The Morongo Rose, planted in the gardens of Mossgiel Boarding House in Noble Street, is one of the many legacies of the Morongo Presbyterian Girls College. In the lead up to the 75th Anniversary of the College in 1995, the President of the Parents and Friends Association of Morongo, Mrs Jan Buchholz, decided that a rose would be an appropriate and lasting memento for Old Collegians and Friends of the College.

The Association approached Bob and Marlene Peden of Otway Roses who agreed to propagate a rose. They focused on the young women of Morongo, who they considered to be enthusiastic and possessing a strength of purpose.
Bob commenced breeding the Morongo Rose in 1990. A rose in the David Austin tradition, ‘Morongo’ inherits its health and robustness from Alexander and its cupped petals from Angel Darling. This perfumed rose has a growing height of 1.2 metres with long stems, deep green foliage and wavy red petals. The soft red colour reflects the youth and vibrancy of the Morongo girls.

Unfortunately, Morongo closed in November 1994 and the roses were given to the Morongo Old Collegians Association for distribution.

In 2019, two Morongo Roses were placed on either side of the portico of Mossgiel Boarding House at The Geelong College, directly in front of the Morongo Room.