Dowerin District Museum

A charming museum in an old house built by a saddler.

This charming museum is built upon the legacy of one family: the O’Shaughnessy’s. It is housed in the original home built in 1915, for Eugene O’Shaughnessy the local boot maker and saddler. The collection provides an insight into Dowerin and the Wheatbelt, from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Learn about the history of locals like Ethel Cook and the Dowerin Drapery, or the Couper family and their portal organ. The building continues to have no indoor plumbing, not even in the kitchen. The original shopfront for E. O’Shaughnessy, Saddler and Harness Maker was relocated to the Museum site and the attached building holds the original leather-working machinery.

Address:

16 Cottrell Street
Dowerin WA 6461
Australia

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri

Bung fritz

Not many Western Australians would recognise the term 'Fritz' in this sign. It was a type of luncheon meat made of meat trimmings, flour, water and spices. Today in Western Australia we would call...

Night-time singalong

This organ was transported from Victoria by members of the Couper Family. Steve Couper and his brother Bob settled in Dowerin in 1897 and encouraged his parents and sisters to relocate to Dowerin. The...

Family legacy

Mae Yolanda O’Shaughnessy (nee Holyoake) and Eugene O’Shaughnessy were married in Pingelly and honeymooned in Busselton, before settling in Dowerin in 1915, in the house now occupied by the Museum...

More Golden Outback collections

Lookout for the bright red headframe

The iconic Ivanhoe Headframe is a Kalgoorlie landmark and sits above the Museum of the Goldfields, offering wonderful views of the town. At the Museum you can learn about how Aboriginal people in the...

The largest museum collection outside Perth

You will need more than one visit to take in this impressive collection. The museum is a short stroll from the foreshore, in a historic railway building. Get lost in the large collection of items...

Researching the history of York

The York Society Research and Archival Centre is a small but impactful historical group. The collection contains newspapers, maps, rate books and shire records, amongst other archival material. There...

Chase the print

Extra, extra read all about it! Feel like you have stepped back in time to a bygone era. Printing enthusiast Keith Schekkerman, who once worked in the printing industry, will give you a tour...

While you're in the area

Filter
Slater Homestead
Attraction
Slater Homestead
The Slater Homestead was built in 1856 by George Slater, the first settler...
62 Goomalling-Wyalkatchem Road, Goomalling, WA 6460
Goomalling Museum
Attraction
Goomalling Schoolhouse Museum
The Goomalling Schoolhouse Museum was once the Konnongorring School, a one...
Throssell Street, Goomalling, WA 6460
Dowerin Short Stay Accommodation & Caravan Park
Accommodation
Dowerin Short Stay Accommodation & Caravan Park
Dowerin is a one stop shop for visitors and is only a 2 hour scenic drive...
Corner of Fraser Street and East Street, Dowerin, WA 6461
Dowerin Museum
Attraction
Dowerin Museum
The Dowerin Museum offers visitors an opportunity to see what life on the...
16 Cottrell Street, Dowerin, WA 6461