By Sophie Poredos
Rediscover history 100 years ago in the old town of Wilberforce where you’ll find tractor rides, heritage-listed buildings and if you’re lucky, a churning butter display.
The Australiana Pioneer Village, 10 minutes from Windsor, explores Australia’s gritty colonial history and the lives of our early settlers. Situated in the Hawkesbury on both Dharug and Darkinjung land, the 30 acre-site of The Australiana Pioneer Village was given to William Mackay in 1797.
One of his descendants, John Rose, eventually owned part of the land in 1809, naming Australia’s oldest timber dwelling on-site the Rose Cottage. After his death in 1961, Thomas’ friend Dugald (Bill) Andrew McLachlan, wanted to utilise the site to restore Hawkesbury’s historical legacy.
The Village has now become a cultural and historical destination, under the guidance of The Business Group and its devoted volunteers. Tourists flock to the dirt-road site, rediscovering how early settlers lived, and even trying on colonial clothes at the Village Souvenir Shop.
The site balances both ‘education’ and ‘entertainment’ through its various attractions. The Village Express is a particularly joyous train ride that showcases various barnyard friends, including ducks, mules, and plenty of sheep, which you can feed at midday.
The site is run by dedicated volunteers who are well versed in the local history of the area, offering daily tours from 10:30am. President Kevin Weeks has been managing the Village since 2013 and has seen its evolution into a tourist hot-spot. He is particularly passionate about protecting Hawkesbury’s historical legacy and spoke about the importance of the Historic trust:
“With my vice president, Laurie Archer, we work together within the boundaries of the Heritage Trust to protect the status of our buildings. We strongly believe that our Village and its donated artefacts are insightful for our overseas tourists who may not realise the history of Australia.”
As President and volunteer, Kevin wears many hats, including ‘Professor Kevin’, as the Village is often booked out for school and childcare groups:
“For the first time during the school holidays this June, I performed a Science Show for our theme ‘Science in Nature’. Unfortunately, I had 10 experiments to show them and only 1 of them worked! It was the funniest show!”
“We are used to doing school excursions, and we are booked out until the end of the year! We set out programs around the school curriculum to both ‘teach’ and ‘entertain’ our young visitors”.
However, the Village hasn’t been without its challenges. A series of property challenges rose with the Hawkesbury City Council from 1984 to 2000, creating unease about the future of the Village.
Through community lobbying, The Australiana Pioneer Village was ‘community’ zoned in 2002 and has been protected under The Historic Trust of Australia since 2004. The site and its 12 heritage-listed buildings from the 1970s have been recognised as a ‘NSW State Heritage Listed Open Air Museum’.
The first intact building to be moved to the Village in 1969 was the ambitious two-storey Perry House from Richmond, built in 1856. It offers visitors the chance to peruse a unique split-business building of both a saddlery and barber, which was often common for the time.
Further up the dirt road, the Riverstone Police Station office, used from 1888 to the 1970s, offers visitors the experience of getting locked up in an antique cell. Younger kids may also be delighted to hear that the 1890 Kenso Cottage built in Kogarah, has a range of lollies to choose from – including red-frogs in traditional glass jars. Make sure to bring cash if you are craving these sweet delights!
Vice president Laurie Archer is another charismatic volunteer who draws in visitors with his warm and bubbly energy. While we experienced some bogged-down tour buses on my site visit, Lorry expressed the satisfaction of bringing a smile to people’s faces through his role:
“I’ve done this for four or five years now. I used to come up on Australia Day and volunteer, and then once I retired, I decided I wanted to stay. It feels like I sleep here some days! The best days here are when you go home exhausted, but you just feel so satisfied, especially when people mention that they have had a great day”.
A particular favourite of children and adults alike is the famous ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’, which Lorry looks forward to every year:
“One of our best days here is the Teddy Bears Picnic, and it’s a great atmosphere. Everyone brings their bears in and we do a ‘health care’ check at the Doctor’s surgery, where our volunteer gives out band aids to well-loved bears. I’ll be at the gate on the day and ask ‘Did you bring your bears in?’, the kids will say yes and then the parents will say, ‘And I’ve got mine!’.
If you fancy a trip down a time-capsule of Australia’s early colonial history, you can visit the Village at 10 Rose St, Wilberforce. The site is open 10 am – 4 pm on Sundays, and 10 am – 4 pm Tuesday-Wednesday during the school holidays (not including January). Guided Tours are offered at 10:30 am on their open days. To keep up to date with upcoming events such as the Teddy Bears Picnic, visit the ‘Australiana Pioneer Village’ on Facebook.
