The El Dorado Museum will prepare its 3000-plus item collection for the future with a $11,632 grant from the state government.
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The Museum Association was one of 40 successful applicants in round 16 of the Local History Grant Program.
President Sue Phillips said the two-year project would provide industry-standard collection storage for the museum, which currently has a make-shift storage room, and improve cataloguing.
“A wall will be partioned off in the main display room so we will actually have an area for archival storage,” she said.
“It’s pretty tight in terms of the number of things we have and where we can store them.
“To keep things going, we need to be looking at how we manage it all and things do have to change.”
An original schoolhouse opened in 1870 has been home to the El Dorado Museum for the past 50 years.
Items on display include gold and tin mining relics from the Cock's El Dorado Gold and Tin Dredge, gemstones, family heirlooms and historical records.
Supported by 30 volunteers, the museum opens on Sundays, public holidays and by appointment.
Mrs Phillips said visitor numbers had risen over the past five years.
“One part of it is an interest in family history, and we've put a lot of effort into social media and publicity and really put ourselves out there in terms of what’s available in El Dorado and the surrounds,” she said.
“A significant aspect is the fact we have the heritage-listed dredge and the story that goes with it.
“The museum was initially set up to be a story of the mining history of the area and the focus has become broader.”
Work is hoped to start in August with the cataloguing and archiving of collection items hoped to be finished in time for the 150th anniversary of the building in 2020.
Other grant recipients in the North East include:
- Falls Creek Trail Signage, $9598
- Indigo Shire Digitisation and Cataloguing, $4895
- Interpretative Signage at Yackandandah Golf Course $3500
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