Shire of Lake Grace, Western Australia, is hoping to put the tiny town of Varley, population 50, on the tourist and heritage map with a $20,000 grant from Building Better Regions Fund to renovate their museum.
Located in the very remote eastern corner of the Southern Wheatbelt region, Varley is one of five towns in the sparsely populated Shire.
With a $10,000 contribution from the Varley Progress Association, and the assistance of the Shire and Regional Development Australia, Wheatbelt, the grant application was made.
Success was announced in July and a visit to the museum from the federal member for O’Connor, Rick Wilson MP, to view the progress, was announced.
Renovations to the existing museum building included lining and painting the interior walls, new flooring, window blinds and improved lighting.
Museum Committee’s vision is to promote the museum as a tourist destination and create a future heritage trail in the Shire.
The refurbishment will ensure easy management of the building with the aim of handing responsibility for the museum to the younger generation.
Varley District Museum preserves the cultural heritage of the pioneers who settled the vast area in the 1920’s, opening up the eastern regions of the Wheatbelt to agriculture.
The museum is a contiguous link between the region’s pioneering past and the present-day.
The refurbishment has ensured the preservation of the historical artefacts and enhanced their presentation within the museum.
It is now an attractive destination and will help increase the number of tourists.
The new look museum was ready to reoccupy on 4 October and reinstatement of the artefacts began 7.30am when committee members arrived.
The day brought rain, which lead to the arrival of more volunteers throughout the morning to finish with an impressive 15 in total.
The museum’s grand reopening is planned for the near future.
