Jess
Long before the State Electricity Commission rolled in, a handful of locals built their own power station out near Toorongo Falls. The story still flows beneath the surface.
Noojee’s early 1920s hydro scheme, built by local businesses near Toorongo Falls, generated electricity for the town and neighboring Warragul and Neerim for about a decade until the State Electricity Commission took over, illustrating how community-driven ingenuity and resourcefulness can create lasting, locally powered solutions.
Noojee has always had a quiet history of innovation — working with nature, sharing resources, and finding ways to make things happen long before modern systems arrived.
Did you know Noojee was ahead of the game when it came to power? (Kind of ironic, considering how many outages we've all lived through over the years 😅)
A locally-driven idea
Back in 1922, a group of local Gippsland businesses didn't sit around waiting for big systems to roll in. They backed an idea and gave it a go.
The River Latrobe Hydro-Electric Co. built a small hydro station just outside of town, using water from the rivers near Toorongo Falls to generate electricity. And here's the kicker:
- Noojee was part of generating its own power
- That same system supplied Warragul and Neerim as well
All from one locally-driven project. All using nature and a solid understanding of physics.
Curiosity turned into something real
You can almost picture it. Someone fascinated by how things work — water flow, pressure, force, energy — a special interest turned into a real-world solution. Not just an idea, but a need to prove it could be done.
It wasn't easy either. Rough terrain, limited access, and second-hand generators pieced together with determination and grit. But look what it achieved.
This little hydro scheme powered the area for around 10 years, before the State Electricity Commission of Victoria took over supply with large-scale generation from places like Yallourn Power Station.
You can still see it
You can still catch glimpses of this story today:
- Out near Toorongo Falls, where it all began
- Behind the pub, where the old water wheel sits as a quiet nod to what once was
Old wisdom, still flowing
Innovation doesn't always come from big budgets or big cities. Sometimes it comes from curiosity. From people who see how something could work, and refuse to let it go.
The old-school ways show us what it looks like to be resourceful. To think creatively. To be determined and resilient. And to build something bigger than ourselves, together.
Not new ideas. Just old wisdom, still flowing beneath the surface — something truly Noojee. 🌿