Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial takes over Morwell streetscapes

Australia Broadcast Center

29-04-2025

On a regular Wednesday morning in late April, it's easy enough to find a park along Morwell's main street.
But this week is no regular week.
The regional Victorian town, just shy of two hours' south-east of Melbourne, has found itself at the centre of an international media spotlight as it
The otherwise unassuming Gippsland town is awash with journalists, bloggers, podcasters and more — notebooks and microphones at the ready to capture every detail aired in court.
But for those who live in Morwell, it feels less like a case of the circus coming to town, more like an unusual sideshow.
In fact, many didn't even know the trial was on.
"I'll be honest with you, I only realised because I went down to the local council [building] and couldn't get a park," Latrobe City Business Chamber president Peter Ceeney said with a laugh.
Media representatives from Australia and abroad have travelled to Morwell to cover the mushroom trial.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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Welcome to Morwell
Morwell is normally home to about 15,000 people, though numbers have edged up slightly this week.
Erin Patterson's trial has thrown a new spotlight on Morwell, a town better known for coal power, an old paper mill and a few handy sportspeople.
Hotels and motels had their house-full signs ready well in advance, as the few accommodation options in town quickly filled.
Ray Burgess runs the local newsagent.
Ray Burgess says it feels a little like business as usual in his newsagency, other than some increased road traffic down the road.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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He wasn't expecting a rush on pens and paper despite the pundits coming to town.
"If I look out the front door to the left, where the legal precinct is, yeah, it's certainly busier down there," he said with a wry laugh.
"
There seems to be a bit of a police presence and there's cameras and things … there's definitely some folk around.
"
Mr Burgess is a local character and one of the first people you would call for an update via the town's bush telegraph.
But he said things have stayed relatively quiet when it came to the trial.
"There are a few new faces around in the street, but I don't know how long the excitement will last," he said.
Ray Burgess says there has been a flurry of activity in Morwell's legal precinct this week.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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Sushi rolling out the door
At Claudia's Cafe, a small single-front cafe just down the road from the courthouse, business has been less-than-booming.
Like much of the town, Claudia's has been steady — if a little quiet.
Chatting with one hand on the coffee machine, owner Clauda Davies said she was hoping the trial would give her tills and the town at least a temporary boost.
Claudia Davies says her cafe has a loyal client base.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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"I'd imagine we'll get a little busier, we're only about 100 metres from the court," Ms Davies said.
Ms Davies has run Claudia's for 18 years and of late, has been doing it hard, like many hospitality venues.
She said she hoped to put away a little bit of the extra mushroom trial money to go towards her taxes.
"The town's just sleepy, that's the way it is,"
she said.
Claudia Davies says Morwell has become quieter during her 18 years in business.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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Across town, Christina Gu has been prepping for the arrival of the world's media and their lunch breaks.
"My boss will put more staff on and when we're doing the morning preparation, we're going to make more sushi and have more staff in the kitchen," she said.
After living in Morwell for a decade, Ms Gu said she was looking forward to meeting new people and hearing fresh perspectives.
"I want to know their idea of our town, our food, and why they come,"
she said.
"I'm getting excited for everything."
Some Morwell residents say the mushroom trial's media pack made finding a park on the main street more difficult.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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The consistent factor among the residents was a sense of pride in their little town.
Each hoped for a glimmer of hope to come from the town's moment in the media spotlight.
"Like most country towns, it has its issues but it really is a pretty little town," Mr Burgess said.
Weekend wanders
Outside the courtroom, life will continue much as usual for Morwell's residents — just with a few more newsy tourists than normal.
Plenty in town remain blissfully unaware the court case is even underway.
Some Morwell residents have said they were surprised to learn the trial was happening this week.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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The Morwell Tigers will host Wonthaggi Power at their home ground this weekend.
A few extra drinks have been ordered, but that's for a past players' function, not an expected media scrum.
"We haven't got any changes with the trial coming up," Tigers president Michael Stobbart said.
If anything, he said he hoped the attention on Morwell might shine a light on the region's real challenges, like crime.
"I haven't really noticed anything different around town,"
he added.
Not that there's nothing else happening.
The town's rose garden, an international award winner, is still putting on a few blooms even as winter creeps closer.
The travelling media has cut a lonely figure at times outside Latrobe Valley courthouse.
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ABC News: Danielle Bonica
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And for those journalists lingering through the weekend, a stroll through the local gallery might offer some unexpected inspiration.
Two exhibitions are on show with free entry, including a collection celebrating wit and pun.
Safe to say, the headline writers should feel right at home.
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