage Council of Victoria and a listed Heritage Advisor under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic.).
View from PowerWorks Energy Education Centre carpark
The magnificent Morwell Power Station and Briquette Factory is a key part of Latrobe’s industrial story. For decades, the factory transformed brown coal from the valley into compact, long-burning briquettes – a familiar household fuel used to heat homes across Victoria. While the site played an important role in the region’s coal industry and everyday life, today the state heritage-listed factory and its buildings are not accessible to the public.
It’s difficult to get a clear view of the site, although you can look over it from the hilltop carpark at Powerworks or see it on you left while driving north along Monash Way from Yinnar towards Morwell.
Professor Philip Goad, Chair of the Heritage Council of Victoria, shares a little about the factory and its significance, but you can venture inside with this incredible virtual tour. Explore the site and its interiors, dive in to site maps and hear from local community members who worked there.
Ridge Road, Morwell VIC 3840
Standing alongside the impressive dredger, we hear from engineer Ian Newnham, who shares insights into the machine’s remarkable engineering and its role in Latrobe Valley’s brown coal mining history. One of the last examples of its kind, the dredger is the only surviving machine from Hazelwood Mine. Now heritage listed, it stands as an important reminder of the region’s industrial past.
161-165 Franklin St, Traralgon VIC 3844
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At the heart of Traralgon, the Courthouse offers a glimpse into the town’s early civic life. Built in 1886 as part of a group of public buildings that helped establish Traralgon’s civic centre, it is the oldest public building in Latrobe City. Remarkably, the courthouse has retained much of its original character and is heritage listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
In this stop, Jenny Hammett tells us about the courthouse’s history, its connections to Australia’s national story and the community effort to restore and reopen it. Today, the building is cared for entirely by volunteers, with a community-run secondhand bookshop helping fund its ongoing restoration.
Jenny Hammett is a sixth generation Gippslander. Her love of history and heritage was heavily influenced in childhood by her Grandfather. An extensive working career in Gippsland, Canberra and throughout Victoria, was built on the foundation of skills she developed through participation in her community from a relatively young age. Upon her initial retirement in 2016 a former school friend, Bronwyn Kerr, invited Jenny’s involvement in the Traralgon Courthouse Project. Today she is a researcher, writer and a keen participant in the ongoing development of the Traralgon Courthouse precinct.
41 Princes Street, Traralgon VIC, Australia
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Originally built in 1879, Traralgon’s former Wesleyan Church is a survivor! The church has been moved three times before arriving at its current location in 1995, and after facing the threat of demolition, the building was saved through community advocacy. It is now in the care of the Traralgon and District Historical Society, who have plans to restore it and create a museum, but who will need the community’s support once again. We hear from Barbara Johnson about the church’s history, her personal connection to it and the community’s efforts to give this remarkable building a new life. While you can’t go inside the church, peek through the windows to see its beautiful timber interior, which retains many original details.
Barbara Johnson is a member of a well-established farming family. Educated in Traralgon, Barbara studied Agricultural Science at the University of Melbourne and Education at Monash University. She joined the Traralgon & District Historical Society in the early 2000s, becoming President in 2014.
Off Argyle St, Traralgon VIC 3844
This is a very quick stop, but an unusual one. Here in Victory Park in Traralgon, you’ll find an Azalea Hawthorn Tree (Crataegus azarolus) – believed to be one of the largest and rarest examples of its kind in Victoria. Very little is known about the tree, but it holds a unique place in Victoria’s heritage: it is one of only a few single tree listings in the Victorian Heritage Register. Philip Goad, Chair of the Heritage Council of Victoria highly recommends taking a moment to have a look at this remarkable living piece of the region’s heritage.
Open House Latrobe is presented by Open House Melbourne and Latrobe City Council.
Stroll the City: Latrobe Valley is supported by the Heritage Council of Victoria.
