Capella Pioneer Village Inc
Posted on October 30th, 2019
Over 5000 objects and the 1869 ‘Peak Downs’ homestead await you at the Capella Pioneer Village complex on the Gregory Highway at Capella, in Queensland’s Central Highlands region. The homestead is the largest restored station homestead of its kind in Australia, with 60,000 hardwood shingles on the roof and mortice and tenon spotted gum timber walls (no nails). The museum’s 17 buildings include the woolshed from ‘Gordon Downs’ station that has a tale to tell about the Central Highlands origins of the 1891 Great Shearers Strike, and, the Central Queensland Cinema exhibit – the only one of its kind in the region. Learn the magnitude of the post World War Two ‘Food and Britain’ scheme. The Queensland British Food Corporation held 200,000 hectares of open downs grasslands across the Highlands in 1949 and had 27,000 hectares under crop in 1950. The operational headquarters were at Capella. Come and see the tractors and farming machinery from that era and those that followed, including Jackieboy – made from WWII tank components. Enjoy history come alive during the annual Heritage Day, held from 9am on the second Saturday in September. Special arrangements are made for coach and school groups, who are always welcome.
