The Miles Historical Village and Museum is an

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

located near the town of

Miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...

Western Downs Region Western Downs Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Queensland, Australia. The Western Downs Regional Council manages an area of , which is slightly smaller than Switzerland, although with a population of 34,467 ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. The village consists of 30 buildings, replicas of ones built during the time period of the 1920s.

Region history

This area was first named Dogwood Crossing by the explorer

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...

. The town was later named Miles when the railway was being constructed in 1878, after William Miles who was a member of parliament and owned a property 'Dulacca' in the area. When more people settled in this area, in the early days there were a lot of dairy farms. The land is really not suitable for dairying, so in later years farmers have turned to growing wheat and there was also a lot of cotton grown. In the early days Prickly Pear was a menace, it is believed it was brought to Australia as a pot plant. A lot of farmers walked off their land in the early 1890s until the moth was discovered to eradicate this pest.

Historical village

The historical village consists of 30 buildings, including the Artesian Basin Centre which houses information on

Artesian Water An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of impermeable roc ...

, aboriginal history, and land care. The War Museum has displays from all World Wars. The Shell house has a comprehensive display of shells from all over the world. The Historical Village started in 1971 and has grown since then, with the Miles Historical Society attempting to add a new replica building every year, and expanding the museum's collection with memorabilia donated by families in the district. Aerial View of Miles Historical VIllage

The village has an authentic 1900s era streetscape, featuring a bakery, post office, chemist, general store, Red Rose Cafe, and a branch of the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia. It was established in 1817 in Sydney. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania ...

, all featuring real items from the time period. Also included are a church, school, butcher, and blacksmith. A typical slab hut from the early 1900s era is also displayed. The village also hosts the former

Dalwogan railway station Dalwogon (sometimes written as Dalwogan) is a rural locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dalwogon had a population of 53 people. Geography The locality is roughly bounded to the north and east by Nine Mile Cree ...

(part of the

Wandoan Branch Railway The Wandoan Branch is a 70 km railway line in the Darling Downs region Queensland, Australia. It links the towns of Miles and Wandoan. It was approved to extend to Taroom, but construction halted during World War I and never recommenced. ...

), with the retired

Queensland Government Railways Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both suburban and interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well as long-distance passenger tr ...

C17 steam locomotive no. 944 on display outside.

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.mhv.org.au/ Open-air museums in Australia Museums in Queensland Darling Downs 1971 establishments in Australia

Region history

Historical village

See also

References

External links