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...

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...

Wildflower tourism emerges

While locals had long admired the profusion of dazzling wildflowers which erupted around Dongara each spring, it wasn’t until the 1960s that wildflower tourism emerged. The Midland Railway Company...

More Coral Coast collections

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...

Several museums in one

The Carnarvon Heritage Precinct encompasses several museums in one area - the Railway Museum and Shearing Hall of Fame, the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage and the One Mile Jetty Centre, which includes...

A private collection of motorbikes in a loungeroom

One man's love of motorcycles led to an obsession. Ian Boyd started the collection because of his love for Vincent motorcycles, and constructed a new house and purpose built loungeroom to accommodate...

Monsignor Hawes - discover where he lived and worked

Wander through the former home of famed architect-priest Monsignor John Hawes and it’s easy to imagine this remarkable man inhabiting its rooms. Hawes designed and built the presbytery for himself in...

While you're in the area

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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 Denison Drive-Ins
Attraction
Dongara Denison Drive-Ins
The Dongara Denison Drive-Ins show up-to-date movies each fortnight on...
Corner Point Leander Drive and Ridley 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
Irwin River Nature Trail
Attraction
Irwin River Nature Trail
Take a riverbank walk from the heart of historic Dongara, on the Thungara...
Church Street, Dongara, WA 6525