Ian Riley, Tarrangower Times
This week, we’re backtracking.
In finding out about some of the exhibits in the museum, I’ve discovered that the museum itself has a fascinating history.
The only time I wasn’t interested in history was when I was forced to learn dates in history classes in school. I’m sure everything has changed now, and kids are spellbound by their history teachers”¦I hope so.
Every time I speak with the people there, I get another interesting story, like the actual mineshaft they discovered while excavating for their new exhibit. When I asked how deep it was, I was greeted with a smiling, “Don’t know”.
The Maldon Vintage Machinery and Museum was started as an offshoot of the Maldon Museum & Archives Association about 20 years ago. Some well-known names, such as Peter Thompson, Jimmy Chaplin, and later Alan Miller and many others, have put huge effort into creating what we see today. There are now about 130 members who donate their time and energy, but there’s always room for more.
From the website www.maldonmachinery.com.au, ‘In mid-1972 a small group, the Maldon Flywheelers – machinery ‘tragics’, had the wild dream of an agricultural machinery showpiece for the town. They began gathering any discarded and superseded equipment that would fit the bill: items that would show the vast array of machinery needed to feed, water, warm and inform the growing communities of central Victoria. Now, thanks to their sheer doggedness, a 35-year-old dream has come to fruition in the form of the Vintage Machinery Museum.
After years of funding submissions and VCAT appeals, the Museum was formally opened in 2006. Encompassing multiple partnerships with many community groups, it’s as though the whole town is involved in some way.
On the site of the once-rich Great Western Cymru Company Mine and listed on the Heritage Inventory, the museum can only be described as a flywheelers’ haven with many treasures in working order. But, and there is a big but, we are so much more. Our museum has evolved into an incredibly unique display of history covering many eras with a specialty of showing how life was once worked and lived from the use of hand tools and horsepower, to the industrial revolution with engines and electricity to solar power, moving towards the way we live today.’
And it’s still evolving. In the newish mine exhibit, there are many relics removed from the now defunct Carmans Tunnel which was closed unfortunately for safety reasons. And there’s a new automobilia shed which I would love as a man cave.
We have so much history here, but a lot of it would have disappeared if not for the museum members. Many of the exhibits have come from Thompsons Foundry in Castlemaine and were saved from the scrappers.
The museum is a living, working part of our town. It hires out equipment and space, is involved in many of the town’s activities, and gives back to the community. Just recently, it helped out with the winter solstice bonfire.
Maldon Vintage Machinery Museum: Where history comes alive
The Maldon Vintage Machinery & Museum Inc. is a treasure trove of artifacts that transport visitors back in time. Here’s what you’ll discover:
- Diverse collection: This museum houses an impressive display of vintage machinery, including items related to gold mining, the Industrial Revolution, firefighting, farming, and everyday life throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Local heritage: The collection includes the first steam-operated electric plant developed for Thompson’s Foundry in Castlemaine. It’s a showcase of the machinery that shaped Victoria’s environment, industries, and workforce.
- Volunteer-Run: The museum is staffed by passionate volunteers who ensure its doors are open to the public. You can visit on Wednesdays from 11am to 3pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm (excluding days with extreme fire danger ratings).
- Location: The museum is located at Vincents Road, Maldon. It’s a place where history comes alive through gears, engines, and fascinating stories.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious, the Maldon Vintage Machinery Museum invites you to explore the past.
See all the photos in the issue.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 12 July 2024.
