The museum in Clifton looks modern from the outside, and the plaque on the building in the entrance with officially opened 10 April 2021 supports this. In reality, the museum if far older, once housed in the butter factory building on the same site.
The butter factory building was suffering decay from chemicals used to make ice over a hundred years ago. The brick mortar and even the steel beams where being eaten away, and the building had to be demolished. The new building contains an amazing collection with a few items that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
We were fortunate that there were not many people visiting on the day, so the volunteer that started us on our way took us for a tour the whole way through, highlighting several items in the collection that we may not have otherwise noticed.
It seems that no matter how many museums we visit, there is always something new and unique to discover. Clifton Museum was no exception.
O&R Chug-A-Drill
A cordless drill from the 1960s, the Ohlsson and Rice (or O&R) powered Chug-A-Drill runs on petrol. The 1HP engine gave a drill speed of 300RPM.
Thor Automagic Washer
Modern appliances took up a lot of room in the small homes of yesteryear. The Thor Automagic Washer was a Clothes Washer and Dishwasher in one machine. It has a tub placed in the top for washing the clothes, much the same as many top loader washing machines. When the clothes are done, after the automatic spin-dry whirling the clothes 20% drier than a wringer, take out the tub and put in the dishwashing tub and stack in the dishes. No need to take up more space with an additional machine – although you will need somewhere to put the other tub.
Electric Bedwarmer
A bedroom display shows a few types of bedwarmers. A metal pan with a lid is recognisable from old movies, where hot coal is placed inside and moved under the covers to heat the bed and bedding. A ceramic hot water bottle also sits on the bed. The one that intrigued me was the electric bed warmer. With an extension cord from the light bulb socket down to a plug used with old kettles, a heavy metal bedwarmer heats the bed in a similar way to the metal pan. When electricity was first available, it was likely the bedroom would have only a light fitting from the ceiling, so the bed warmer fitted into this.
History
The displays in the Clifton Museum tell stories of the history of Clifton. Many items can found in many towns throughout Queensland and Australia, but some are specific to Clifton and is worth while to visit to learn about the background of the town and the people who have helped shape its history.
An interesting piece of history is Clifton has been used for scenes in The Thorn Birds TV miniseries. The miniseries, based on the novel of the same name, is based in Australia. However, most of the filming was in California, with some scenes were in Australia. Clifton was used for some scenes with a steam train, hanging in one of the displays is the Gillanbone Parcel Office used for the set.
