Morwell Centenary Rose Garden Part 1
The Garden was established to celebrate the centenary of Morwell Shire/City in 1992 from a suggestion by Cr Martin Hill. A steering Committee was formed and Barry Johnson, a former president of both the Victorian and Australian Rose Societies, was asked to assist the volunteers to create a beautiful rose garden. The Morwell City Council, which has since become part of the City of Latrobe, offered three locations for consideration, including the chosen site of the Norman Sharpe Reserve. This had been a cutting for the Morwell to Mirboo North railway line which had been closed.
Following ten months of hard work by volunteers and Office of Correction staff, along with generous support from local businesses, contractors, service clubs, Morwell Council and The Rose Society of Victoria the garden was opened in November 1992.
MORWELL is a large town located between Moe and Traralgon in the Latrobe Valley which is home to most of Victoria's power generation facilities.
Morwell has an attractive commercial centre, divided in two by the Gippsland rail line. The larger of these centres is located south of the railway along tree-lined Commercial Road, Tarwin Street and George Street. Legacy Place is an open square located in Commercial Road opposite Tarwin Street and features a monument dedicated to Sir Stanley Savige who was born in Morwell and founded the organisation which cares for families of deceased war veterans. A pedestrian underpass beside Legacy Place provides a link to Morwell's other commercial centre north of the railway along Princes Drive and Church Street where there are more shops, a post office, hotels and churches. The large Mid Valley Shopping Centre is located on the eastern side of town.
A characteristic of Morwell is the use of roses within many of its gardens. The greatest concentration of them can be found at the Morwell Centenary Rose Garden at the northern end of Maryvale Crescent and along Commercial Road.
The Morwell Civic Gardens are found near the junction of Princes Drive and Monash Way. They consist of large areas of lawn, the Gippsland Immigration Park, and Kernot Lake which has a footbridge spanning it. Kernot Hall and the Morwell campus of Federation Training is located on the southern side of the lake.
The Crinigan Bushland Reserve, accessible from Fairway Drive on the northern outskirts of town, is a 43 hectare reserve which preserves remnant native vegetation. Shelters, picnic areas and bush walking tracks are provided.
South of Morwell is the now closed Hazelwood Power Station, whose towering smoke stacks can be seen at various locations around Morwell.
Hazelwood Pondage is an artificial lake, accessed via Brodribb Road, which was used by the power station for cooling. Visitors to the lake can enjoy water activities including swimming, sailing, waterskiing and canoeing.
PERSONAL NOTE: The roses were probably introduced to counteract the horrid coal-fired power stations. The current Prime Minister is very keen on coal. Morwell is not a place I would choose to live.