Tasmania celebrates Australian Heritage Week 2011

Australian Heritage Week is a new annual national celebration of Australia’s unique heritage which will run from today until Wednesday 20 April 2011.

Australian Heritage Week recognises the efforts of individuals and communities all around the country in protecting and conserving our important heritage places.

Heritage is about the places and stories that make Australia special.  It includes our amazing natural places, our rich Aboriginal heritage and the diverse historic sites that reflect our development as a nation.

Our heritage contributes to our sense of place and to our community and personal wellbeing, it informs us about where we have come from and who we are, and is fundamental to our national identity.

To celebrate Australian Heritage Week in Tasmania, Arts Tasmania’s Roving Curators have put together a program of ‘sneak previews’ of exciting events and exhibitions around the state to showcase our unique local heritage.

Many of the sites that will be open during National Heritage Week have never been seen by the public before.

Gaoler’s Residence, Oatlands
Visitors to the Oatlands Gaoler’s Residence will be treated to a ‘sneak preview’ and guided tour of the almost completed project. There will also be an opportunity to see recently unearthed archaeological remains in the Gaol yard and hear about the interpretation and landscape planning that is soon to take place.

Bookings required: No
Admission: Free
Wheelchair access: Limited
Date and times: 14 April 2011, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Location/Venue: Mason Street, Oatlands, Tasmania
Telephone: 0418 303 184
Email: heritage@southernmidlands.tas.gov.au

Callington Steam Mill and Callington Mill Windmill Tours, Oatlands
Another site of significance in Oatlands that will be open to the public for the first time will be the recently unearthed remains of the 1840s Callington Steam Mill. Visitors during Australian Heritage Week will be given an overview of the investigations so far and how the steam mill fitted into the overall history of the mill complex. The Callington Windmill itself will also be open to the public and tours will run hourly from the Heritage Highway Visitor Centre.

Callington Steam Mill Tours
Bookings required: No
Admission: Free
Wheelchair access: Yes
Date and times: 14 April 2011, 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Location/Venue: Callington Mill, Mill Lane, Oatlands, Tasmania
Telephone: 0418 303 184
Email: heritage@southernmidlands.tas.gov.au

Callington Mill Windmill Tours
Bookings required: Yes
Admission: $12 per person, $8 concession, $25 family
Wheelchair access: Limited (steep stairs in the tower tour)
Date and times: 16 – 17 April 2011, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, (each tour is 45 minutes)
Location/Venue: Callington Mill, Mill Lane, Oatlands, Tasmania
Telephone: 03 6254 1212
Email: tourism@southernmidlands.tas.gov.au
Website: www.centreforheritage.com.au

Centre for Heritage, Oatlands
During Australian Heritage Week, the new Centre for Heritage in Oatlands will be officially opened by the Honorable Dr Barry Jones AO. The centre is an exciting new initiative focused on the conservation and restoration of Australia’s heritage.

Bookings required: Yes
Admission: Free
Wheelchair access: Yes
Date and times: 14 April 2011, 2:30pm
Location/Venue: Callington Mill, Mill Lane, Oatlands, Tasmania
Telephone: 03 6224 1422
Email: holly@creatingpreferredfeatures.com.au
Website: www.centreforheritage.com.au

Heritage Highway Museum, Campbell Town
The Heritage Highway Museum in Campbell Town invites you to a special preview of the upcoming exhibition Transit of Venus by volunteers who worked on the project as a result of assistance from Arts Tasmania’s Roving Curator Program. The Transit of Venus is a photographic display featuring images from international, national and local collections.

Bookings required: No
Admission: gold coin donation
Wheelchair access:  Yes
Date and times: 20 April 2011, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Location/Venue: 103 High Street, Campbell Town, Tasmania
Telephone: 03 6381 1353
Email: campbell.town.tas@gmail.com
Website: www.campbelltown.com.au

Circular Head Heritage Centre Open Day, Smithton
Local history buffs and textile enthusiasts will have the opportunity to visit the Circular Head Heritage Centre Open Day. The collection recently received a grant through Arts Tasmania’s Small Museums and Collections Program, enabling the collection to be assessed by a textile conservator. Go behind the scenes and see the textile collection with a guided tour of the Heritage Centre displays.

Bookings required: Yes
Admission: $4 per person, $10 family, companion card - free
Wheelchair access: Yes
Date and times: Behind the Scenes tour of the textile collection, 18 April 2011, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Guided tour of the displays, 19 April 2011, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location/Venue: 8 King Street, Smithton, Tasmania
Telephone: 03 6452 3296
Email: duckriver@bigpond.com

Josephite Mission and History Centre Open Day, New Town
The Josephite Mission will be open to visitors during Australian Heritage Week and guided tours of the History Centre will include exhibitions featuring Father Julian Tenison Woods and his scientific contribution to Tasmania, the story of the Josephite involvement in Catholic education in Tasmania since 1887 and St Mary MacKillop. The centre was previously known as the Mother House of the Sisters of St Joseph in Tasmania between 1908 and 2009.

Bookings required: Yes
Admission: $3 adults and $1 students
Wheelchair access: Yes
Date and times: 15 April 2011, 11:00 am – 12.00 pm and 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Location/Venue: 67 Clare Street, New Town, Tasmania
Telephone: 03 6228 1628
Email: josephitemission@tastelfibre.com.au
Website: www.tassiejosephites.org.au

For more information on Australian Heritage Week, visit: www.environment.gov.au