On 24 September 1947, under the terms of the State Electricity Commission (Yallourn Area) Act 1947, a town was proclaimed on 3 sqkm at the Narracan-Morwell border; this self-governing area, under the auspices of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, came to be known as the Yallourn Works Area, and at one point housed over 5,000 workers from nearby coal mines.