Museum and Art Gallery
The Violet Town Gallery Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 2pm
The Violet Town Gallery Museum is a complex of buildings that was once a blacksmith, hardware supplies and undertakers business in the 1890s. The old building has been restored by volunteers and now consists of a museum, an art gallery and a cafe.
The museum aims to preserve the stories of Violet Town's interesting and resilient community. Exhibitions focus on particular themes or significant past events in the history of the town and district. These are taken down or reduced two or three times a year to make way for new exhibitions.
Current Exhibition
150 Years of the Railway in Violet Town traces the coming of the railway line to Violet Town in 1873 and the many changes it has brought to the town and district.
Examples of Previous Exhibitions
Hotels and Inns of Violet Town explored where the first inns and hotels were located and what they provided, the characters and changing styles of the hotels and the various characters associated with them
No Toxic Dump The 2002-2004 community campaign to say no to the Victorian Government's siting of a TOXIC WASTE DUMP on Baddaginnie/Violet Town farmland. Southern Aurora Tragedy
The 1969 Southern Aurora Tragedy The 7th of February 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the terrible crash at Violet Town between the Southern Aurora and a goods train that claimed 9 lives and injured countless others. The exhibition highlights the human stories of those affected, including the rescue workers from the local community who responded and the difficulties they faced in an era half a century ago.
Cowslip Street – Then and Now A photographic exhibition documenting the changes to the streetscape of what is now Violet Town's main street over the last century.
The backART Gallery
Located in the back section of the complex, the backART Gallery features the work of local artists either in individual exhibitions or group themed exhibitions. The great variety of styles, media and subjects treated in these artworks keeps the exhibition in the backART gallery constantly interesting and inspiring.
The gallery is open during the museum and cafe hours. Entry is free.
Performance Space
The Museum buildings provide a variety of performance spaces both indoors and outdoors for concerts and other events. Check the Violet Town website Upcoming Events and also the Violet Town Museum facebook page for the latest performance dates.
