The General Store opens its doors for business and the smell of freshly baked
bread wafts through the air as children sing in the schoolroom and the blacksmith
is heard clanging in the distance.

As you walk down the main street of the Loxton Historical Village it is easy to imagine
this happening with over 30 fully furnished buildings and exhibits to explore.

Loxton's unique Historical Village is situated on the riverfront at Loxton in the
Riverland of South Australia, adjacent to Loxton's main shopping area.

The Historical Village is a must to see, it will bring back memories of an era past
and will educate children on how life used to be back in their grandparents and
great grandparents time.

Loxton Historical Village is now home to a fabulous photographic display of
 the great 1956 Murray River Flood.

An amazing collection of photos show the destruction and heart break as the waters
of the Murray River rose to extraordinary heights from May 1956 to January 1957.
The total flow into South Australia over this time as 48,225,000 megalitres, enough
to supply Adelaide for 250 years (at the 1956 rate of consumption).


 
River heights at Loxton rose by 7.42m (24 feet), Waikerie 7.81m (26 feet), Overland
Corner 9.62m (32 feet) and Renmark 3.52m (12 feet). The severity of the ’56 flood in
SA included damage to 20,000 acres of irrigated pastures, 562 homes were evacuated, 17,000 fruit trees were killed by flooding and seepage, 40 miles of earthworks and
levees were built, 1,000,000 sandbags were donated and distributed for levee protection and 6,154 acres of orchards and vineyards were damaged by seepage or flooded. 

The Loxton Historical Village has an aura of old world charm, and when you enter
the Village you will feel like you have been transported back to the late 1890's, early 1900's, when the Loxton township was just being developed. Foundations for the
Loxton Historical Village were laid in 1970 when the Loxton National Trust branch
built a pug and pine replica of "Loxton's Hut".

There are now over 30 fully furnished buildings depicting and preserving the
history and way of life of the early Riverland settlers.

Farm buildings have been modelled on original structures around the district, including
a pine slab shearing shed and stable, and a barn made of mallee stumps.

A bank, once operating at Geranium, and a railway station sited originally at Yinkanie together with a barber shop and one of the most comprehensive displays of old dental equipment in Australia, are features not to be missed.

The Clarion newspaper office (Loxton's first paper) houses antique printing machines.
The 1920's style garage, designed by the Riverland Vintage and Classic Car Club,
is home to some beautiful old cars and motorcycles.

The most recent addition to the Village is a vast area dedicated to the Irrigation
Museum. On display here is a Nissan Hut which was the living quarters for the
returned servicemen and their families. The Hut gives an authentic account of
what living conditions were like in those days.

ADMISSION CHARGES
Adults $8 pp; Pensioner $7pp; Children $4pp; Buses/Tours $6pp;
School Groups $3pp, Family $21.

If you are planning a special event and wanting a venue that has character,
why not consider the Loxton Historical Village? As the sun sets over the river the
Village takes on a new ambience which is filled with nostalgic charm.

The tiny Pioneer Memorial Church has become a favourite for local weddings and
the Institute Hall is a 'Venue with a Difference', and ideal for wedding receptions,
family reunions, Christmas and birthday parties. The Village offers homestyle
catering or outside caterers can be arranged.

Costs and booking details available on enquiry.
 

Throughout the year the Loxton Historical Village holds special
'Village Alive Days' which provide working exhibits, adding colour to the static
displays, switching on the imagination of being transported to another time.
 

The Loxton Historical Village has been developed to record the history of the early
settlers, and offer an educational experience for school students.

The program takes on a practical approach with lots of hands on activities
designed for the students.

Information is available on how best to use the Village for study topics in the
subject areas of home economics, history, society and environment, pioneer and
early settlement, communications, technology changes, social communications,
clothing, housing, transport, crafts.

The practical approach involves students partaking of activities such as:

• Cooking damper or buttermilk scones on a woodfire

• Butter and noodle making

• Construction of mud bricks

• Rope making and blacksmithing

• Washing, starching clothes, mangling and ironing

• Darning, sewing, knitting

• Pioneer games

• Using print blocks and old telephones

A maximum group size of 50 students is recommended at one time.
Catering of lunches can be arranged if required, and the shop sells souvenirs,
canned drinks and ice creams.

For all enquiries contact:

Loxton Visitor Information Centre (VIC)
Phone: (08) 8584 8071
 

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