Latrobe Valley
Latrobe Valley is a region in Gippsland in the east of the state of Victoria in Australia . The valley is located between the Strzelecki Mountains and the Great Dividing Range . There are three larger cities, as well as various small towns and farming villages. By and large, the area of the Latrobe Valley coincides with the Local Government Area of Latrobe City . The valley is the most densely populated part of the Gippsland. About 78,000 people live there.
The Latrobe Valley is the center of Victoria's energy industry, in particular the mining and burning of lignite to generate electrical energy. A total of 85% of Victoria's electrical energy is produced there and four of the largest power plants are located there. A significant part of Victoria's agricultural products is also from this region. Both coal and agricultural products are important export goods and the economy based on them is the main reason for the rapid increase in the population in the middle of the last century. But it is through these industries that the region produces more greenhouse gases than any other part of Victoria.
Traralgon is the most populous city in the region, while Morwell has become the administrative center due to its central location. There has long been a rivalry between the two cities.
The Latrobe Valley got its name from the Latrobe River , which flows through the valley in an easterly direction.
geography
The Latrobe River flows into Lake Wellington east of Sale and drains a substantial portion of the central Gippsland. The Latrobe Valley encompasses a smaller part of the area, as it extends around the three cities of Moe , Morwell and Traralgon between the Strzelecki Ranges in the south and the westernmost foothills of the Australian Alps in the north. The valley is moderately fertile and has a humid climate.
economy
Key sectors include power generation, papermaking, wood milling, agriculture and livestock farming, logging, information technology, engineering and education. The valley provides 85% of Victoria's electrical energy and has important engineering for the power plant, paper and food industries. The university attracts students from the region, from all over Australia and around the world.
Logging is also an important industry in the hills to the north and south of the valley; the main paper mill is in Maryvale , near Morwell. In the rough north of the region lies the historic gold rush town of Walhalla with the mountains that form the western part of the Alpine National Park and the nearby Baw-Baw National Park with a small ski area.
climate
The Latrobe Valley has a maritime climate , which means mild temperatures with large amounts of rain, occasional frost and snow on the neighboring hills. The warmest month is February with a mean temperature range of 12.5 to 26.4 ° C and the coldest month is July with a mean temperature range of 3.6 to 13.5 ° C. Most of the rain falls in late winter and spring; the mean annual rainfall is 800 mm.
Settlements
There are three major cities in the Latrobe Valley:
- Traralgon - the most populous city
- Moe - the second most populous city
- Morwell - located in the center of the urban area, is the administrative center and headquarters of the main newspaper, the Latrobe Valley Express
The main hospital is on the Princes Highway between Morwell and Traralgon. It arose from the amalgamation of the hospitals in the three larger cities.
Small towns are Tyers , Newborough , Yinnar , Erica , Thorpdale , Yallourn North (the original Yallourn was relocated because of the brown coal mining), Churchill (home of Gippsland Monash University ) and Boolara .
The major cities have Rotary clubs , Morwell, Moe, Hazelwood (Churchill), Traralgon, and Traralgon Central.
traffic
The Princes Freeway runs through the Latrobe Valley and connects Melbourne with the East Gippsland region .
The Traralgon V / Line (railway line) connects the three larger cities.
Power plants
The power plants in the Latrobe Valley are the Hazelwood , Loy Yang , Yallourn lignite- fired power plants, the Jeeralang gas-fired power plant, and the Energy Brix (formerly Morwell ).
Web links
- LatrobeFirst , Latrobe Valley Services and Tourism Information
- Information about lignite mining in the Latrobe Valley
- Latrobe Valley Online Community