MAFFRA Maffra is the next of that sextuplet of quite major towns in the Latrobe Valley. Maffra is also a terrific ‘heritage protection community’ that is evident throughout the town. Added to this the wide avenue like streets and character abounds. The town appears to have taken its name from a group of squatters from Maffra, a village in the Monaro region of NSW with its location between current Maffra and Newry being written on an early map. The squatters moved on, but the name remained. The Monaro Maffra was probably connected to Maffra, a town in Portugal. The township was settled in the 1860s, the Post Office opening on 20 July 1864 It was long the beef cattle capital of West Gippsland and, for many years, the only beet sugar processing centre in the country The Beet Museum, set in the Port of Maffra Park, has relics from the defunct sugar beet industry. The building is a relocated historic weighbridge building, and is lined with pine boards from the home of Charles and Grace Quirk, one of Maffra's first cottages. Maffra is considered to have one of the prettiest main streets (Johnson St) in Victoria. The Wellington Shire Council removed the 100+ year old trees that line it because of disease, but has since replaced them with young oaks. All of the churches are quite grand and old buildings. The Catholic Church particularly so. The Maffra War Memorial is a low key representation. The War Memorial building is anything but. The Maffra Motor Museum is located on the southern approach to the town. There are two hotels in the town. The Woolworths façade preserving the third . There are numerous old buildings give the town variation and colour. Maffra is the type of town that an overnight is essential to get the most out of the place.