THE ANSONIA KITCHEN CLOCK. In pride of place on the kitchen mantelpiece is the Ansonia kitchen clock, now happily marking each hour and half hour with the appropriate number of gongs. The clock dates from the early twentieth century and was made by the Ansonia Clock Co., New York. This clock is the “Kirkwood’ model which was being sold in 1914. In 1844, Anson Phelps formed the Ansonia Brass Co. in Connecticut to supply clocks. The Ansonia...
The Annis and George Bills horse trough at the Blacksmith’s Cottage is a survivor of a series of troughs donated by the estate of Annis and George Bills. When he died in 1927, George Bills left his estate of 80,000 pounds to ‘construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they……..are desirable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals.’ The Annis and George Bills Bequest donated over 500 troughs throughout Australia. They were...
Harness racing, or “trotting”, has long been associated with the Melton-Toolern Vale – Bacchus Marsh area. So close has this association been that when the major harness racing venue was moved from Moonee Valley, the chosen location was Melton. Tabcorp Park is now a well-known landmark on the Western Highway. Trotting tracks can still be seen in the Coimadai district. One of the well-known owner/trainer/drivers of the district is Greg...
The Australian Gliding Museum at the Bacchus Marsh airfield is one of the area’s little-known treasures. As part of the National Trust Heritage Month, 16th April-29th May, the Museum is mounting a display of model gliders and the history of gliding in Australia in the buildings and grounds of the historic Cottage and Forge. Come and see large scale models of early gliders, including the ‘Lasco Lark’, ‘Grunau Baby’, and ‘Merlin’, and more...
PUMPKINS, POMEGRANATES AND PENSTEMONS Harvest Festival time at the cottage was a time of produce, people and flowers. Veggie patches and gardens yielded a splash of colour to the 1850s cottage. Pumpkins bedecked the hay bales in the yard and tomatoes and pomegranates spoke of autumn and winter dishes to come. Double Delight roses and penstemons added their own delightful colours and scents. Autumn is a good time to visit Bacchus Marsh. ...
It was worth the wait! The old police cell had been sitting quietly in the rear yard following its donation to the Cottage and Forge by the Victoria Police (Bacchus Marsh) many years ago. In June 2014, with labour supplied by the Lions Club and funds from our Shire, the cell was lifted, rotated and renovated – made ready for presentation to our visitors. We planned an official opening in March 2015. As with all well planned events,...
Australia Day -Tuesday, 26 January 2016 – the flag was raised. Our small ceremony was possible only through the endeavors of Alan Turner, our expert wood turner, together with the digging out and securing of the sleeve by Russ and Tony, and Geoff was our flag raiser on the day. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared the emotion. Thank you to those who made our 2016 Australia Day possible.