The Capella Pioneer Village came to life on Saturday for the annual Heritage Day.
Over 500 people enjoyed everything everything from blacksmithing, steam and stationary engines, shearing, old time movies, camp oven damper, animal nursery and local stalls.
The museum presents over 5000 exhibits displayed in 17 buildings over a one hectare site. These include the woolshed, shearers’ quarters and store from Gordon Downs station. The centrepiece of the village is the grand old Peak Downs homestead built in 1869. Visitors delighted in seeing memorabilia from their childhood contained in these buildings, with many educating their children and grandchildren about life in the ‘old days’.
The Cinema and Communications building was a drawcard with kids watching cartoons and newsreels while sitting in the old style canvas seats. A new display this year was a 1970 ex-RAAF Blanik glider which was recently saved from the scrapheap and will now make the Village its home. The glider was a popular attraction on Saturday as people got a chance to sit in the cockpit and imagine what it might have been like to experience gliding.
A popular treat on the day was the damper cooked in coals and lathered in golden syrup. A shearers stew was also made on an old double oven wood stove.
The sheep shearing demonstration attracted a good audience of both young and old, keen to see shearer Warwick in action. Tractors dating back to the 1930s were on display with Ferguson the feature tractor this year. The tractor grand parade is always popular with visitors. This included Jackieboy, a tractor made by a local farmer Jack Newell back in the 1960s from World War II General Grant tank components. Truly a unique piece of agricultural ingenuity.
A wonderful band of volunteers bought the day together for everyone to enjoy.
Photos by Latham Wake, Linda MacWilliam and Jade Burns.
