LIVING HISTORY
Following is a list of museums and heritage centres in regional Tasmania. There's reading about Tasmania's history and then there's experiencing history firsthand. Nowhere else provides a better opportunity to do the latter than to visit one of the following centres and immerse oneself in Tasmania's living history and cultural heritage.
Nearly all regional museums and heritage centres receive limited or no Government funding and as such rely on public donations and dedicated volunteers to maintain the museum and its collection. So where applicable, be sure to donate a few gold coins to help preserve Tasmania's rich heritage.
Also remember that some of the museums and heritage centres are staffed entirely by volunteers, so phone ahead or check their website or Facebook page to ensure the museum will be open at the time you intend to visit.
Nearly all regional museums and heritage centres receive limited or no Government funding and as such rely on public donations and dedicated volunteers to maintain the museum and its collection. So where applicable, be sure to donate a few gold coins to help preserve Tasmania's rich heritage.
Also remember that some of the museums and heritage centres are staffed entirely by volunteers, so phone ahead or check their website or Facebook page to ensure the museum will be open at the time you intend to visit.
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East Coast Heritage Museum and Glamorgan Spring Bay Historical Society 22 Franklin Street SWANSEA TAS 7190
Ph: 6256 5066 Webpage: https://www.eastcoastheritage.org.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastcoastheritagemuseum/ Situated in the heritage listed schoolhouse and teacher's residence in the heart of Swansea, the museum incorporates Visitor Information Centre, War Memorial and the Glamorgan Spring Bay History Society. It contains a wealth of information pertaining to early settlement on the east coast as well as the life of convict and indigenous population. Well worth the visit. |
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Burnie Regional Museum Little Alexander Street BURNIE TAS 7320
Ph: 6430 5746 Webpage: http://www.burnieregionalmuseum.net/Home Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurnieRegionalMuseum The permanent highlight of the Burnie Regional Museum is a streetscape taking you back to a bygone era with recreation of colonial shops from more than 100 years ago. |
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West Coast Heritage Centre 114 Main Street ZEEHAN TAS 7469
Ph: 6471 6225 Webpage: http://wchczeehan.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wchczeehan Spread over four historic buildings comprising the Gaiety Theatre, Courthouse, Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy and the Freemason Lodge, this heritage centre provides multiple sensory experiences through simulated underground mine shaft, silent movies, steam engines from early west coast railways, themed indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as an impressive array of minerals and gemstones. |
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Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre West Street BEACONSFIELD TAS 7270
Ph: 6383 1473 Webpage: http://www.beaconsfieldheritage.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beaconsfieldtasmania/ Featuring numerous interactive activities where kids want to linger, the centre offers something for everyone including mining and agricultural machinery from a bygone era as well as exhibits from the mining disaster that captured the nation more than a decade ago. Not to be missed. |
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Channel Heritage Centre 1755 Channel Highway MARGATE TAS 7054
Ph: 6267 2333 Webpage: http://www.channelheritagecentre.org/ The community owned museum is filled to the brim with local history with extensive collections of donated artefacts and memorabilia as well as appliances of all descriptions and 700 plus cameras for the enthusiast. There is also a research and reading room and a café for light meals or coffee. A hidden gem, this heritage centre is a bronze medalist in the Culture Tourism category for the 2017 Tasmanian Tourism Award. |
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Bligh Museum of Pacific Exploration 876 Adventure Bay Road BRUNY ISLAND TAS 7150
Ph: 6293 1117 Webpage: http://www.brunyisland.net.au/museum A treasure trove of historic information on maritime navigators Tasman, Furneaux, Cook, Bligh and others, this small museum is an Aladdin cave packed with documents, maps and other artefacts relating to Pacific exploration. |
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Deloraine and District Folk Museum 98-100 Emu Bay Road DELORAINE TAS 7304
Ph: 6362 5280 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DADFM A collection of heritage buildings showcasing tools and farming implements of early settlers. The main attraction is the commercial inn, established in 1863, with furniture and artefacts relative to the period. |
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Bass Strait Maritime Centre 6 Gloucester Avenue DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Ph: 6424 7100 Webpage: http://www.bassstraitmaritimecentre.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BassStraitMaritimeCentre/ With part of its collection from the former Devonport Maritime Museum and Historical Society, the centre offers comprehensive information on maritime history including European exploration, settlement, shipwrecks and the impact of steam. With well presented interactive displays, the most popular is the simulator enabling one to pilot a vessel in multiple environments. |
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Don River Railway Forth Road DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Ph: 6424 6335 Webpage: http://www.donriverrailway.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donriverrailway/ A volunteer run heritage railway and museum, it runs a passenger train from Don to Coles Beach. The museum itself has much information on the extensive train network that once operated across Tasmania in addition to an array of diesel and steam engines and carriages on display. |
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Home Hill 77 Middle Road DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Ph: 6424 8055 Webpage: https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/home-hill/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LyonsCollection/ Former residence of Tasmania's only Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman elected to federal parliament. |
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Old Hobart Town Model Village 21A Bridge Street RICHMOND TAS 7025
Ph: 6260 2502 Webpage: http://www.oldhobarttown.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Hobart-Town-Model-Village/163689827017492 Situated on the main street in Richmond is a historically accurate model of Old Hobart Town as it was in the 1820s. It is built in meticulous detail on a 1:16 scale. Hours of work have gone into the detail in both buildings, landscape and figures. A must see when visiting Richmond. |
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Pearn's Steam World 65 Meander Valley Road WESTBURY TAS 7303
Ph: 6393 1414 Webpage: http://steamworld.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pearnssteamworld/ Housing over 200 pieces of vintage machinery, it holds the largest collection of steam engine in the Southern Hemisphere. The collection also includes a settler's cottage as well as displays exploring the lives of four generations of extraordinary women of the Pearn family. |
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Tiagarra Aboriginal Culture Centre and Museum Mersey Bluff DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Ph: 6424 8250 Webpage: https://tiagarra.weebly.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tiagarra-Mersey-Bluff-450949081764968/ Possibly the oldest Aboriginal museum in Australia, Tiagarra displays petroglyphs, designs in rocks and exhibits that depict the traditional lifestyle of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Displays include stone tools, shelters and weapons. |
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Ulverstone History Museum 50 Main Street ULVERSTONE TAS 7315
Ph: 6425 3835 Webpage: https://www.centralcoasttas.com.au/ulverstone-history-museum/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ulverstonehistory/ Comprehensive display of artefacts, manuscripts, tools and photographs depicting the life of the early pioneers. Also available are research facilities for the Central Coast district including school registers, birth, death and marriage records, property valuations, assessment rolls and other items of interest. |
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Stanley Discovery Museum and Genealogy Centre 37 Church Street STANLEY TAS 7331
Ph: 6458 2091 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanleyDiscoveryMuseum/ Solely run by volunteers, the Stanley Discovery Museum holds an interesting collection depicting the history of Stanley through photographs, books, memorabilia and artefacts. It also holds title deeds relating to properties in Stanley dating back to the original transfer of Van Diemen Land Company blocks to Stanley residents. |
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Kentish Museum 93 Main Street SHEFFIELD TAS 7306
Ph: 6491 1861 Displays include everyday household items and agricultural machinery from the 1800s, the world first coin operated petrol pump and a Boer War canon to name a few. The museum also offers genealogy service with access to local collection of church records. It is situated at Sheffield, internationally renowned for its collection of public murals depicting the area's rich history. |
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George Town Watch House 84-86 Macquarie Street GEORGE TOWN TAS 7253
Ph: 6382 4466 Webpage: https://georgetown.tas.gov.au/george-town-watch-house-george-town Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/George-Town-Watch-House/212662315772844 George Town is one of the older European settlements in Australia, first settled in 1804. The town is host to a watch house built in 1843, which features an acclaimed Departures and Arrival display describing its convict past particularly relating to the female factories. The centrepiece is a town model as it would have appeared in the 1850s. The local historical society operates a Community History Room in the complex. |
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Woodsdale Museum 2278 Woodsdale Road WOODSDALE TAS 7120
Ph: 6254 6171 Webpage: http://thewoodsdalemuseum.edublogs.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woodsdale.museum/ The Woodsdale Museum was founded by a group of enthusiastic history buff volunteers in 2004. The volunteers transformed an old school residence into a museum with changing displays every three months. Its centrepiece is the Shearing Interpretation Shed. The museum is open every Sunday or by appointment only. |
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Waratah Courthouse Museum 16 Smith Street WARATAH TAS 7321
Ph: 6439 1252 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Waratah-Museum Located in Smith Street and formerly the town's Court House, the Waratah Museum is a natural starting point for visitors wanting to explore the town. Its display offers detailed history of the district with photographs and artefacts relating to its history as home to what was formerly the largest tin mine in the world. Waratah was Tasmania's first town built on mining and like all mining towns has experienced a roller coaster ride of boom and bust across the decades. |
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St James Church Gallery and History Centre 17 Smith Street WARATAH TAS 7321
Ph: 0438 371 787 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/StJamesChurchGallery/ This beautifully restored heritage listed church has been turned into a gallery showcasing local artists as well as a history centre which offers changing exhibitions with a community focus. One of the more recent exhibitions included Lest We Forget Waratah Soldier. Recent events included re-enactment picnic at the old Magnet hospital site and the Anzac Poppy Project. |
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Circular Head Heritage Centre 8 King Street SMITHTON TAS 7330
Ph: 6452 3296 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Circular-Head-Heritage-Centre Email: [email protected] Circular Head Heritage Centre offers a focus for local history research and cultural heritage programs. With over 5,000 artefacts and a genealogy room, countless memories and stories live in its carefully managed collection of public and private records, including 10,000 photographs, slides and film, all donated by local families. The Heritage Centre is run by volunteers and is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. |
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