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HERITAGE STUDIES
The Museum's role in documenting, assessing and presenting the cultural
heritage of the region has been assisted in the last three to four years
through the awarding of consultancies by various councils to carry out heritage
studies. The Living Museum has been successful in winning contracts in its
own right for heritage studies in the Cities of Brimbank and Hume, and has
contributed to studies in Hobson's Bay, Maribyrnong and Dandenong as part
of larger study teams. 1999 has seen several of these long running projects
reach their final stages. As a result we now have not only a copious corpus
of historical data and records of several hundred of the region's surviving
places of cultural significance, but we have been able to play a significant
role in directing and influencing the preservation and management of the
community's heritage. We have also been able to bring a community-focused
approach to understanding the region's heritage so that places which reflect
the social impact of migration, industry, working people and the distinct
cultures of the region are given the same status as the more traditional
and conservative architectural and aesthetic values.
As well as the municipal-based studies, we have also undertaken projects
on more specific heritage topics. For example, the on-going development
of the Docklands area saw a further archaeological investigation of the
Dudley Flats area beside Moonee Ponds Creek. Heritage Victoria commissioned
us to prepare an inventory and assessment of the contents of the Strathbogie
blacksmith shop which is one of the most intact examples of the local blacksmith's
shop in Victoria and now the subject of a detailed Masters Thesis. While
somewhat distant from our region, this project has enabled us to develop
the background understanding needed to interpret a notable aspect of the
Western Region's heritage which is directly relevant to the Museum's collection
of blacksmith tools from various local industries, not the least being the
Sunshine Harvester Works.
In a similar vein was a project to record details of the Dandenong Livestock
Saleyards. Again, this project provided a useful comparison for our work
on the Newmarket Saleyards, and in fact showed the high degree of continuity
between the two sites as many of our contacts came up again at Dandenong.
Our involvement in the Dandenong heritage study also provided useful comparison
between areas with many similarities, - for example, industrial base, working
class, migrant impact, multicultural community, etc. Our past contacts with
the Benga Oral History Centre were renewed and in a more general sense we
are helping to define and understand the Western Region by comparison with
other places of similar character.
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