The characters of Croydon will be brought to life in a colourful new exhibit opening at the Town Hall Museum to celebrate Heritage Week 2016 from May 11.
Anthony Styan, acting manager for Heritage Culture and Tourism at Croydon Shire Council, said while the finishing touches were still being put on the new exhibit “Croydon Characters”, once complete it would share the stories of writers and poets from the early days of Croydon to the recent past.
“We will display both their life stories and some pieces they wrote themselves about the town and the goldfields,” Mr Styan said.
Mr Styan said Heritage Week was a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on the gold rush town’s history.
“Gold was first discovered in 1885 and by 1887 the population of Croydon had reached 7000,” he said. “When the gold ran out and people began leaving, what was left behind has been frozen in time.
“The main street is just as it was 100 years ago and is an important heritage site that is overseen by the National Trust,” he said.
Made up of four buildings, which are open year round to the pubic, the heritage precinct includes the police sergeant’s residence, police station, court house and Shire Hall, which is still used by the community today.
Mr Styan said Heritage Week would be celebrated with an open day, special tours of the Museum and supervised metal detecting.
“It can be very easy to drive straight on through Croydon, after all we are a tiny little country town. However, we offer so much history and with our heritage buildings nearly all preserved, people are given a real insight into the lives of those in early 1900s.
“There is always something new to be discovered, even for us,” he added.
The State Heritage registered SES building, which was originally the town’s hospital, also adds to the heritage feel of town, having undergone a complete restoration earlier this year.
“Following the restoration, it was only fitting that this building was renamed The Matron Morrow Hall. The Matron was widely respected and had a lot to do with the modernisation of the hospital in the 1930s.”
The Croydon General Store is also a museum in itself, having opened its doors in 1894. Today, customers can still see the original shelving as well as take in photographs, old ledger books, cash registers and other antiques and memorabilia from its history.