Dromana and District Historical Society Inc.
Reg.No. A0017085C
ABN: 78 607 969 964

Historical Museum
Old Shire Offices, 359A Point Nepean Road, Dromana,
Melbourne, Australia
Melways Map Ref. 159 F 7
Telephone 03 59 89 22 43
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 30, Dromana, 3936, Australia.

Museum Hours and Admission

The hours of the Museum are: -
Open 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. every Sunday and every day in January
Open 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month
Open at other times by prior arrangement
Special arrangements are made for school and other groups

The Museum is not open on Christmas Day and Good Friday

Admission: Gold Coin Donation

Research

We are currently working with the Mornington Peninsula Shire to produce definitive histories on three of the most significant public heritage places in Dromana, viz: WWI Memorial Hall, WWI Soldiers' Memorial Park and the 1928 Old Shire Offices.

If you can help, please contact the Society.

Museum Displays

Happy 20th Birthday to the Dromana and District Historical Society!

To mark this anniversary there is a special photographic display in the museum showing highlights of the past 20 years.

Howard Ratcliff Lawson: Builder and Entrepreneur

The current display in the Museum marks the 60th Anniversary of Lawson's death at Dromana in 1946. Lawson had the foresight to see the tourist potential in Arthurs Seat and built an extravagant complex of buildings on the summit including swimming pool, ballroom and viewing area with a camera obscura. Nearby he built several houses but his untimely death put an end to the project. Lawson also was a prolific builder of flats in the South Yarra and Dandenong Road areas.

We are at present researching further Lawson material and would be grateful for any other information about his work in Melbourne.

The Burrell Family

The museum has a cabinet with a display of artifacts donated by descendants of the Burrell family. The Burrell family occupied the Arthurs Seat homestead for a period of approximately 75 years from 1851 to 1924, and were prominent in the affairs of the district.
A book titled 'The Burrells of the Arthurs Seat Homestead' is on sale in the museum.

Shipping

For those interested in shipping, there is a model of the Cutty Sark, a model of the engine and paddle wheels of the Hygeia and some parts from the Edina which was launched in Glasgow in 1856 and ended its days in Port Phillip Bay in the 1930's.

Monthly Meetings - Guest Speakers

Monthly meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday each month in the Old Shire Offices, Point Nepean Road, Dromana, commencing at 7.30 p.m. and a guest speaker may be heard. Visitors are welcome to attend and join us for a cup of tea or coffee afterwards.

On Tuesday 18 September at 7.30 p.m. our guest speaker will be Anne Levens, Heritage Victoria Projects Manager who will speak on the Heritage Register

Details of past speakers may be found here.

Coffee Mornings at the Dromana Historical Society

On Tuesday 16 October at 10.00 a.m. descendant Will Twycross will give a talk on the history of the Burrell family at Arthurs Seat 1851-1925 and their place in Peninsula history.

On Tuesday 20 November at 10.00 a.m. distinguished Peninsula historian Valda Cole will be our guest speaker. Subject 'The Hobson Christmas Party at Arthurs Seat circa 1800'.

Book Launch at Dromana

On 8 April 2006 the Society launched a new book:

A Dreamtime of Dromana

A history of Dromana through the eyes of a pioneering family

by author Colin McLear
T.P.T.C., B.A., Dip. Ed., B.Ed., M.Ed.

The book has 227 pages, over 100 photographs of early Dromana and contains a detailed index.

To obtain a copy, visit the Museum during open hours (see above) or write to:

The Secretary,
Dromana and District Historical Society Inc.,
PO Box 30, Dromana 3936,
Victoria, Australia.
Price $30.00 if purchased at the Museum or $40.00 by post.
Please include cheque with order.

Circuit of Museums

Visit these museums as you drive around the Mornington Peninsula.

For more information see also: Flinders, Hastings, Mornington and Sorrento.

These museums are managed entirely by volunteers who are dedicated to the collection, preservation, conservation and display of items of historical interest.

Other Sites of Interest

Other sites of interest including schools and museums may be found here.

Historical Markers

This section on Historical Markers will be of interest to students and local historians. Including the Pioneer Pathway, it provides details of approximately 70 plaques in the Red Hill, Dromana, Rosebud and Arthurs Seat area.

Historical Calendars

Calendars for 2008 will be available shortly at the Museum. Price to be advised. A few calendars from previous years are available at reduced prices. To purchase, contact the Society or visit on a Sunday afternoon.

Historical Notes

A selection of 'Historical Notes' may be referenced here.

Pioneer Pathway

A Pioneer Pathway has been established at the Museum with plaques showing the names of some 32 families who settled in the Red Hill and Dromana area prior to 1875. A booklet which gives a brief background to each of the settler families is available at a nominal charge.

Collections

The Museum has many artifacts and photographs of historical interest. These cover the central area of the Mornington Peninsula and include Dromana, Red Hill, Red Hill South, Main Ridge, Safety Beach, Arthurs Seat, McCrae, Rosebud and Boneo.

We welcome donations of old photographs, cards, letters, ephemera, and other memorabilia relating to Dromana, Red Hill, Red Hill South, Main Ridge, Safety Beach, Arthurs Seat, McCrae, Rosebud and Boneo in the central Mornington Peninsula.

In the collections approximately 4,500 items have now been catalogued and the Society is in need of volunteers for further cataloguing, computer data entry, conservation and preservation.

This page last modified on 17 September, 2007.