Australia's first open air museum
Swan Hill is a town in northern Victoria on the River Murray. It's about a 4 hour drive from Melbourne or a 4 and a half hour train journey, the state of Victoria does still have regional trains! The main attraction in Swan Hill is the Pioneer Settlement, having visited a few different ones I was quite impressed with the size and detail of this one.
It was established as a 'folk museum' in the early 1960s, the paddle streamer Gem was acquired by the local council to be the focal point of the museum. The Gem was working on the Murray right up to the 1950s and it was one of the largest paddle steamers working on the river.
The Gem
The Gem was towed to Swan Hill and set up in her own pool in 1963, she's been undergoing progressive restoration in recent years. During her years as a working paddle steamer, she carried cargo on the lower deck, passengers had cabins in the middle deck and the crew and wheelhouse were on the top deck.
The 'folk museum' then went about collecting heritage buildings and re-establishing them to create a 19th century settlement on the river. It was such a major draw that the Queen and Prince Philip visited in the early 1970s.
The settlement has a number of different activities and displays, there's an historic car that takes people for a ride around the village. There's no extra charge for the car ride, it's included in the price of the entry ticket.
If you don't fancy a ride in a car, there's always a stagecoach ride, again there's no cost.
The Pyap
The Pioneer Settlement has another paddle steamer that takes people for cruises on the river. There is a charge for the paddle steamer trips, it's $23 for adults. There are 2 cruises a day at 10.30am and 2.30pm.
Mechanics Institute
The Mechanics Institute holds perhaps my favourite item in the settlement, it's something I had never heard of. It's called the Kaiser Stereoscopic Theatre, and it was built in Germany in 1895. The theatre is shaped like a large barrel with seats around, the 'barrel' has eyepieces and each person sits and looks through them. Up to 25 people could sit around the theatre and look into the individual eye pieces and see images of the world. It was fascinating.
Black Bess
Another favourite in the settlement is this enormous steam engine tractor called Black Bess. She was manufactured in the UK in 1920 and was used to clear and drain swampy bush land and was in use until 1946. She's recently been restored and is operational.
Towaninnie Homestead
Towaninnie Homestead is an original Mallee home that was moved to the Pioneer Settlement. The house was rebuilt and was surrounded with a mallee root fence, the house is part of the homestead, there's also the cookhouse, set apart from the main house as a precaution against fires and the 'half cellar' is also nearby, built partially underground.
The King family built Towaninnie and judging from the furnishings they were a relatively well off family.
There are some smaller cottages that display the living conditions of those living on more modest means. The mallee root fence can be seen clearly around this cottage.
The Church
Lower Murray Inn
This is a replica of the Inn that stood on the banks of the river, it was also used as a post office as mail was delivered to the inn and the locals would claim what was addressed to them.
The Pine Point school and the Travelling School
The tiny building was the Pine Point school, a very basic wooden structure with a fireplace as the winters were obviously cold! The school was built as cheaply as possible by local parents so their children could have a school. The wagon next to the school was the 'travelling school' where teachers would travel to small settlements and conduct lessons.
Inside the Pine Point School
Kaneira West School
A somewhat more updated school, with beautiful chalk illustrations that some teachers were capable of!
The Pioneer Settlement is spread over a large area, there's a whole area showcasing the more mechanical side of life with blacksmithing demonstrations and a collection of tractors. There are heritage era activities with butter making, wood turning and dressing up and having a vintage photo taken.
There's a lot to see and do, and the settlement is very well presented with audio explanations at some of the sites. I was only at the settlement for the afternoon so rushed around trying to see everything, probably a day would be a better time frame. There's a cafe on the site so a break for lunch could be included in a whole day visit.
The Settlement's newest attraction is the evening, the Heartbeat of the Murray laser light show. There's a $28 charge for adults for the lightshow.
The Pioneer Settlement is open 9.30am to 4.30pm daily, it's only closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I just paid the adult entry fee of $30 (valid for 2 days) to experience the settlement. If you're wanting to do the paddle boat cruise and see the lightshow, then the 3 in 1 multipass is the best value for money, it's cheaper than buying separate tickets. The adult multipass costs $74 and it includes 2 consecutive day admissions.
Swan Hill is a town in northern Victoria on the River Murray. It's about a 4 hour drive from Melbourne or a 4 and a half hour train journey, the state of Victoria does still have regional trains! The main attraction in Swan Hill is the Pioneer Settlement, having visited a few different ones I was quite impressed with the size and detail of this one.
It was established as a 'folk museum' in the early 1960s, the paddle streamer Gem was acquired by the local council to be the focal point of the museum. The Gem was working on the Murray right up to the 1950s and it was one of the largest paddle steamers working on the river.
The Gem was towed to Swan Hill and set up in her own pool in 1963, she's been undergoing progressive restoration in recent years. During her years as a working paddle steamer, she carried cargo on the lower deck, passengers had cabins in the middle deck and the crew and wheelhouse were on the top deck.
The 'folk museum' then went about collecting heritage buildings and re-establishing them to create a 19th century settlement on the river. It was such a major draw that the Queen and Prince Philip visited in the early 1970s.
The settlement has a number of different activities and displays, there's an historic car that takes people for a ride around the village. There's no extra charge for the car ride, it's included in the price of the entry ticket.
If you don't fancy a ride in a car, there's always a stagecoach ride, again there's no cost.
The Pioneer Settlement has another paddle steamer that takes people for cruises on the river. There is a charge for the paddle steamer trips, it's $23 for adults. There are 2 cruises a day at 10.30am and 2.30pm.
The Mechanics Institute holds perhaps my favourite item in the settlement, it's something I had never heard of. It's called the Kaiser Stereoscopic Theatre, and it was built in Germany in 1895. The theatre is shaped like a large barrel with seats around, the 'barrel' has eyepieces and each person sits and looks through them. Up to 25 people could sit around the theatre and look into the individual eye pieces and see images of the world. It was fascinating.
Another favourite in the settlement is this enormous steam engine tractor called Black Bess. She was manufactured in the UK in 1920 and was used to clear and drain swampy bush land and was in use until 1946. She's recently been restored and is operational.
Towaninnie Homestead is an original Mallee home that was moved to the Pioneer Settlement. The house was rebuilt and was surrounded with a mallee root fence, the house is part of the homestead, there's also the cookhouse, set apart from the main house as a precaution against fires and the 'half cellar' is also nearby, built partially underground.
The King family built Towaninnie and judging from the furnishings they were a relatively well off family.
There are some smaller cottages that display the living conditions of those living on more modest means. The mallee root fence can be seen clearly around this cottage.
This is a replica of the Inn that stood on the banks of the river, it was also used as a post office as mail was delivered to the inn and the locals would claim what was addressed to them.
The tiny building was the Pine Point school, a very basic wooden structure with a fireplace as the winters were obviously cold! The school was built as cheaply as possible by local parents so their children could have a school. The wagon next to the school was the 'travelling school' where teachers would travel to small settlements and conduct lessons.
A somewhat more updated school, with beautiful chalk illustrations that some teachers were capable of!
The Pioneer Settlement is spread over a large area, there's a whole area showcasing the more mechanical side of life with blacksmithing demonstrations and a collection of tractors. There are heritage era activities with butter making, wood turning and dressing up and having a vintage photo taken.
There's a lot to see and do, and the settlement is very well presented with audio explanations at some of the sites. I was only at the settlement for the afternoon so rushed around trying to see everything, probably a day would be a better time frame. There's a cafe on the site so a break for lunch could be included in a whole day visit.
The Settlement's newest attraction is the evening, the Heartbeat of the Murray laser light show. There's a $28 charge for adults for the lightshow.
The Pioneer Settlement is open 9.30am to 4.30pm daily, it's only closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I just paid the adult entry fee of $30 (valid for 2 days) to experience the settlement. If you're wanting to do the paddle boat cruise and see the lightshow, then the 3 in 1 multipass is the best value for money, it's cheaper than buying separate tickets. The adult multipass costs $74 and it includes 2 consecutive day admissions.
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