KORUMBURRA’S historical hotspot Coal Creek Community Park and Museum celebrated 50 years on Saturday.
Around 600 tickets were sold in the lead up to the big event, with many more sold at the door.
Visitors were encouraged to join in the festivities with performances taking place all day – including pop up performances of Alice in Wonderland kindly put on by Lyric Theatre, which delved into 50 years of lost time – and to take in the rich history.
A timeline of events was on display to demonstrate just how far Coal Creek has come of the years.
The timeline featured the monumental task of securing all the buildings, the construction of the railway, and the grand opening on Saturday, March 2, 1974, through to the launch of contemporary events the community love including Halloween, the Literary Festival and Carols on the Creek.
Most of the buildings were open to the public, including the General Store, which was selling lollies for the first time in many years.
Volunteering in some of the buildings were descendants of the original families, including Doug Boston from Boston’s Carriage Works, Rosemary and Zachary Wrench who came from the family of bootmakers, and Greg Twite, the grandson of Mr Macqueen the singing barber.
“We hope this marks the beginning of another 50 years of history. It’s an incredible asset to the community,” Coal Creek team leader Kim O’Connell said.
“History and heritage is important to the people of this community, and we are here to honour the people who have worked here, volunteered here, or donated collection items. It’s been fantastic.”
With this milestone now crossed, discussions are continuing to consider the future of Coal Creek.
These discussions centre around how the park can continue to viably operate, with ideas such as the restoration of the railway.
Mr O’Connell said South Gippsland Shire Council has worked methodically to help Coal Creek look to the future and find ways to
revitalise the park.
