Traralgon

Postcode: 3844

Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon was the former administrative centre of Latrobe City, although this has now moved to the neighbouring city of Morwell.

The origin of the name Traralgon is uncertain. It is popularly believed to be derived from words from the Gunai language: tarra meaning "river" and algon meaning "little fish". However, these words are not reflected in modern linguists' knowledge of the Gunai language, where, for example, the word for river is wun wun or wurn wurn.

Through the 1950s residents and councillors fought to separate Traralgon from the Shire of Morwell, which occurred in 1961 when Traralgon formed its own borough, the Borough of Traralgon. Traralgon was proclaimed a city in 1964.

Further development resulted from the expansion of the power generation industry following World War II, particularly through the now defunct SEC. Which included large expansions at Yallourn and Hazelwood Power Stations and the construction of the massive Loy Yang Power Station in the 1970s and 1980s.

Completion of the Loy Yang power stations, extensive voluntary departures from the electricity industry and privatisation of the Victorian electricity industry in the early 1990s had devastating effects on the economy of the Latrobe Valley. Traralgon, with a more diversified economy, suffered to a lesser extent than the neighbouring towns of Morwell and Moe both of which relied almost exclusively on the power stations for their livelihood.

Traralgon is now one of Victoria's most prosperous regional cities and is the economic heart of the Latrobe Valley.

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