Day 176 Wagin, WA

Our decision to move further east into the wheatbelt has proven to be a very good decision.  It is sooooo much warmer here through the day with not a cloud in the sky.  The mornings are chilly - 3 degrees this morning - but the day warms to around the 20 degree mark.  Before breakfast we went for a short walk around the back streets of Wagin.  There are a lot of older houses in the town that have been beautifully restored.  Most have cottage gardens and picket fences that look so very pretty.

Once back at the van we got stuck into the washing that had piled up when we were off grid plus all the bedding and towels needed a freshen up.  It took us the best part of the morning but around 10.30 we decided to walk the short distance to the Wagin Historical Village.  We thought we would probably see most of it in an hour.  Weren't we wrong!  Three hours later......

Honestly, this is one of the most impressive historical villages we have visited and it's no wonder that it wins so many awards.  We always thought the historical village at Herberton on the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland would be hard to beat but this one gives it a good run for it's money.  It is not a large historical village with 26 re-created buildings, but it is the detail that has gone into these buildings - both inside and out - that sets it apart from anything else.

We are handed a pamphlet that guides you from building to building in the order that you should proceed.  There is a description of each building with a suggestion as to what you should be looking for or a story about the particular building. 

Here is an example of what is written:

THE MALLEE ROOT SHED shows early settle re-cycling. Roots of trees were hand picked after clearing and burning paddocks so they would be "clean" enough to crop.  The roots were used for firewood but also to make a variety of buildings which were then thatched with wattle.  This shed stores an old wagon.  Mallee roots are in short supply now. Your horse needs shoeing so move to..... (The Blacksmith)

This poor old tiger was shot and killed in India in 1920 and a sailor brought it back to Australia to give to his girlfriend.  It was used as a floor mat by the family for many years before being donated to the Historical Village.

Philip loved the Machinery Shed with its 1927 Fordson (this is the 1948 Fordson)....

And I enjoyed the Wagin Newspaper building, that houses early printing equipment still in working order. The first "Argus" newspaper was printed in Wagin in 1905 and continued until it closed in 2016.....

You could spend days not hours here in the Historical Village and we both regretted not choosing the Showground camping grounds (that has power and water) as the place to park the van as it is right beside the Historical Village. If you stayed here you most certainly would go backwards and forwards at your leisure.  

A little GoPro courtesy of Philip:

Here is selection of just some of the photographs that I took today.  You may even recognise some of the old items.....