Some Significant Dates in our first 100 years

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1844 Hazelwood Station Settled
1845 Maryvale Station Settled
1846 Merton Rush Station Settled
1847 Tyers surveyed Melbourne – Sale route and built bridge over Morwell River – later called Morwell Bridge
1848 Scrubby Forest Station settled
1848 First church service of any denomination (Anglican) held at Hazelwood Station by Rev. Francis Hales, on a 3 month touring mission throughout Gippsland
1858 Peter Jeremiah Smith built hotel at Morwell Bridge
1876 Hazelwood Ridge Primary School opened – first government school in the area
1879 First public sale of allotments in Morwell township – January 14th
1879 First train Princes Bridge sale – April 2
1879 First government school opened in Morwell township in a disused butcher shop in Tarwin Street – April 3rd (Later became Commercial primary school)
1884 Sacred Heart Catholic School opened in the church in George Street
1884 12 Mile Peg (Boolarra) established. First survey of township
1885 Morwell – Mirboo branch rail line completed
1885 Morwell – Mirboo “Gazette” established – October
1886 Morwell “Advertiser” established – October
1887 Morwell Brass Band established
1888 Great Morwell Coal Mining Company established
1890 March and August – fires destroyed ten shops in Commercial Road Morwell
1890 Morwell Butter Factory opened
1892 Morwell Shire established – May 22
1896 Second Briquette factory built at Great Morwell Coal Mine replacing first one destroyed by fire
1897 First recorded sighting of a rabbit in the district
1897 First picture show (still) in Mechanics Institute – on tour from Melbourne
1898 Bad bush fires state-wide – much damage in Morwell Shire
1899 Boer War – a number of local men enlisted – at least four died
1900 First movie picture show in Morwell (Lux Travelling Cinema)>
1902 Morwell Orchestra founded
1908 Morwell Golf Club formed – played in Kline’s paddock
1910 Petrol lamps established in eastern end of Commercial Road – previously lit by kerosene lamps
1912 Fire destroyed four shops in Commercial Road – July 31
1912 Fire destroyed five shops in Commercial Road December 31st – these had replaced shops destroyed in 1890 fires
1912 First Telephone exchange in Morwell – six subscribers
1912 Morwell Waterworks Trust established – September
1913 Morwell Bowling Club formed
1913 Reticulated water supply to Morwell from Billy’s Creek
1914 World War 1 broke out – many local men enlisted
1914 Volunteer Fire Brigade formed – November
1915 Acetylene street lamps in parts of Morwell
1916 Diphtheria epidemic
1919 Spanish flu epidemic – Commercial Road school became a temporary hospital
1920 Excavation of Yallourn open cut commenced
1923 Electric power from Yallourn to parts of Gippsland
1923 Electric street lights in Morwell
1924 Commercial power from Yallourn to Melbourne
1925 Swimming pool built in Alexandra Park, Morwell
1929 Back-to-Morwell to celebrate Morwell’s 50th year
1929 Four shops burnt in Commercial Road – November
1929 Morwell Butter Factory burnt – April
1929 Early settlers at Hermes Oak (Haunted Hills)
1930 Work ceased at Great Morwell Coal mine – it was later re-opened for a short time when Yallourn open cut was flooded
1932 Kingsford Smith came to Morwell barnstorming with the Southern Cross
1934 Bad floods in November – Morwell Isolated – Yallourn open cut flooded
1935 Morwell Mechanics Institute destroyed by fire
1936 Morwell Town Hall and Shire Offices – foundation stone laid
1937 Australian Paper Manufacturers pilot mill at Maryvale established
1939 Widespread disastrous fires – many areas in shire devastated
1939 World War 2 broke out – many locals enlisted
1944 More disastrous fires – Morwell Flax Mill destroyed – thirteen people in shire burned to death – over 100 homes destroyed
1945 La Mode Industries new factory in Morwell commenced work
1946 Morwell Chamber of Commerce and Morwell Rotary formed
1948 Morwell reservoir constructed
1948 Housing Commission purchased 300 acres for housing in Morwell