The Miles Historical Village and Museum is an open-air museum located near the town of Miles, Queensland

Miles, Queensland

Miles is a small town in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Miles had a population of 1,164.The town is situated on the Warrego Highway, 340 kilometres west of Brisbane, the state capital. Formerly known as Dogwood Crossing, the town is situated on Dogwood Creek, named by German explorer...

, Australia. The village consists of 30 buildings, replicas of ones built during the time period of the 1920s.

Region history

This area was first named Dogwood Crossing by the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt

Ludwig Leichhardt

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a Prussian explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.-Early life:...

. The town was later named Miles when the railway was being constructed in 1878, after William Miles who was a member of parliament and owned a property in the area. When more people settled in this area, in the early days there were a lot of dairy farms. The land is really not suitable for dairying, so in later years farmers have turned to growing wheat and there was also a lot of cotton grown.

In the early days Prickly Pear

Prickly pears in Australia

Prickly pears are an invasive plant species in Australia.Prickly pears were imported into Australia in the 19th century for use as a natural agricultural fence and in an attempt to establish a cochineal dye industry. They quickly became a widespread invasive species, rendering of farming land...

 was a menace, it is believed it was bought to Australia as a pot plant. A lot of farmers walked off their land in the early 1890s until the moth was discovered to eradicate this pest.

Historical village

The historical village consists of 30 buildings, including the Artesian Basin Centre which houses information on Artesian Water, aboriginal history, and land care. The War Museum has displays from all World Wars. The Shell house has a comprehensive display of shells from all over the world. The Historical Village started in 1971 and has grown since then, with the Miles Historical Society attempting to add a new replica building every year, and expanding the museum's collection with memorabilia donated by families in the district.
The village has an authentic 1900s era streetscape, featuring a bakery, post office, chemist, general store, Red Rose Cafe, and a branch of the Bank of New South Wales, all featuring real items from the time period. Also included are a church, school, butcher, and blacksmith. A typical slab hut from the early 1900s era is also displayed. The village also hosts the former Dalwogan railway station (part of the Wandoan Branch Railway

Wandoan Branch Railway

Wandoan Branch Railway. The Western Line from Brisbane, Australia reached Miles in August 1878. Taroom, about 120 kilometres to the north of Miles, later became an established pastoral region and a line in that direction was needed to promote closer settlement...

), with the retired Queensland Government Railways

Queensland Rail

Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...

 C17 steam locomotive

Queensland C17 class locomotive

The C17 class locomotive was a 4-8-0 locomotive of the Queensland Railways. . The locomotives operated on narrow gauge.The design was so successful that 227 locomotives were built from 1920 when the first engine N° 15 entering service through until 1953 when N° 1000 was delivered. The 22 NM...

no. 944 on display outside.