Dowerin District Museum

Get directions

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.

Visit website

View Collection at Collections WA

Address:

16 Cottrell Street
Dowerin WA 6461
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9631 1202

Email:

dowshire@dowerin.wa.gov.au

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri

Butcher’s sign

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...

Portable organ

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...

Photograph of Mr and Mrs O'Shaughnessy

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...

Eyre Bird Observatory Museum

A cosy natural history museum and bird observatory on the Great Australian Bight.

Visit a museum and bird observatory in one of the most isolated places in the world. Unwind, relax and take in the natural beauty and the natural history collection. The one-room museum includes...

Ballidu Contemporary Arts Society and Ballidu Lodge Art Gallery

Bringing a community together

Ballidu Contemporary Arts Society was started with the intention of engaging audiences in contemporary art practices. The Society and the Ballidu Lodge Art Gallery have contributed to a vibrant art...

Forrest Museum

An intrepid four-wheel drive or fly in to visit this museum

This little museum is in a location that could best be described, in Australia, as ‘woop woop’ - or, the back of beyond! The Forrest Museum is in the old weather station and shares the aviation, rail...

Nyabing Historical Society Inc.

Come and find out about the locally famous peach and steak pie!

An important location on the railway line, Nyabing's history is captured at the Settlers Hall. Built in 1915, the hall has been used as a school, Road Board offices, community hall and church. It was...