Local history society and museum and shop open daily in summer and four days during the rest of the year.
Our organisation’s aim or purpose is collecting and preserving items of local history, including schools, dairy and sheep industries, war memorabilia, etc. We call it “preserving the old and present for the future.” We were established in 1985 at the request of many locals and were helped in this by Heytesbury and Camperdown societies.
Cobden and District Historical Society are also now doing more family research for families from the area. If you are interested please contact them via the email address listed.
Volunteer based, non-profit organisation dedicated to Camperdown & district history in the south west of Victoria, Australia.
Postal Address – PO Box 243 Camperdown, VIC 3260
We are a community organization who help the public in researching their family history in the Colac District.
The Colac and District Historical Society was established in 1950, making Colac one of the first regional townships in the state to have such an organisation. A primary aim from the inauguration of the Society was to obtain a home where the various components of the district history could be preserved, and be made available to the public.
Apollo Bay and District Historical Society operates the Old Cable Station Museum at 6250 Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, The collection includes a photograph collection, family history collection and local archives.
Opening hours: Saturday, 2-5 pm. Sunday, 10am-1pm. Or email for mid week appointments for Museum visits or research.
Profile photo is of the Apollo Bay Museum, located in the old Telegraph Cable Station, Apollo Bay.
MDHS Inc seeks to collect and preserve documentary material relating to the heritage of Mortlake and district. The Society’s research collection is housed at The Ark Heritage Centre, opened in April 2004.
The Forrest and District Historical Society is committed to researching and maintaining the history of the township and district.
Established officially in 2006, the Forrest and District Historical Society has been meeting regularly. Events are routinely held where experts present on specific topics, or where the group are further exploring the history of the region. The society has an immense library of books, photos, agricultural machinery and various other items that are stored for preservation and information sharing purposes. Newsletters are sent out, and can be found at the Forrest General Store along with some books for sale.
We can do research for you about your family and what they left behind.
School Registers, Cemetery Names, Homesteads and Geographical Maps.
For any enquires please contact: Glenyce McDowell, glen.ian@bigpond.com.au
Accredited museum and archives. Monthly general meetings and committee meetings.
The society was formed in 1963 as a centre for local research into the early history of the town and it’s pioneer families. From modest beginnings, the organisation has grown to a membership of more than 120, with a much wider range of interests.
In 1992 the society was able to negotiate the lease of the historic Courthouse building in Gipps Street, Port Fairy, which was renamed The History Centre.
The Courthouse is one of over fifty buildings in Port Fairy classified by the National Trust as essential to the heritage of Australia and which must be preserved. It was built in 1859, with the portico added in 1869, and a further three rooms at the rear in 1874, to make the building as it is today. At the time of construction, it was the only Courthouse in the Western District of Victoria, and housed sittings of the Supreme Court and County Courts as well as General Sessions. It remained in use until 1988, when its last function, as a Licensing Court, was transferred to Warrnambool.
Much of the work of the society involves the development of the Courthouse as a museum and archives, and includes participation in the Museum Accreditation Program with which we have been accredited since 1998. The main courtroom houses a display of the original court furniture, with figures in costume. Five other rooms contain both permanent and temporary exhibitions on themes such as the early pioneers of the district, the whaling era in Port Fairy, local shipping and wrecks along the coast.
Profile Photograph: Port Fairy Historical Society Museum and Archives building by Peter Grenfell (2018)
Local records, visiting local sites of interest & significance.
The Lorne Historical Society had its origins in the old Library Hall on the corner of Smith and William streets, the site of the current police station. Unfortunately, the collection of artefacts and memorabilia vanished, perhaps into a private collection.
The new society held its first meeting at the Lorne School on Tuesday, August 5, 1969. The 16 members began the documentation of our current historical records, photographs and memorabilia. Their work and research can be found in our publications, including the information published by Keith Cecil, Jean and Malcolm Graham. The photographic collection began through the tireless work of Joan and Graham Wheal, Keith Cecil and Jean and Malcolm Graham.
The society was housed in a shop at the original Cumberland Guest House and at the Water Board building after it moved in 1989.
Jean and Malcolm Graham began in 1989 the recording of important Lorne events and stories, featured in the Geelong Advertiser until Malcolm sadly died in 2001. This amazing volume of work is recorded digitally and is available through the society. It is a lasting testimony to his dedication, hard work and love of Lorne and its history.
In 1999 the society moved to its current location at the Fig Tree Community House, 16 Mountjoy Parade. The collection may be viewed on the first Sunday of the month, or by appointment. Contact Lorne Historical Society if you’d like more information. You can also find publications about Lorne and The Great Ocean Road and also photographs and other merchandise from our online shop.
The Lorne Historical Society’s rooms are open each Sunday between 10am and midday. Please join us on the first Sunday of every month for morning tea.
Cressy & District History Group Inc promotes the history of Cressy and district, documenting, preserving, displaying information and research.