Mid Valley Shopping Centre, Morwell.

Mid Valley Shopping Centre is a regional shopping centre in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest shopping centre in Gippsland. The center commenced trading on 7 September 1982 (after an opening ceremony the previous day), and has since been redeveloped between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. The center has 67 stores, including two discount department stores and two supermarkets, as well as a cinema complex and Hardware Store (Bunnings Warehouse)

Opening

Mid Valley was opened in 1982 on a site between the Princes Highway and the main Gippsland railway in Morwell's east. Its location was the topic of some controversy, as it was located at the eastern end of town whilst the town's CBD was located in the west. Mid Valley's opening in effect split the retail centre of Morwell in two. Curiously Target and Safeway each operated large stores in the CBD and Mid Valley for several years, with both closing their CBD stores in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

At the time of opening the centre housed four majors: Safeway, Target, Venture, and McEwans. There were 40 specialty shops, which included State Bank, Camera House, Patch of Blue Jeanery, Jephcott's The Jewellers, Mid Valley Toys, Panther's Mensland, Sussan, Just Jeans, Dickson Sport, Croaker's Menswear, Mid Valley Pharmacy, Tattslotto, Witchery, Homecrafts, SnowDeli, Brashs, Katies, M.Raue & Co., Eastcoast, Speeds, Mid Valley Travel, West Mall Newsagency, and Mid Valley Credit Union.

Of the original tenants Safeway, Target, Tattslotto, Just Jeans, Katies, Sussan, and West Mall Newsagency (renamed Card Alley) now remain.

Design

Built with three malls radiating from a central point, the centre had some architecture features unique to retail buildings in Gippsland. The central focal point consisted of a deep-set stage and standing/seating area, almost fully surrounded by planters with tall deep-green coloured plants such as rubbers and ferns. The malls featured brown tiling, timber seating, and pitched skylights with planter boxes supported by wooden beams throughout. Deep-varnished wood was used extensively throughout, giving the centre a very 'rich' feel. The centre's exterior walls were coated with a fine pebble finish. The roofing around the entrances featured terracotta tiling, and the entrances themselves used tinted plate glass, with the entrance doors bearing the Mid Valley logo.