Old Gippstown 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" ...

and reconstructed pioneer township located in

Moe, Victoria Moe ( ) is a town in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is approximately east of the central business district of Melbourne, due south of the peak of Mount Baw Baw in the Great Dividing Range and features vi ...

, Australia. It portrays the settlement era of

Gippsland Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...

from the 1850s through to the 1950s. Set in three hectares of parkland, Old Gippstown is visited by over 20,000 people each year.

Founding and history

The park was established in late 1967 by the

City of Moe The City of Moe was a local government area about east-southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1955 until 1994. History Moe was, for most of its history, part of the Shi ...

Development Association. It was laid out by architect Fritz Suendermann. It opened as the Gippsland Folk Museum in 1973 and was later renamed Old Gippstown. Officially opened in 1973, Old Gippstown provides large-scale exhibits illustrating the history of the Gippsland region. In the 1990s the park came under the authority of the

Department of Sustainability and Environment The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) was a state government department that managed water resources, climate change, bushfires, public land, forests and eco systems in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was created in 2002 wh ...

(now DEECA), and the collection is owned by the state of Victoria. Today, Old Gippstown is managed by the Gippstown Reserve Committee of Management, a group of volunteers who oversee the operations and strategy of the Park. The park is mostly staffed by volunteers who work to maintain the ever-expanding collections of artefacts, vehicles and buildings that typify the heritage of the Gippsland area.Old Gippstown Website
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Buildings

Old Gippstown has over forty historical buildings, mostly dating from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. * Sunny Creek School – SS2903. The school building at Old Gippstown dates from the 1920s, but the school itself operated from 1889 through to 24 June 1966. * Water Wheel. Old Gippstown's Water Wheel was originally used to generate electricity for a boarding house in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

. * Moe Holy Trinity

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. The church was dedicated on 3 December 1895 and deconsecrated in 1968 after a new church was built. *

Angus McMillan Angus McMillan (14 August 1810 – 18 May 1865) was a Scottish-born explorer, pioneer pastoralism, pastoralist, and perpetrator of several of the Gippsland massacres of Gunai people. Arriving first in New South Wales in 1838, McMillan rose sw ...

’s Bushy Park homestead. Built for McMillan in 1848, it was originally located on the Avon River between Boisdale and Briagolong. * Coach House. Originally built as a barn on a Willow Grove farm, it now houses part of Old Gippstown's extensive

horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by auto ...

collection. * Rhoden's Cobb and Co Inn. It was built near Pakenham in 1863 as a refreshment stop for the

Cobb and Co Cobb & Co was the name used by several independent Australian coach businesses. The first company to use 'Cobb & Co' was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name grew to great prominence in the late 19th century ...

coach route from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to Sale. * Meeniyan National Bank. Built for the Colonial Bank of Australasia just before 1900, it became a

National Bank of Australasia The National Bank of Australasia was a bank based in Melbourne. It was established in 1857, and in 1982 merged with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to form National Australia Bank. History In 1857, Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentleman ...

branch in 1914. * "Loren" Iron House. In the mid-19th century

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

period there was a large population increase and insufficient housing, so complete pre-fabricated buildings were imported, including iron houses like Loren. *

Narracan The electoral district of Narracan is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in Australia. It was first proclaimed in 1967 and has usually been held by the Liberal Party. The electorate covers the provincial Warragul–Drou ...

General store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

. The original Narracan general store was built in 1889. * Narracan

Mechanics' Institute Mechanics' institutes, also known as mechanics' institutions, sometimes simply known as institutes, and also called schools of arts (especially in the Australian colonies), were educational establishments originally formed to provide adult edu ...

Hall. This building was built in 1905 replacing a building from 1878. It is currently used by a number of local groups and is one of the newest

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

s in Victoria.

Collections

The extensive historical collection on display at the park comprises various antiques, artwork, books and papers, the largest publicly owned collection of horse-drawn vehicles, machinery, tools, and a wide range of unique and forgotten devices all representing the pioneer era in Gippsland. There is also a display of military antiques from the first and second world wars.

Events

A large number of events are held at Old Gippstown throughout the year, including

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

Father's Day Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...

Car Show, Easter Egg Hunt, Lost Trades Day, and markets among others. In addition, the Park grounds and function rooms are frequently hired for weddings, reunions and other special occasions.

Groups which use Old Gippstown

Old Gippstown is used by a broad range of community groups, including those doing meditation, crafts, arts, car clubs and more. In addition it is the meeting place for the Old Gippstown Men's Shed, Latrobe Valley Woodworking and Woodturning Club and the Old Gippstown

. Many school groups also regularly take excursions to Old Gippstown, and the Park's function rooms are often hired out to training organisations and other local businesses who wish to make use of the space available and the easy-to-reach location.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website

Facebook page

Australian Good Food & Travel Guide

Visit Victoria
Open-air museums in Australia Gippsland (region) Museums in Victoria (state) 1967 establishments in Australia Museums established in 1967