Discover Yallourn: Museum, bike park and history

Yallourn brings together industrial history, museum visits and outdoor experiences. At the Sir John Monash Museum, engineering, leadership and community come together with the ongoing work of building a better world. Haunted Hills Bike Park and the Rail Trails offer different experiences; at the same time, the town’s history tells of a planned workers’ settlement that was removed in the early 1980s. You can get to know Yallourn through its technology, landscape and former town planning.

Museum and bike park

The Sir John Monash Museum is located at the Yallourn Production Centre. It presents engineering, leadership and community as a connected story, linking these themes with the ongoing work of building a better world. A visit to the museum thus brings together technical and social themes.

Haunted Hills Bike Park is also in Yallourn. Its 13 kilometres of progressive trails span difficulty levels from beginner to Level Gnarly. A pump track and a kids’ trail round out the offerings. If you’re planning a visit with children, you can include the kids’ trail as a feature of the park in your plans.

Rail Trails and landscape

The Moe to Yallourn Rail Trail follows an old railway branch line through rural countryside to Yallourn Power Station. The trail is 8.5 kilometres long, and the stated walking time is four hours one way. When planning your day, it’s therefore worth considering this walking time as well as the distance.

The Yallourn to Moe Rail Trail is a short, flat and scenic route of 8.5 kilometres one way, suitable for walking or cycling. Significant species can be found along the Yallourn to Moe Rail Trail, including Green Scentbark (Eucalyptus fulgens) and Strzelecki Gum (Eucalyptus strzeleckii). The plant life along the route can therefore be one of the highlights of a trip. As trail conditions can change, check them before setting out.

The history of the workers’ settlement

Yallourn was established between the 1920s and 1950s as a workers’ settlement for employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria. The Commission operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex. In the early 1980s, the town was removed so that the rich brown coal deposits beneath it could be used for Yallourn W Power Station.

The town’s planning at the time also tells the story of its character. Plans included a prominent central square beside the shopping area, a tree-lined Broadway between the shopping area and the railway station, and a green belt. These included native vegetation, open parkland, and sports and recreational facilities. In this way, the town’s history connects energy production with a specific vision of how homes, shopping, the railway station, green spaces and recreation should fit together.

Plan your stay around your interests

The different themes offer practical starting points for planning your trip, without reducing Yallourn to just one of its aspects.

For the broader travel overview: Latrobe City.