Details
Description
Colourful ‘Welcome to Noongar Country’ banners greet you and introduce the cultural heritage of the local Ballardong Noongar people.
Why the earliest settlers came here and what they did is illustrated through the Residency’s superb collections and numerous hands-on activities including dress-ups in our Victorian Photographer’s Studio.
Current displays include:
‘Convicts Arrive’.
A glimpse into the lives, hardships and struggles of the men who were unwilling emigrants and the Pensioner Guards who accompanied them. See the original convict-built foundations in a dramatic floodlit viewing hole in the floor of the original kitchen.
‘Four Women’s Stories’
Reveals what life in the bush was REALLY like for women from 1870 to the present day. A totally original perspective on Wheatbelt womens’ lives told through the Residency’s gorgeous costumes, textiles, personal possessions and furniture – and their own words from historic diaries and quotes.
Watch a short film about traditional Avon Valley chaff-cutting on TV, or play croquet on the rose-lined lawn. Take a wander along the ‘Noongar Six Seasons Garden Walk’ or have a coffee in the Settler’s Kitchen Garden courtyard. A warm welcome awaits you at this very special heritage experience.
Open- 1pm -3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11am – 3.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, Closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Guided tours / homemade teas available for 10+ persons by prior arrangement. Contact the Curator Carol Littlefair.
Shire of York residents is FREE. Adults $4 / Seniors $3 /Children $2. Concessions for groups of 10+ within usual opening hours.
Outdoor shaded picnic seating area for 50 people. Toilets. Gifts for sale. LOTS of hands-on family activities. Local historic photograph database available to view on computer. Teacher’s resource pack.
Location
Brook Street ,York 6302, Western Australia Australia
Map
Reviews
It's always great to know what others think. So here's some comments from those with experience here.
Guest Ratings
Informative Local Museum
The museum itself has an interesting history. It dates to the 1850's, initially serving as the Depot Superintendent's Quarters (the last remaining part of York's Convict Depot), then the home of the Resident Magistrate, was incorporated into the old York hospital as maternity rooms, then the Matron's Quarters and became a museum in 1972. I love it when historic buildings are renovated, restored and retained.The interior houses a diverse range of exhibits covering York's history; shackles, the bell of St John's, old tools, kitchen utensils, etc. Some I was familiar with, the open fireplace and array of pots and pans, the butter churn and some others which were features of Irish households in the not too distant past. Wonderful that the York Society and Shire place such a value on the history of the district.