Looking Back - October 2025

By Leo Billington

A short walk through recent history - do you remember?

Let us start with Morwell’s temporary village called White City. A correspondent back in 2019 provided a concise description. Approximately 50 two and three-bedroom homes were built here to house an influx of workers to the region to work on SEC projects, including the construction of the Morwell Power Station and briquette factory.

There were no shops, no Nissen huts, surrounded by cheap picket fences, always plenty of kids and adjacent to the original Latrobe Valley airport. It was a community, somewhat transitional as families moved in and out, when more comfortable accommodation was found.

In a recent reference to the White City, the humble Nissen hut seems to have attracted attention. No doubt we have seen these buildings - some decaying, others being used, an oddity to a younger generation.

I regularly travel the Cann Valley Highway, and passing the historic Noorinbee state school, built in 1899, is the former home of the Noorinbee Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, formed by several local farmers showing community leadership late in 1930. A recent photograph of this Nissen hut is as it was, when vacated around 1945. Then the brigade relocated to Cann River town, transitioning to become the Cann Valley Fire Brigade.

It seems there are “watchers” looking out for these semi-circle shaped buildings. And there are plenty to find - a bit like the BP Spotto holiday motoring game. Grab a pencil and cross it off!

Invented in around 1916 by British engineer, Major Peter Nissen, and intended for use during both World Wars, their “retirement” captured imaginations in Australia to be repurposed. Temporary housing was one use, and locally, the Yallourn Camp had quite a few for post-war migrants. Fortunately, some huts also found a new life as farm buildings and workshops.

There was once a Nissen hut at the Strzelecki Connan Park Scout Park, amazingly renovated by volunteers.

Currently, there is a reasonable example of a Nissen hut in Morwell; albeit some side windows have been smashed and discarded car tyres are regularly dumped behind it (unable to be seen from passing traffic). A brick facade tells us it was, and perhaps still is, a useful building.

It is located at the Avondale and Driffield Road intersection - and was placed on part of the local playground. The playground is now reduced in area - all the kids have gone. Up until about 1969, the “big kids” monkey bar and swings gave up their space for a Nissen hut. Horses, hired at weekends from Bob Whykes, could be tied at this space while young riders played on “big kids” stuff. Morwell Shire Council owned the playground; “big kids” referred to risk takers, ensuring big kids, and little kids, did not need doctors.

In more recent decades, the hut has been home to local theatre groups for storage and rehearsals. Strzelecki Showtime has made great use of this facility following a shift from the Hourigan Road Scout Hall. Basically, given the paucity of appropriate community space in Morwell, this Nissen hut has proved to be invaluable.

There is a second Nissen hut in Morwell. This one has escaped any attempts at local research. It is tucked in behind another structure, in a position which has been its home for at least 25 years. An accompanying photograph proves its existence, and the structure is in great shape.

On December 2, 1953, Yallourn newspaper, the Live Wire reported that the newly formed Hernes Oak scout group committee received “generous support” from the Hernes Oak Progress Association to enable purchase of a Nissen hut. It was intended for use by scouts and guides. Fundraising - for internal alterations - included working-bees, and cake stalls.

On instructions from the Department of the Interior (an Australian government department that existed between April 1939 and December 1972), Morwell based auctioneer firm, Hanson and Watson held an auction of 25 Nissen huts. These were rested on property known as the Yallourn South Migrant Hostel, about four miles west of Morwell. Conducted on Friday, September 11, 1953, these huts were described as “being 42 feet x 16 feet with hardwood ends and floors, some with masonite partitions.” They could be purchased as “a whole or in separate units.”

The Live Wire reported about an unhappy buyer at this auction. It drew a large audience, some keen to buy, others were “sticky beaks”. One “well-known Morwell citizen” was so enthusiastic, he bought the first hut paying about £240. There was apparently “personal fury and gnashing of teeth” when another 10 huts hardly raised £114 each.

While there were plenty to sell, generally at public auction, community attitudes were problematic. In late July, it was reported by the Gippsland Times that a Nissen hut, proposed for use as the “Memorial Hall to meet all needs, was unanimously rejected. It was to be used while a more, appropriate hall was “awaited by all Sale residents.”

At their February 1951 meeting held in the Town Hall, Morwell Sub-Branch of the RSL, members were provided an update on the “Hall Project”. Plans “had been prepared and approved for club rooms to be erected in Tarwin Street. Orders had been lodged overseas for two Nissen huts and payment made to the manufacturers.” Date of shipment was unknown and concerns were raised about problems of construction.

One year later, common sense reigned. Newly elected RSL President, Mr G Colebrook, moved quickly with a new plan, aimed to have a hall built during 1952. His plan included “scrapping of erecting Nissen huts” in favour of funding a brick hall.

He believed that a main hall could be built for about £6000 and he felt that the Nissen huts, which could be sold, would always preserve the aspect of temporary buildings. In other words, two Nissen huts were contrary to RSL ideals and public image. Fair enough.

Moreover, at the same meeting, it was admitted, where tenders had been called for the erection of a main hall using Nissen huts, no tenders had actually been submitted.