Open House Melbourne has announced its first regional festival in Victoria’s Latrobe City, with Open House Latrobe set to run across Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026. Presented in partnership with Latrobe City Council, the three-day event will open significant buildings, infrastructure and landscapes across Moe, Traralgon, Morwell, Yallourn, Yallourn North, Yinnar and Churchill to the public, including sites that are normally closed to visitors.

A region shaped by First Nations’ history and later established as Victoria’s coal mining and energy powerhouse, Latrobe City is navigating a period of significant change as its energy sector contracts and community-led renewal takes hold. Open House Latrobe is positioned as an opportunity for locals and visitors to engage directly with that evolving story, through access to the built environment, infrastructure and landscapes that have defined the region across successive eras.

“Open House Melbourne is an organisation that celebrates good design by opening up buildings, places and spaces, connecting people to place and inspiring public engagement in conversations about the future of our cities and regions,” says Dr Tania Davidge, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Open House Melbourne. “Open House Latrobe will celebrate the places, stories and communities that make the Latrobe region unique. Locals and visitors travelling to the region are invited to step inside remarkable buildings, explore significant places and enjoy experiences that will reveal the Latrobe region from a new perspective. There’s something for everyone to discover.”

Open House Melbourne has previously delivered regional festivals in Ballarat and Bendigo, both drawing strong public and professional participation. Davidge describes the Latrobe event as a particularly special expansion of that regional model, reflecting the organisation’s focus on connecting communities with the built and natural environments of Victoria’s cities and regions.

Latrobe City Council Mayor Councillor Sharon Gibson says the festival offers a way for both residents and visitors to engage with the region’s built identity. “Open House Latrobe is a wonderful opportunity for residents and visitors to explore the places, stories and communities that make our region unique,” says Cr Gibson. “From industrial heritage sites and cultural institutions to civic spaces and natural landscapes, the program will bring to life the landmarks that have shaped our past and continue to influence our future. The festival encourages people to discover something new about Latrobe City, celebrate our strengths, and gain a deeper appreciation of the places that make it such a special community.”

On the industrial side, EnergyAustralia is offering access to the Yallourn Mine, an open-cut coal operation that has supplied Victoria and the nation with electricity since the 1920s and is now approaching closure, with its potential future use under consideration. The Latrobe City Commercial Landfill Facility and its associated PineGro biogas electricity generator will also be open for behind-the-scenes tours, providing a look at how household waste is processed and converted into energy. Gippsland Water will host guided tours of the Traralgon Water Treatment Plant, walking visitors through the treatment process from source to tap.

Among the civic venues, the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, headquarters and judicial venue for criminal, civil and family law across Gippsland and the recent site of the Erin Patterson trial, will be accessible to the public. The Traralgon Railway Reservoir Conservation Reserve, a guided walking destination 1.5 kilometres from the Traralgon central business district, will offer tours of a landscape well known to birdwatchers, photographers and walkers.

The cultural program includes the Latrobe Regional Gallery, housed in the former Traralgon Town Hall built in 1936, which will offer behind-the-scenes access to its storage collection of 1,600 artworks. The Latrobe Valley Maltese Museum, Australia’s only institution dedicated to Maltese culture and heritage, will host guided tours with founder Mario Sammut through the museum’s collection at what the organisation describes as a living cultural centre. The Yallourn Production Centre, a former coal-fired electricity plant initiated by Sir John Monash and opened in 1924, now operates as a community and heritage education hub and is also part of the program.

Alongside these, CHEAP-SKATE, a free outdoor music and skating event by Gippsland-based garage-rock artist Blaike Murphy, will take over the Moe Library forecourt for a family-friendly program.

Anchoring the opening day, COLLECTIVE ENERGY on Friday 9 October (3:30pm to 7:30pm) presents a series of talks examining the cultural, ecological and archaeological narratives of the Latrobe Valley, tracing the region’s arc from early settlement and coal-powered industrialisation through to its current period of economic and environmental transition, and the community decisions shaping what comes next.

Image: Traralgon Library and Service Centre / Supplied

Architecture & Design Team

Let’s connect!