Located in Denman a small town in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, the Denman and District Heritage Village has an extensive and unique exhibition made up of objects and artefacts. Donated primarily by local Jeff Wolfgang, the exhibits are housed in a beautiful, new building that opened in November 2023.
Run by a staff of volunteers, the museum is bright and spacious with lots of room around the displays. Unlike many local museums, this one is not over-crowded with exhibits getting in each others way. It was easy to move around and view all of the items on display.
With its location in a farming district, it’s not surprising that there is a lot of farm equipment, from the first Caterpillar dozer to old cheese making presses and butter churns. A significant portion of the items on display are cars. For a small museum, it’s an impressive collection and worth the visit in itself.
Obviously passionate about the museum, the volunteer staff were great to talk to, with stories about the displays and their history.
Farm Equipment
1929 2 Ton Caterpillar1929 2 Ton Caterpillar1911 International Auto WagonCheese PressButter ChurnsTorpedo WasherHorse Buggy
Cars
1906 Darracq 7hp
1906 Darracq 7hpFront view of the 1906 Darracq 7hp1906 Darracq 7hpEngine of the 1906 Darracq 7hp
1910 Brush Penny Car
1910 Brush Penny CarFront view of the 1910 Brush Penny Car1910 Brush Penny CarRadiator and name plate 1910 Brush Penny CarLight and horn 1910 Brush Penny Car
1927 Whippet
1927 WhippetFront view of the1927 Whippet1927 WhippetFront seat 1927 Whippet
Buick
Buick
1938 Standard
1938 StandardFront view of the 1938 Standard1938 Standard
1934 Austin 7
Front right view of the 1934 Austin 71934 Austin 71934 Austin 7
1958 Gogomobil
Front view of the 1958 Gogomobil1958 Gogomobil1958 Gogomobil
1900 Locomobile Steam Car
Locomobile 1908 Steam Car1900 Locomobile Steam CarA 1900 Locomobile Steam Car1900 Locomobile Steam Car1900 Locomobile Steam Car
1913 Sunbeam
Front view1913 Sunbeam1913 SunbeamFront seats of the 1913 Sunbeam1913 Sunbeam1913 SunbeamBack seats of the 1913 Sunbeam1913 Sunbeam Front Seats1913 Sunbeam Front Seats
Set on one of the original land grants in the area, dating from 1825, the Alison Homestead is the home of the Wyong District Museum & Historical Society. Although the original homestead was the subject of an arson attack in 2011, the rebuilt building has many great items generously donated by the local community. The other buildings on the property were not damaged in the fire.
How to get There
Located near the old Wyong Milk Factory on Cape Road, Alison Homestead is easily accessible from the M1 Pacific Motorway. Driving from Sydney it’s just over an hour north of the city or around the same time south of Newcastle. Parking is plentiful at the back of the homestead.
Driving in check out the Ned Kelly letterbox and the phone box with a Superman inside.
Entrance to the homesteadNed Kelly letter boxTelephone box with Superman
Refreshments
A small café is also where you pay a small entry fee, so we had a coffee and scones and watched the sheep in the field out the front. Also near the café is a sapling of the Lone Pine from Gallipoli, in commemoration of Australian service personnel.
Lone Pine MemorialSheep after a hard day
Displays
In the Homestead and other buildings onsite, there are displays of memorabilia, photos, furniture, toys and other household items, equipment, machinery and tools all relating to the early settling of Wyong and surrounds. There is an old slab hut which was part of Yarramalong Public School with displays of furniture, equipment, books, maps and memorabilia relating to the history of early school days in the area.
As the museum is quite new, the displays are well laid out and easy to understand. Some local museums seem to have items cluttered together, making them difficult to see.
The schoolhouse is setup as if a lesson is about to begin, taking you back to the early 1900s. Nearby, the slab hut shows how early settlers lived in the area. Some of these huts were still occupied in the 1920s.
Old Slab HutSchool RoomMilk churns on a cartOld tools on display in the work shedLaundry clothes mangle
Scale Models and Miniatures
Something we were not expecting to see was a collection of model ships and miniature buildings.
The ships range from Nelson’s HMS Victory to the World War One SMS Emden and HMAS Sydney. Emden and Sydney fought a duel in the war, with Sydney victorious. These are great models and worth checking out the room they are in because a great deal of effort has gone into them.
The miniature buildings show the homestead and buildings from other properties in the area. Again, a lot of effort and detail has gone into them.
SMS EmdenHMAS Sydney Light CruiserHMS Victory wooden model HMS Victory wooden modelMiniature FarmCedar Brush Farm model
What Did We Think of Alison Homestead?
A great little museum with some unexpected displays. Really worth the visit and wander around.
Arriving at the museum we were greeted by a happy volunteer who gave us a map of the layout and told us to help ourselves to a tea or coffee.
With our travels we have found rural museums occupy old houses, so are quite small. Not the Gunnedah Rural Museum, it takes up several large industrial size sheds with its huge collection. Its extensive collection covers farm equipment like tractors and harvesters, cars, old children’s’ toys, old household goods and a Coca Cola bottle collection. There was even an old dentist’s chair. Walking around, you would think no one in Gunnedah had ever thrown anything out.
If you are interested in rural life in Australia from the late 1800s to late 1900s this is a fantastic place to visit. We particularly liked the tractor and car collection, as they were extensive and in good condition. The museum also has a model railway out the front for rail enthusiasts. We really enjoyed this laid back huge museum.
Old Telephone CollectionGas lightKitchen appliancesMeat Safe for keeping flies off meat before refrigerationRadios and TVChildren’s ToysLawn Mowers1957 Caterpillar D4 bulldozerTractorsTractorsSteam enginesSteam EngineTwo Volkswagen BeetlesThree ZephyrsPetrol PumpTelephone BoxCoca Cola Collection
