Maintains the oldest house in Romsey – Seymour Cottage. Museum with displays of local interest in former Court House. Collection of local history & family documents.
Research, record and promote the history and heritage of the Keilor region whilst collecting, preserving, enhancing and enjoying its artefacts and memorabilia. Exhibitions, publications and a digital project is part of our agenda.
Identifying graves without headstones where possibleCemetery Camp Road Broadmeadows
Researching the Pioneers of Horseshoe Bend Farm and Keilor Plains.
The object of the Society is to promote the study, collection and preservation of Bacchus Marsh and District’s history, historical places and objects. To promote and support historical research and publication of the same.
Postal Address – PO Box 223, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, 3340, AUSTRALIA
Preserving Australian and World Wide Early Ways of Life and Farming Heritage. Archiving collection, preparing static displays, restoration of exhibits for public display, creating walkways and BBQ areas, picket fences.
The Yarrambat Historical Society Inc was formed in 1990 with the mission “To preserve and perpetuate the history of the area and to promote and encourage social interchange between people of all ages who share and interest in our cultural heritage”
The Yarrambat Heritage Museum is by far the largest project undertaken by the Society. The Society took over the site in early 2001 and over the ensuing years has developed the site into an operational Heritage Museum. A grant from the Victorian State Government enabled the relocation of the original 1878 Primary School classroom to the site in 2002.
The Polish Museum and Archives in Australia was established in 1991 as an initiative of a number of people who saw the importance of collecting and preserving historical materials that reflected the individual and community life of Polish immigrants living in Australia.
Postal Address: PO Box 405 Essendon North VIC 3041
Friends of Cornish Hill are a Landcare group. Our connection with RHSV goes back to the day when Cornish Hill Reserve was saved from sale by members of the local community who realised the value of the Reserve as being historically and environmentally significant.
The Friends have been beavering away restoring the Smiths creek corridor to bring it back to what it looked like before mining ravaged the landscape.
Image: Friends of Cornish Hill working bee in June 2018
The Daylesford & District Historical Society was formed in 1964 and the Museum established in 1971.
The Museum has approximately 800 square metres of interior displays and approximately 250 square metres of covered yard and houses an large collection of local memorabilia and artefacts.
The museum has extensive archival resources that are accessible by arrangement for research to researchers and genealogists.
Contact Us
03 5348 1453
history@daylesford.net
Visit our website
http://www.daylesfordmuseum.net
Opening Hours
Saturdays : 11 am – 3 pm
During the week by appointment
Entry Fee: Adults $5.00 Children Free
Follow Us on facebook
The Coburg Historical Society is a non-profit community-based organisation dedicated to researching and preserving the history and historic buildings of Coburg.
Plenty Historical Society Inc was formed in February 2001 and comprises a group of people keen to create and nurture an active and sustainable organisation that is assertive in preserving the unique natural and historical environment and culture of Plenty and district in complement with Nillumbik Shire Council’s Heritage Overlay.
Image: Former Plenty Uniting (Methodist) Church building which has recently been relocated to the Plenty Heritage Park, Memorial Drive, Plenty, by the Major Roads Projects Authority (MRPA), a section of VicRoads, as a result of the need to move it from its former site because of major roadworks being undertaken. MRPA acquired the building from the Uniting Church when they acquired the land for road construction. MRPA is donating the building to the Plenty Historical Society Inc. once renovations and significant other works are completed. The building will then become the new home of the Plenty Historical Society inc. It will be some time before the Society gains access to the building, but we are most grateful that firstly our efforts to save the building from possible demolition and have it relocated to the Heritage Park and eventually acquire the church building have been worthwhile.
The church building has been assessed as historical significant on a local level, for its long association with religious community gatherings and activities in the Plenty farming area. It should be seen as a locally significant representative of the Methodist revival of the 1920s, in which rural home missionaries played an important and distinctive role in sustaining local religious communities. Methodism was a Christian sect originating in England from the teachings of Wesley, born out of concern in the 19th century that the established church ‘had little or no desire for the salvation of the masses’ (Benson 1935:8) As a form of ‘social Christianity”\’, it emphasised missionary work among the poor, workers, and remote communities. It was a powerful force in educating the working class and evangelising its moral code. Travelling preachers and lay helpers drawn from its own ranks thus quickly multiplied and chapels were erected in centres of population predominantly using funds raised from its congregations, The Home Mission, established in 1875 to spread Methodism throughout the remote communities of the British Empire, trained and deployed ‘home missionaries’ who were the ‘shock-troops’ of the church. Their activity made Methodism, despite its relative youth, a strong presence in the colonies and the dominions, and Methodists regularly ranked among the main religious groups in new Victorian settler Communities
The former chapel is locally significant as one of a small number of buildings representing the establishment of the township of Plenty in the 1920s based around its small farming community. Plenty district developed following the arrival of the railway, even though the railway was some distance away. It developed as a community of small farmers. Plenty was then a developing orchard and farming district. Its school opened in 1922, with 29 pupils. The post office opened in 1923. The 1920s, when the church was built was thus an important period of growth in the history of Plenty.
Methodist services were first held at Plenty in 1925, under the auspices of the Diamond Creek Methodist Home Mission Station, which had six churches throughout the Diamond Valley. Other Churches were at Diamond Creek, Arthurs Creek, Cottles Bridge, Hurstbridge and Wattle Glen. In 1925, the Victorian Methodist Church encouraged the building of new country churches by offering £50 to communities who could raise £100. The Methodists of Plenty took advantage of the offer, and their wooden chapel was opened in December 1925. Within five years of opening the church was debt free. (Source: “Independent Panel Hearing Statement of Evidence on Former Methodist Church” January 2012)
Buda Historic Home and Garden is of national significance. The house is an accredited museum featuring the intact furnishings, personal belongings and art collection of the talented Leviny family who resided there over two generations for almost 120 years.
Come to Buda and enjoy walking through the historic house where you will be transported to another era, in this Museums Australia accredited museum. Wander three acres of heritage garden featuring original plantings and structures, including the bird aviary, tennis pavilion and grape pergola, along with many original garden ornaments created by the Leviny family members
The Castlemaine Pioneers & Old Residents’ Association (P&ORA) held its first meeting on 17 March 1880 following some informal meetings amongst like-minded gentlemen who were keen to form an organisation to support one another in times of need and to enhance the society they lived in.
One of the early rules states ‘that the organisation will collect, store, preserve and promote the area’s local history.
The P&ORA is not a Historical Society as such, but we do own a lot of historical ‘stuff’ as past members were reluctant to throw anything out.
Opening Hours – Every Wednesday between 10am-3pm
The Castlemaine Historical Society was formed in 1965 to study, record and promote the historical heritage of Castlemaine and District. It operated for many years from temporary premises in various locations. In 1996 the Society was granted a lease to its present home in the historic Former Court House.
Meetings (with interesting guest speakers), exhibitions, a monthly newsletter, guided tours, the development, cataloguing and maintenance of an historic archive collection, indexing of records and the provision of a research service are the major activities of the members.
Archives held by the Society include early directories, voters lists, local newspaper index and some records and indexes concerning mining leases, rates, schools, churches and cemeteries.
Postal Address – PO Box 655, Castlemaine 3450
Essendon Historical Society is a non-profit organisation committed to documenting, preserving and promoting the history of the City of Moonee Valley which consists of Airport West, Ascot Vale, Avondale Heights, Essendon, Essendon North, Keilor East, Kensington, Moonee Ponds, Niddrie, Strathmore, Strathmore Heights as well as parts of Keilor and Flemington.
The Society was formed in 1970 by a group of residents who recognised the importance of preserving all aspects of local history for the benefit of present and future generations.
Early meetings were held in private homes and, later, in the Moonee Ponds Town Hall. In 1981, after a long battle, the Society obtained the use of the old Moonee Ponds Courthouse as its headquarters.
Essendon Historical Society has retained the use of the 1890 building since that time. With somewhere to display and store items of local historical interest, the community was encouraged to assist in building up various collections of local significance.
*Image Source: Essendon Historical Society Collection
Please Note: The Preston Historical Society no longer operates. The resources are now held by Darebin Libraries. Contact 1300 655 355
The Preston Historical Society was established in 1965 and held local history, object and photographic collections.
Museum and archives pertaining to horticulture, granite and families.
Image: Harcourt ANA Hall, built 1911, the of Harcourt Valley Heritage & Tourist Centre