It’s the halfway point!
Here is what’s on this week…
Can you believe we’re halfway through the festival already? We certainly cannot.
This week the Festival is filled with exciting and intriguing exhibitions, historical & heritage talks and free entry weekends.
Below is a list of all of the events taking place in your area over the next week. Follow the links below to find out more!
Visit the website HERE to explore more events and plan for the next few weeks.
The Australian Heritage Festival in Western Australia is proudly supported by Lotterywest.
Fremantle
When was the last time you visited Fremantle? Well the month of May is set to knock your socks off. Check out their events for the next week below!
Protest and Unrest! From violent riots to peaceful sit-outs, Fremantle Prison’s new exhibition Protest and Unrest explores the conditions and regime under which prisoners lived. If you want to know more, make sure you head down and join the curator as they guide you through the exhibition floor.
Murder, fire and death feature heavily in the history of this Fremantle icon. Join the owner for a fascinating tour of the National Hotel.
Samson House will be open on Sunday! Head out to enjoy a complimentary afternoon tea on the veranda or in the gardens. Buy a Chrysanthemum plant struck from those growing in the gardens, just in time for Mother’s Day.
Interested in researching the history of your Fremantle house or ancestor? Join the City’s Local History Engagement Officer, Lucy Hair, as she guides you through useful sources of information available at the Fremantle History Centre and elsewhere.
Join Ashlea Reale and the Outlaws for their Murder Ballads as they bring to life tales of murder through song and storytelling as the sun goes down over Fremantle Prison.
Take a glimpse into the evolution of a family business over 190 years in the West End of Fremantle. Dive deeper and explore the undercurrents that created the fishing industry in Freo at Fish Guts and All – The Return. Put on your walking shoes to explore the Life of the Harbour.
Join Fremantle Prison’s experienced Tour Guides and learn about the confronting history of Aboriginal Incarceration in both Fremantle Prison and greater Western Australia. Join Tour Guide, Don Whittington, on the Fremantle Cemetery Heritage Trail as he uncovers some of the colourful characters that call Fremantle Cemetery their final resting place.
Fired Up is a site-specific exploration held on the coast of Fremantle, marking the significance of skill sharing and the success of human endeavour.
Walyalup Waarkiny: join Wadjuk Nyoongar artist Richard Walley and his family for a series of creative cultural workshop for families. Watch a one hour silent film documenting the 8,000 mile voyage from Italy to Australia on a voyage that sparked generations.
Perth
Wooroloo! Have you ever wondered about the history of this place with the amazing name? Join a guided walk around the townsite that has been home to sawmills, TB patients, and dancing horses.
Central
Explore Perth with the Hooves to Highways look back at a fascinating time when cars first appeared on our roads and discover the fascinating exploration of our Derbarl Yerrigan Swan River. The Royal Perth Hospital Museum will look at the history of medicine in Western Australia while the Perth Cultural Center displays its highly anticipated Desert River Sea: Portraits of the Kimberley exhibition.
Past & Present + Welcome to WA Workshops! Celebrate your Western Australian Heritage at the Western Australian Museum’s Discovery Zone.
National Trust properties are open for free during the festival and this includes East Perth Cemeteries (Sunday’s only) and Peninsula Farm.
Shaping history into fiction! Award-winning author Dianne Wolfer discusses how she combined research, archival photographs, telegrams and letters with imaginative storytelling to craft the historical narrative.
North
I’m a Celebrity – What the Hell am I Doing Here? Many famous people have visited Western Australia. Discover who they are!
See an exhibition showcasing significant stories from Subiaco’s social and commercial history at the pearl shell adornment exhibition.
Taking the losses in chronological order, Richard Offen (author of the best-selling Perth Then and Now) catalogues the beloved buildings and Perth institutions that time and progress have swept aside.
Settlers Art and About! Nestled amongst the trees near Herdsman Lake you will find Settlers Cottage which is the last of fifty built in the late 1920s. The cottage is now used as studios by four visual artists who are opening up the venue and exhibiting their varied works in and around the property for your viewing.
Heirloom Treasures at Cockman House – Take a step back into the past and explore the fascinating family stories of Cockman House.
South
Vintage Film Night is back again! Grab some popcorn, a soft drink and head down to enjoy this free film event.
Indigenous Heritage of the Canning District – Come and hear a talk by Professor Simon Forrest, Elder-in-residence at Curtin University and NAIDOC Perth Male Elder of the Year.
Take the time to wander through Belmont’s past from the eerie Dead Man’s Gully to the bubbling waterside trails of the Swan River.
See Canning through a lens through the display of historic images from the City of Canning local history photograph collection.
Join the Rockingham Central Library as they officially open their exhibition Wetland Glimpses and see the month-long exhibition that has been created to recognise the importance of the wetlands to Aboriginal people. Travel through time, experiencing popular wedding trends from the early 1900s to 2000, with our beautiful collection of Wedding Gowns with weddings through time.
Enjoy an exhibition that explores how May’s illustrations continue to connect us to our bountiful bush.
Take a step back in time & wander through the Homestead’s 12 rooms, experiencing how it was to live a century ago at the Azelia Ley Museum.
East
Suffragist Settlement Scheme For WA That Never Was – Join guest speaker, Miriam Crandell, who will tell the story of a group of early 1900s British suffragists who attempted to establish a farming community in Denmark, WA.
White man park has you covered with the following events – A behind the scenes of Revolutions Transport Museum, the Collector Card Trail and the celebration of the Trams!
Immerse yourself in the early history of Bassendean and discover Guildford as you walk in the footsteps of pioneers.
Explore Kalamunda’s first heritage listed building and explore Kalamunda’s History Village.
Woodbridge and No. 1 Pump Station are open for free and this weekend.
West
Between River and Sea! Celebrate the journeys of people who have called the Western Suburbs home and see the changes that have taken place.
Regional – South & Peel
Bring your picnic, family and friends and join us for a fun Picnic at the Brook!
Put on your walking shoes and join us for an excursion to the iconic Homesteads of Manjimup. Come to the Bunbury Museum to drink in the history of Bunbury’s pubs, by listening to a talk at the Museum followed by a guided tour to these beautiful Victorian venues.
See displays of clothing prior to 1950 at Clothes of the Closet and watch the documentary that looks at the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company closure and reflections on what became a defining moment in history.
Wander through the lovely gardens at the old Blythewood (Pinjarra) homestead overlooking the Murray River. Visit Ellensbrook (Margaret River) to learn about the amazing women who played a major role in the development and management of the place. Discover the charm of Strawberry Hill (Albany) and receive free entry during the festival weekends. Experience the sense of isolation, danger and struggles faced by the Layman family at Wonnerup.
Regional – Wheatbelt
Join three Mullewa locals as they share their unique connections to Mullewa’s “people, places and the past”.
An Evening at The Homestead! Come along and enjoy a special evening to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the historic Macpherson Homestead, which was built in 1869.
Join the walking tour of six splendid Arts and Crafts buildings in York – all designed by George Temple-Poole. Take advantage of this very special opportunity to see the historic Holy Trinity Anglican Church that was built in 1854.
Buttons and Bones – York Convicts continues this week and looks at the convicts stationed at York Convict Depot in a fascinating new display that draws upon recent archaeological excavations. View a selection of works painted by local artists at York’s Art for Anzacs.
Enjoy Free Entry Weekends at the National Trust properties at Mangowine (Nungarin) and York Courthouse complex.
Regional – North & East
Enjoy free entry to Central Greenough (Greenough) and Warden Finnerty’s residence (Coolgardie) over the weekends of the festival.
