Yilgarn History Museum

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A meeting place between the Goldfields and the Wheatbelt

A visit to the Yilgarn Museum is a journey through the history of Southern Cross, which is sometimes referred to as the gateway to the Goldfields region. The museum building is the original courthouse and Mining Registrar’s Office. In fact the main Goldfields claims which sparked the goldrush were lodged at this Mining Registrar’s Office. In a museum in the Goldfields, you would expect a rock and mineral collection, and this one certainly delivers. There is a gold mining pavilion and an agricultural pavilion which houses a rare camel wagon used during the gold rush in the 1890s. The Museum also includes some very quirky items like the Icyball refrigerator and a rare birth caul. There is also an extensive collection of old Shire documents.

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Address:

26 Antares Street
Southern Cross WA 6426
Australia

Tel:

0437 530 848 or
0412 053 830

Email:

rosesj@westnet.com.au
Stevensrobin13@yahoo.com

Opening Hours

Mon 9.30 - 11.30am & 1.30 - 3.30pm; By appointment Tuesday; Wed to Thurs 9.30 - 11.30am; Fri 12 - 4pm; By appointment Saturday 10.30am-3.30pm Sunday

Sugar scuttle and trophy

A sweet trophy

Silverware like this scuttle and shovel from 1905 was placed on the table to hold and serve sugar. They are called scuttles after the shape of coal buckets or scuttles. Coal buckets were common in...

Armchair

Gelignite chair

A great example of making-do, these armchairs were made from old gelignite boxes by David Woodberry for his wife in 1950. They were used in their main bedroom in Mt Magnet and relocated to Southern...

The “Civic” pipe

Showcase

Mr Ken Beaton donated this tobacco pipe display to the Museum in 1978. It is thought to have come from Harry Traver’s Tobacconist and Billiard Saloon, which operated in Southern Cross, as a one-stop...

The Big Camera - Museum of Photography

Walk through the lense of the Big Camera, into a world of cameras.

Walk through the lens of the Big Camera to be transfixed by wall-to-wall cameras! This is believed to be the largest working camera display in the Southern hemisphere. It is a place to learn about the...

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...

Balladonia Heritage Museum

A museum located near the ‘Ninety mile straight’.

Located in a roadhouse, this little museum has items and information about Ngadju and Mirning people. It also covers the early settler history at Balladonia station, Skylab, an around Australia car...

Hood Penn Museum

A family collection which turned in to a museum

This quirky museum includes several very realistic mannequins, including the friendly bartender from the old Edna May Hotel Bar! The collection was acquired as a donation from the Hood-Penn family...