Werribee Half Battery

The Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society’s collection covers the localities of Cabbage Tree; Couangalt; South Gisborne; Gisborne; New Gisborne; Bullengarook; Macedon; Mount Macedon; Barringo; Cherokee; Hesket; Kerrie; & Riddells Creek.

A dedicated group of volunteer members of the Historical Society meet regulary to assist with the accessioning, conservation, filing and indexing of the collection, to assist visitors to the Court House and to attend to research enquiries received by phone, mail or email. A research fee of $25.00 per surname or topic applies.

The beautifully restored, 1858 Gisborne Court House, home of Gisborne and Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society is open to the public each Wednesday from 10am to 4pm, when volunteers are in attendance to assist with family and local history research enquiries. The Family and Local History Resource Centre at the Court House may be opened at other times by appointment.

Collection and conservation of local and family history documents, photos, and maps.

Scottish settlers Agnes and William Bell were the first to lease the land where the property was established. From the 1850s to the 1950s, Gulf Station supplied produce to gold miners of the district. The National Trust acquired stewardship of the property in 1976 and restored its buildings and cottage garden.

The Bomber Command Commemorative Association (Victoria) exists to ensure, in perpetuity, the continuance of the memory of those Australians, and particularly the Victorians, who served in RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War.

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)

Open Tues & Fri 10am – 3pm

Postal Address – PO Box 6007 Wantirna Mall VIC 3152

Founded in 1996 as the Victorian Jazz Archive (VJA), the Australian Jazz Museum (AJM) came about from the strongly voiced desire to preserve Australia’s jazz heritage, and for it to be readily accessible to musicians, collectors, donors and others throughout Australia.

In 2003 VJA was accredited as a Museum by Museums Australia (Victoria).  In 2014 the VJA changed its name to Australian Jazz Museum – to reflect the Museum’s Australia-wide mission, collection and membership.

The Mount Duneed History Group holds meetings at 7:30 pm on the 2nd Thursday in the months of February, March, May, August, October and November in the Mount Duneed Hall at 40 Mount Duneed Road, Mount Duneed.

The group aims to collect the history of Mount Duneed and surrounding areas including Freshwater Creek, Connewarre and Grovedale and present this information by posting an article to our blog each week. We usually have a guest speaker at our meetings and conclude the evening with refreshments and a chat. New members are always welcome.

Our mission is to collect, document, research, preserve and make available to the wider community for their enjoyment and education items that show the development of Dandenong and District from early settlement to present day.

The Nepean Historical Society Inc. was formed in 1965 and established its Museum in the Mechanics’ Institute, Sorrento. The building (classified by the National Trust) was built of local limestone in 1876/77. A multi-purpose Heritage Gallery, including multimedia and lecture facilities, was added in 1994.
Museum and various guided tours are available.

The Society is incorporated as a non-profit organisation and is operated entirely by volunteers, many with professional expertise. There are no paid staff. Members are encouraged to take an interest in the various activities and tasks required in an active organisation. Membership is currently around 300.

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.