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

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...

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...

More Coral Coast collections

Lighthouse keeper's cottage

Geraldton Historical Society houses its collection in the delightful Bluff Point Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage - a whitewashed building which served as the home of the Geraldton lighthouse keeper and...

Relocating Koobabbie Farm, kitchen sink and all.

This collection was saved by Coorow Heritage Group, after it was gifted three buildings and the farming equipment from a historically significant farm. Find out about the history of Samuel Rudduck and...

A rich and fascination cultural and natural heritage revealed

Few places in Australia could boast the rich and fascinating cultural and natural heritage of Shark Bay. This stunningly beautiful and remote peninsula boasts more than 30,000 years of Indigenous...

World-renowned windmills

Like many Mid West townships, Morawa’s history is a tale of agricultural development. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the Morawa District Historical Society Museum. The museum is housed in...

While you're in the area

Filter
Fishermans Lookout
Attraction
Fishermans Lookout
Fisherman's Lookout offers a panoramic view of Port Denison and the...
Near Leander Point, 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
The Common Place
Food and Drink
The Common Place
Welcome to The Common Place. Discover the tastes of the Midwest, carefully...
35 Illyarrie Road, Springfield, WA 6525
Illegal Tender Rum Co
Food and Drink
Illegal Tender Rum Co
The Illegal Tender Rum Co is an artisan rum maker's paradise; with bespoke...
35 Illyarrie Road, Springfield, WA 6525