Bridgetown Police Station & Orcharding Museum

21/07/2026

As part of our ongoing commitment to take history to the people, this free talk is on Wednesday 12 August:

Please come to this free talk by Dr Helen Henderson about the development of Hospital and Medical Services in Bridgetown 1829-1920.
The talk will trace health services, midwives and District Medical Officers in Bridgetown, along with the Roe Street hospital in 1899.
Dr Helen Henderson is the daughter of Dr Noel Williams, who was instrumental in developing the Bridgetown Advancement Policy Pool that purchased land to create Memorial Park c.1950.
Bookings are essential - please use this link to TryBooking https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1617935 or ring us on 0487 592 704 to save your spot at the talk.
Kindly sponsored by Bridgetown Pottery Restaurant.

15/07/2026

Yet another successful round of 'ghost' walks were held last weekend. Two more this coming weekend which are fully booked out - thank you again to all our local and not so local (many come down from Perth just for these walks) followers.
We are very grateful to the Manjimup-Bridgetown Times for writing two articles that promote our walks.

12/07/2026

The second of four ghosts walks was a huge success again - just over 50 people on both Friday and Saturday nights! There are a very few places left for next weekend’s ghost walks, so head to TryBooking to secure your spot. We won’t be back until next winter (2027).
Some photos of the ghost hunters and their storytellers. If you want to know more, you need to come on our walks!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1393766796136140&id=100065084970338

04/07/2026

🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎
Have you bought your copy of The Lost Orchards of Bridgetown yet? 🍏🍎🍏
If only you could smell this delicious Spiced Apple Cake that is on p.18 - straight out of the oven this morning and ready for morning tea. Get your copy from the Museum this morning and help the Historical Society raise much needed funds to keep going. 🍎🍏🍎
Cost is $25 and postage is approx $11 (Aust Post raised their prices this week) depending on location. More info needed? Contact us [email protected]
🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎

02/07/2026

Museums hold a power. They simultaneously make time stand still, and take us to a parallel world.
There is something incredibly special about being able to see artefacts that capture a moment in time. Belongings made and handled by people, just like you and me, with time being the only thing that separates us.
Ref: Wiltshire Museum page. Www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

23/06/2026

**** The Lost Orchards of Bridgetown recipe/history book arrived yesterday and is now available to collect from the Police Station and Orcharding Museum (opposite Vibe Servo) (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10-2), or from BHS (day/time to be arranged) or to be posted.

Cost is $25 per copy. Payment can be by EFT, or if collecting from the Museum (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays), credit card or cash. By arrangement the book can also be collected from the BHS office (5 Civic Lane) but as this is not attended, you’ll need to make arrangements with me to purchase a copy 😊

Postage will be approx $10. An exact quote will be given once address and numbers of books per package are known 😊 so please contact me if you want your copy posted. Email is [email protected]

21/05/2026

We opened our new Orcharding Museum (at the rear of the Police Station Museum) in February this year after almost a year's worth of work and a grant from the Native Forest Transition project (sincere thanks to Jane Kelsbie), and if you haven't visited it, please come and have a look (open Wed/Fri/Sat 10-2).
We have now completed the book we promised to produce on orcharding history and apple recipes. It is called the 'Lost Orchards of Bridgetown their recipes, their stories, their history.'
The recipes have been gleaned from a large variety of sources, not least the booklet produced in 1988 for the WA sesquicentenary called 'Apples the Bridgetown Way' which was donated to BHS by the late Jill Cowan. We believe that we've done justice not only to the history of orcharding in Bridgetown, but also to all the recipes that honour the apples grown in our district.
Copies of this book will be available soon, but if you want to order a copy (only a very limited number are being printed initially due to the cost of printing and lack of sponsors for this cost), please email Mary c/o [email protected] and I'll let you know costs etc.

25/03/2026

The International Council of Museums defined what a museum was/should be in 2022. Last year they wrote a book about interpretation of this definition.
This is the definition:
A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.
ICOM Museum Definition, approved on 24 August 2022

If anyone would like to know more, please go to this link:https://icom.jlbinfo.info/bibliotheque/jlbWeb?html=Bur&base=documentation&ref=51601&file=7742.pdf&path=ICOM_Definition_handbook_2025_EN.pdf

I, as Chairperson of the Bridgetown Historical Society who curates the Museum, believe that we fulfill these criteria for our museum but happy as always to discuss further :)

09/03/2026