The Experience

AUSTRALIAN SHEARING SHED
What looks like an authentic slab building is in fact a function centre, built in the style of a 19th century Australian Shearing Shed. The building hosts weddings, conferences, industry expos and more.

Built by the Woods family in the early 1900s, this cottage, known as a drop slab cottage, was originally situated on a property near The Caves township, north of Rockhampton. In 1978 it was totally dismantled and moved to the Gangalook Museum site where it was rebuilt piece by piece. Adjacent to the cottage is a barn from the same property.

This building houses part of the Heritage Village’s extensive collection of historic vehicles. Most of the vehicles have been restored to running condition.

This homestead was built in 1881 by the Egan family on their property “Rosewood”, situated at Wycarbah, 100km west of Rockhampton. It is of horizontal slab construction with iron bark timbers felled from the property and dressed by an adze (a tool used for smoothing rough cut wood) and broadaxe. The Homestead is interesting as it has glass windows and pressed metal “Wunderlich” walls and ceilings, all imported from Britain. The hessian ceilings in two of the rooms were to keep the rooms cooler in summer. The house was occupied until 1984, with electricity provided by a generator from 1955 to 1981 when it was then connected to the grid power.

The kitchen is separate from the living area of the house not only to reduce the risk of fire but to help keep the living areas cool. It originally had earth floors made from a mixture of earth or termite nest, cow manure and ox blood, which set as a solid floor. Before Rosewood Homestead was built, the kitchen was the original house.

ROSEWOOD SHED
Rosewood Shed is a reproduction building which houses some of the Heritage Village’s collection of tractors and other working vehicles.

This building was originally a testing laboratory but has been refurbished to become a replica of a general store that traded in Allenstown in the 1920’s owned the Arnold sisters. Apart from the usual items in a general store, the sisters specialized in fresh pastries and cakes. Today the store sells delightful Devonshire Teas, freshly made sandwiches and hot and cold drinks.

KARL AND WOODS COACH AND WAGON WORKS
This replica is based on a building occupied by a local heavy dray and coach manufacturer in Rockhampton in the late 1800s near where the City Centre Plaza stands today. The building houses a range of horse drawn carts including a pie wagon, fruit cart, butcher’s cart and baker’s cart to name a few. Also on display are various tractors and some lovely glassware, china, lamps and brassware.

This building is a replica based on a business operated by Anders Neilsen in the late 1800s, manufacturing buggies and sulkies. This building stores some of our collection of horse drawn vehicles, which can often be seen in operation around the Village.

A focal part of any township in the 1800s and early 1900s was the blacksmith. The blacksmith display shows tools, forges, anvils and bellows, used by a blacksmith in his trade.

This building stood in Canning Street, at the gates of the Rockhampton General Hospital since the 1940’s. Due to the construction of the new multi-storey car park, the Village was offered the building to preserve the memory of the neighbourhood post office. Thanks to the Friends of the Village, the building has been restored to bring it back its original condition.

This building is a faithful replica of a fire station which still exists today in Charles Street, North Rockhampton. It houses an extensive collection of firefighting equipment, collected and donated to the Village by the late Lex Semple.

This building houses a complete Letterpress workshop from the 1950s including hot metal typsetting machines and presses from Anderson’s City Printing Works, which was established in Rockhampton in 1903. Around the walls are examples of work printed by the firm over the years.

DOLLS’ HOUSE
This building began its life as a recreation building for American troops stationed in the Rockhampton area in World War II. It was originally located near St. Christopher’s Chapel in Nerimbera. Following use as a scout hall and shell museum in Yeppoon, it was moved to the Village where it now houses The Myrtle Perkins Doll Collection.

RACKEMANN’S COTTAGE
This cottage was donated by the Rackemann family from a property at Ogmore, north of Rockhampton. Built from rough-hewn slabs, it is a more basic dwelling than some of the others on display . With only two rooms and few furnishings, Rackemann’s Cottage shows the spartan conditions in which many pioneer families lived.

Built at Westwood and moved to Gracemere in 1911, this church was operational until 1993. The church and many of its fittings were donated by the Roman Catholic Diocese. The church is no longer consecrated but is still a popular venue for weddings.

The first Kalapa School, south-west of Rockhampton, was washed away in a flood and was replaced with this building, which was built in 1918. It remained operational until 1997 as a one-teacher school, when the Kalapa community donated the school together with its fittings to the Heritage Village. Kalapa comes from an aboriginal word meaning wasp or hornet.

COUNTRY HOSPITAL
The hospital collection, housed in the 1946 Mount Morgan Hospital Matron and Sisters’ quarters, includes displays of artefacts and memorabilia from 150 years of health services history in Rockhampton. Separate rooms are devoted to each aspect of a typical country hospital’s operation including a doctor’s room, a general ward, operating theatre, dental surgery, pharmacy, and nurse’s bedroom. Special displays are devoted to the Westwood Sanitorium, the Iron Lung, and poliomyelitis. The hospital collection is curated by members and volunteers of the Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association.

LAKES CREEK RAILWAY STATION
This building was the original railway station in Lakes Creek in North Rockhampton. Small suburban stations such as this one were common in the Region, helping to link outer areas to the main stations. More of the fascinating history of rail in our Region can be seen at our other heritage sites, the Archer Park Rail Museum in Rockhampton and the Mount Morgan Rail Museum.

KIANGA SHEARING SHED
This shearing shed came from Moura. It is an original steel-framed shearing shed which was produced by the Southern Cross company in kit form in the 1930s.

This is typical of the many camps set up along railways to cut sleepers or slabs for housing. In the centre of the area is a display of various types of fencing used in days gone by.

The Power House houses a display of vintage stationary engines and generators used in various locations in the district before mains power was connected. The display includes a 1905 International harvester engine and the Ruston Hornsby generator, weighing about 16 tonnes.

LAKES CREEK COTTAGE
This cottage was built around 1900 in Mount Morgan and later moved to the Lakes Creek area for use as housing for the meatworks. A breezeway separates the kitchen from the main house for both ventilation and to reduce the risk of fire.

Of the many interesting stories behind the exhibits at the Village, the story of Alice Dingley is one of the most fascinating. Alice lived in this house in Rockhampton for more than 70 years until her death in 2008, without the modern conveniences of electricity, running water or sewerage. Alice’s family donated her house to the Heritage Village, just as it was when she was alive. It’s fascinating insight into a way of life unchanged for decades.

This display hosts a range of vehicles and vehicle related memorabilia from the early days of motoring to the 1950s.  These vehicles have been restored onsite by volunteers and staff of the Rockhampton Heritage Village and are housed in a replica garage. A few of the vehicles are kept in working condition for rides on market days and at events.

The Igloo has been constructed to display memorabilia from the American forces who were stationed in and around Rockhampton during the Second World War. Volunteers from the 1st CQ Light Horse have collected memorabilia from the local area and are putting together a display to ensure that the support received from the USA is never forgotten.