Dowerin District Museum

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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.

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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

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...

1950s football boots

Kangaroo kickers

These ‘footy’ boots were made in the 1950s and look like they have never been worn. They were designed for Australian Rules Football players and probably made by the O’Shaughnessy’s. Eugene O...

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...

Aunty Joan’s Dolly Mix

Step into a wonderland of dolls that look like they might come to life.

Like walking backstage into an opulent dressing room, ‘a cornucopia of swagged satin and velvet’. (Dolly Mix Facebook page) This museum is the passion of the late Aunty Joan (Duncan) Stewart, who...

Wuddi Aboriginal Cultural Centre

A prominent place to learn about the Noongar history of Dambarling (Lake Dumbleyung).

This is a great place to stop, enjoy Noongar artworks and other collection items, and find a keepsake at the shop. Anne and Grant Riley run cultural tours around the lake, where you can learn about...

Esperance Mechanical Restoration Group

Sheds full of vehicles, tractors, machines and a library compactus of manuals

The Esperance Mechanical Restoration Group’s name speaks for itself. The members restore and collect everything from machines to matchboxes. The site takes in several sheds full of cars, trucks and...

Mangowine Homestead

A glimpse of early pioneering life at this remote Wheatbelt outpost

The stunning landscape surrounding Mangowine is a powerful reminder of people's relationship with the environment. The place represents a story of resilience and tenacity. In the 1870s, Charles and...