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, some from the 1860s. It's the biggest private collection of its kind in Queensland.
The village first opened in 1977. It was started by Harry and Ellen Skenner. They had to close it in 2003 because of high costs to cover accidents. But don't worry! In 2009, Craig Kimberly, who started the Just Jeans clothing stores, and his wife Connie reopened it. The village is on a big 16-acre site.
A Look Back in Time
The village started in 1973 with a miner's hut called Elderslie House. This hut was built for John Newell. John Newell and William Jack helped start the town of Herberton.
In 1978, the old Herberton State School building, which was 100 years old, was moved to the village. Later, the Herberton Catholic Presbytery, built in the 1920s, also joined the collection. Today, you can see places like the Tin Pannikin Pub. Harry Skenner built this pub as a tribute to a famous comic strip pub. There's also Bishop Feetham's Cottage, a building protected for its history.
In 2008, Craig and Connie Kimberley bought the village. They had a holiday home nearby. They saw the closed village while driving and decided to bring it back to life. They started fixing and adding to the village in 2009. In 2015, Elderslie House was opened to the public for the very first time.
What You Can See
The Historic Village Herberton reopened on April 5, 2009, with 30 buildings. Now, it has more than 50 buildings! There are over 150,000 items on display.
You can explore many different places. These include a stable for coaches and horses, an old bank, a telephone exchange, and a blacksmith shop. There's also a garage, a dress shop, a toy store, and a grocery store. You can see a farmer’s supply store, a butcher, a pub, a dentist, and a doctor's office. There's even a clothing store and a jail!
The museum also has many old items from Herberton's early days. These include vintage toys, old clothes, bottles, medicine tins, and classic cars. You can also see old fire engines and horse carts.
Awards and Recognition
The Herberton Historic Village has won several awards. It received a bronze award in the Cultural Tourism section at the Queensland Tourism Awards in 2015 and 2013. It also won a gold award at the Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards in 2014.
