Discovering an attraction that has been created with family adventure in mind and run by a community passionate about sharing the beginning of Australia’s rural settlement is a real find. Around a month ago, T heard about a place in the Hawkesbury area where history has been preserved. It sounded intriguing. We had to go.
The Australiana Pioneer Village was developed back in 1970 by Bill and Marie McLachlan who were inspired to bring to life an Australian Heritage experience after visiting the Knotts Berry Farm in Los Angeles. They began by sourcing, buying and then moving real historic buildings from around the area to the site. Unfortunately, Bill passed away only a year after the Australiana Pioneer Village opened. He is buried right outside St Mathew’s Church on the property with Marie who passed away in 2003.
From 2001, the Australiana Pioneer Village was closed before being brought back to life by a strong community contingent who were determined to see it become the site it once was on Australia Day 2011. Today it is run by volunteers and usually open each Sunday (although we managed to visit on one of the rare days it was open during the school holidays).
So what did we think? To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. I have travelled to many ‘historic’ towns geared towards the tourist and usually quite expensive for what you get. I was surprised when we drove through the gates to discover that a family ticket was a mere $15.00. In fact, everything was fairly inexpensive and often outright cheap for what we were receiving.
One of the highlights for both Master R and Miss N was the Treasure Hunt. For a mere $1.00, the kids were provided a set of clues which took them all around the site to find tokens and objects that they would then return for a prize. ONE DOLLAR!! Miss N received a necklace and Master R a key chain. They had so much fun leading the exploration of the site.
So what did we see? Let’s start at The Rose Cottage. Built around 1811, it is recognised as Australia’s oldest known timber slab house situated on it’s original site with the family inhabiting it continuously until 1961. We were only able to explore the outside of the cottage which is open for inspection on the Third Sunday of each month from 10.00am to 3.00pm.
The treasure hunt started at Bee Hive Shop (1879) which originally stood on Windsor Road at McGraths Hill and was used to sell honey, largely Box Gum and Salvation Jane (which is now called Pattersons Curse).
We then weaved around to the School House which was once the main building of Marsden Park Public School (1889). Being a teacher, I loved this spot. The kids were able to sit at desks that still had the ink well hole (funny enough, both T and I had these desks at our respective schools back in the 1980s!), practise cursive writing on the blackboard and experience the cane.
Next stop, the Shearing Shed. Later in the day the kids watched a shearing show here while T and I ordered lunch. They learned about sheep stomachs, shearing and how to care for a large flock of sheep on a farm. I’m not sure where we headed next, there was so much more to see!
Up the top of the Australiana Pioneer Village is an example of a Bank of Australia from the 1920’s. It was interesting to see how all the different banks from the early 1900s have transformed into a mere handful of big banks in the new millennium. Next door is the police station which was in continuous use at Riverstone from 1888 till 1970’s. It is tiny! I can’t imagine spending my winter working in such a confined space.
The very first building to be moved intact to Australiana Pioneer Village was Perry House (1969). It had a plethora of occupants over the years, first starting as a Saddlery before morphing into a Tailor business, a ‘House of Shady Ladies’ and finally a grocery store. We enjoyed pretending we were getting our hair cut in the barber section of the house.
The Oxboro Inn was one of our favourites but is not authentic. It depicts a typical inn of the period, but offers food from our time: sausage rolls, milkshakes, toasties, soft drink and the like. Better yet, it’s all very reasonably priced.
St Phillip’s Church Circa (1890) was originally situated at Upper MacDonald River Valley. It captures the importance of faith in the early pioneer life. Just outside are the graves of the masterminds behind the site: Bill and Marie McLachlan, which makes the site very special.
There were plenty of other houses, cottages, buildings and amenities to trawl through. Each provided a snapshot of the occupants at that time. Some include a little humour (see if you can spot what page the Medical book was left on! We even caught a ride on the horse and carriage!
One of the great feats of the village is the railway. I believe it was originally planned to be much bigger than the 400 m that now operate. What was constructed was a fascinating and unique rollingstock and locomotive that runs along bridges, tunnel, embankments and cuttings. It is wonderful to see the railway project operational again. You can even ride it!
The site is largely run by a small community of volunteers. You will note that some of the houses need a little clean up and that they are mishmash of historic periods at times, however for $15.00 a family I think you’ll find the Australiana Pioneer Village a real treat.
The Australiana Pioneer Village can be located at Rose Street, Wilberforce NSW. It is open every Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm with special days open during the year (check their page for details).
