OUR COLLECTION

The Collection held by the Yackandandah and District Historical Society is a large and comprehensive collection of the many stories of this district, held in photographs, images, objects, registers, documents, letters, textiles, digital forms and research material.  It is almost fully catalogued on a specific cataloguing database, much of it is also either digitally scanned or photographed. It is always a work-in-progress, receiving deposits, creating material or updating processes. Extensions to the purpose-built storage have added necessary storage space to a building originally built in 1996.  This collection is used for rotation of displays, our own publications, research and display, as well as outside requests for research, copies or access to material.  Specific requests must be made by appointment to allow for retrieval or collation of material.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The Yackandandah Museum has a strong educative philosophy and aims to use the collection to educate the public and enable research. Hands on activities are available in many areas of the museum and displays have additional material created to extend interest and support interaction. Local walks and guided tours are available by arrangement. Speakers can be made available for outside activities and objects from the collection may be utilised in conjunction with these events. Group tours and special museum openings are available by request.

FOR THE CHILDREN

At the Yackandandah Museum children can:

  • play WHAT AM I & WHAT IS MY STORY? to locate images from the exhibitions and the museum surrounds
  • write a record of their visit using a nib pen and ink from the lidded ink well
  • explore the old bank safe to find the hidden keyholes

Activities change in response to changing exhibitions and new activities are available each school holidays.

BECOME A MEMBER

Being a member of the Yackandandah Museum entitles you to free entry to the Museum; participate in organised activities and celebrations; receive the bi-monthly newsletter “Yackandandah Times” and also entitles you to vote at the annual meeting.

Member: $20 (individual), $35 (family)

Being a friend entitles you to receive the bi-monthly newsletter as well as participate in organised activities. Both members and friends have the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting the Yackandandah Museum and the activities of the Yackandandah & District Historical Society.

Membership Form

VOLUNTEERING

The people who make the operation of the Yackandandah Historical Society possible are the volunteers. Forty years of effort have gone into the creation of the Yackandandah Museum. This remarkable asset has achieved recognition through many awards both within the Indigo Shire and the museum industry. The success of the Yackandandah Museum is largely attributed to the ever increasing band of volunteers.

Opportunities are available for volunteers in a range of roles. Apart from being a volunteer museum attendant you may be interested in working with the museum collection indexing and adding items to the database, sewing, knitting, cooking jams and preserves for our sales table, housekeeping, working on exhibitions, marketing, oral history, contributing to our guides such as town walks and cemetery walks, publicity and promotion. A Handbook for Volunteers is available. Volunteers need to be members of the historical society ($15) so they are covered by our insurance. Full training is provided. Museum attendants work in pairs so you are not expected to man the museum on your own. Contact us if you are interested in volunteering.

OUR HISTORY

The Yackandandah and District Historical Society was founded in 1969 when a group of concerned citizens became aware of the possibility that the former Bank of Victoria building may be demolished. It was envisaged that this would be a suitable site for a community museum.

With the assistance of the Yackandandah Shire Council the property was purchased. At that time the site included all the land from High Street to Hammond Street. A decision was made to subdivide the land and sell the rear portion to help repay the loan from the Yackandandah Shire. This made the Yackandandah Museum one of the few in the state to be community owned.

The Bank of Victoria building was restored and opened to the public in 1972. Later the timber cottage was also restored and opened to the public in 1981. In 1986 the ‘double dunny’ was restored and the official opening of this building received national press coverage.

A grant from the Victorian Ministry of Arts combined with a generous donation and local funds made it possible to erect a conservation and storage building on the site in 1996.