Immerse yourself in this unique and award winning 100% family owned Australian attraction or show the young ones how life used to be with live demonstrations, train rides, working machinery and more on scheduled weekends, school and public holidays.
Highlights include blacksmithing, wood turning, John Deere Tractors, printing press, small engines, the working saw mill and running olden day vehicles.
Set on 16 acres, the Historic Village Herberton is a tin mining town with shops, pub, bank, chemist, grocer, printer, and garage. There are more than 60 restored period buildings making this outdoor museum the most significant in Queensland and one of the most significant outdoor museums in Australia.
Each building, shed and working area houses an extensive display of memorabilia. With quirky Australian collectibles, olden day machinery, vehicles and thousands of genuine antique items.
Plan to spend the day and take your time taking in thousands of genuine recreations or daily life and industry. Live demonstrations and working exhibits are brought to life during school holidays and on some weekends – please check the daily activities schedule to see what’s on.
Make sure you savour the delicious homestyle cooking at the Bakerville Tearooms and if its open, this editor highly recommends the damper and billy tea on the other side of Wild River. Don’t forget to bring your camera and dogs on leads are welcome.
The Historic Village Herberton is a 90-minute drive from Cairns, there is plenty of free parking on-site, including space for RVs and caravans. The village is mostly all abilities accessable with ramps and paths.
How did it come to be?
Back in the 1950s, when many relics were being sold off for scrap metal and old buildings condemned for demolition, collector Harry Skennar had a vision – to preserve history for generations to come.
Harry and Ellen Skennar then set about creating The Village back in 1973, thankyou Harry and Ellen.
They brought the first building, Elderslie House, onto the site beside Wild River then many more buildings and relics followed. Most of the dwellings met for the first time when they arrived at the Village from around the region during the 1970s. With the exception of the Tin Pannikin Pub, everything in the village dates from Herberton’s foundation years and almost all the buildings are as they were originally constructed. Regular maintenance keeps them sturdy and secure and in some cases modern lighting, safety grills, screens and steps have been installed for visitors safety.
Beyond this, the buildings and thousands of original items displayed in and around them reflect everyday life in North Queensland as it was from the 1880s onward. When the Skennar’s had to pass their Village on, Connie and Craig Kimberley picked up the gauntlet and are beautifully ensuring that this precious vision and monumental effort is preserved for generations to come.
See:
historicvillageherberton.com.au
instagram.com/historicvillageherberton
