Historic Village Herberton facts for kids
The Historic Village Herberton is a special outdoor museum in Herberton, Queensland, Australia. It's like stepping back in time! This village shows what a tin mining town looked like many years ago. It has over 50 old buildings that have been carefully fixed up. These buildings date all the way back to the 1860s. It's the biggest private collection of its kind in Queensland.
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History of Herberton Village
The Historic Village Herberton first opened its doors in 1977. It was started by Harry and Ellen Skenner. They owned it for many years, but had to close it in April 2003 because the costs to keep it running became too high.
Then, in 2008, a new chapter began! Craig and Connie Kimberly bought the village. Craig Kimberly is famous for starting the Just Jeans clothing stores. They had a holiday home nearby and saw the village was closed. They decided to bring it back to life.
The Kimberlys started fixing up and adding to the village in 2009. They officially reopened it on April 5, 2009.
First Buildings and Special Places
The very first building on the site was a miner's hut called Elderslie House. It was built for John Newell, who helped start the town of Herberton. This house was opened to the public for the first time in 2015.
Over the years, more historic buildings were moved to the village. In 1978, the 100-year-old Herberton State School building joined the collection. Later, the Herberton Catholic Presbytery, built in the 1920s, was also added.
Today, you can see many interesting displays. One is the Tin Pannikin Pub, which Harry Skenner built as a tribute to a famous comic strip pub. Another special building is Bishop Feetham's Cottage, which is a National Trust listed building.
What You Can See at the Village
When the village reopened in 2009, it had 30 buildings. Now, it has more than 50 buildings and over 150,000 items on display! It's like a whole town from the past.
You can explore many different places, such as:
- A coach and livery stable, where horses and carriages were kept.
- An old ANZ bank.
- A presbytery, which is a house for a priest.
- A telephone exchange, showing how calls were made long ago.
- A blacksmith shop, where metal was shaped.
- A garage with old cars.
- A dress shop, a toy store, and a grocery store.
- A farmer’s supplier’s store, a butcher, and a pub.
- A dentist's office, a doctor's office, and a clothing store.
- Even an old jail!
The museum also has lots of cool items from Herberton's early days. These include vintage toys, old clothing, bottles, medicine tins, classic cars, fire engines, and horse carts. It's a great way to see how people lived and worked in the past.
Awards and Recognition
The Historic Village Herberton has won several awards for being a great place to visit. It received a bronze award in the Cultural Tourism section at the Queensland Tourism Awards in both 2013 and 2015. It also won a gold award at the Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards in 2014. These awards show how special and important the village is for tourism.
