Irwin Districts Historical Society and Russ Cottage

Old prison protects pioneering history

Wander through the old police house and court rooms which today house the vast Irwin Districts Historical Society collection and you can almost hear the click of chains which once bound prisoners here. So imposing is the building that Dongara continues to hold court here every second month in the hope of deterring would-be offenders. Be sure to peer into the depths of the well out the back, check out the historical artefacts in the old stables and walk the outline of a cell which was once crammed with Indigenous prisoners. These men had been marched to the tiny cell to await transport and horrendous conditions at the Rottnest Island Prison on Wadjemup. While you are in Dongara, you can also visit Russ Cottage Historic House Museum at 1 St Dominics Road, Dongara, and The Packout Room Pop-up Museum at 3 Macintyre Cove, Port Denison.

 

 

Address:

5 Waldeck St
Dongara WA 6525
Australia

Opening Hours

Mon to Sat 10am to 12pm

One family’s history through melody

This organ could play the melody of the lives of Western Australia’s European pioneers, having once been owned by the first European girl born in the Swan River Colony. Built around 1820, the pedal...

Ticket to life

This scrap of paper is one of just two remaining Western Australian tickets of leave which permitted convicts to travel for work. It belonged to a fellow by the name of Ben ‘Taffy’ Jones, who was...

Stepping out in style

In May 1927 a Muriel Henning, wife of WA politician Charles Harriott Henning joined the country’s upper echelons for the opening of Parliament House in Canberra, wrapped in the velvety embrace of this...

More Coral Coast collections

Farm machinery heaven

Farm machinery enthusiasts will find themselves in heaven among the Bindoon and Districts Historical Society’s collection. A giant, purpose-built shed houses a vast collection of lovingly restored...

A world of natural and cultural discovery

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Museum and herbarium

In the mid-1980s residents from the sparsely populated Murchison Shire banded together to build the rammed earth Murchison Museum. Step inside the museum to discover artefacts revealing everyday life...

Sharing the language and culture of Australia’s first people

The Irra Wangga Language Centre is housed within Geraldton’s Bundiyarra Cultural Precinct. It works to preserve, share and promote the languages of the region’s Indigenous people. Here you can see and...

While you're in the area

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Fishermans Lookout
Attraction
Fishermans Lookout
Fisherman's Lookout offers a panoramic view of Port Denison and the...
Near Leander Point, Port Denison, WA 6525
Seaspray Beach Holiday Park
Accommodation
Seaspray Beach Holiday Park
Spoil yourself when next you stay in Dongara at the only place that offers...
79-81 Church Street, Dongara, WA 6525
Russ Cottage
Attraction
Russ Cottage
Built in 1868 by Titis Russ, Russ Cottage is a fine example of a rural...
Parker Street, Port Denison, WA 6525
Dongara Tourist Park
Accommodation
Dongara Tourist Park
Dongara Tourist Park offers cabin accommodation. Powered and unpowered...
8 George Street, Port Denison, WA 6525