Tag:country towns
Dows Pharmacy at Chiltern was established in 1859. The pharmacy holds significant historical value as it is one of the few shops that have been preserved in its original state, providing a unique insight into the past. Although it closed in 1968, the pharmacy’s contents remained untouched, making it a unique time capsule of the past.
The Pharmacy was first run by William Witt, who opened the doors in 1859. David McEwen owned the pharmacy from 1864 to 1891. He was the father of the Australian prime minister, John McEwen, who took over the Prime Ministership in a caretaker role upon the disappearance of Harold Holt. In 1929, Hilda Dow purchased the pharmacy. The Dows ran it for the next 38 years until Hilda retired in 1968. During their tenure, the pharmacy became a thriving community hub, providing essential services to the people of Chiltern.
Hilda Dow
Hilda Dow (nee Grey) was the daughter of police magistrate Charles Grey and sister of Royal Melbourne Hospital Lady Superintendent Helene Grey, OBE. She became a student of the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1919. In 1929, she worked at Poynton’s pharmacy in Morwell, when she purchased the pharmacy at Chiltern in Victoria. She was elected to the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria as a member in 1930.
Hilda purchased the pharmacy in 1929 on the eve of the great depression. Until they married in 1931, Hilda resided at the hotel across the street while Roy lived in the residence at the back of the pharmacy. After their marriage, Hilda joined him in the residence. Hilda apprenticed Roy in 1933, and the couple ran the pharmacy in Chiltern until 1968 when they closed the doors.
After retiring in 1968, Hilda Dow attempted to sell her pharmacy, but unfortunately, no buyers were interested in purchasing it. As a result, it remained closed and abandoned for many years. Finally, in 1988, Mrs. Dow generously donated the pharmacy to the National Trust. Dows pharmacy is now a museum for visitors to explore. Hilda Dow was also a highly involved member of various organisations, including the North East branch of the National Trust, the hospital committee, the Infant Welfare Centre board, the Red Cross, and the Chiltern Branch of the County Women’s Association, where she held a leadership position.
National Trust
The National Trust now runs the pharmacy as a museum. A collection of more than 4,000 original items offers an fascinating insight into the history of medicine and pharmacy. Visitors can explore a variety of artifacts, such as bottles, jars, scales, measuring cups, dispensing equipment, and displays of medicines, photographic supplies, and shop fittings.
One of the most striking features of Dows Pharmacy is its time capsule-like atmosphere. The contents of the pharmacy were left untouched when it closed in 1968, and as a result, it feels like stepping back in time. The shelves are still stocked with medicines, the jars are still filled with herbs, and the scales are still set to weigh prescriptions.
Hilda and Roy were both active members in the Chiltern community. Roy received an MBE in 1970 for his valuable services to pharmacy in Victoria. Unfortunately, Roy passed away in 1976, and Hilda followed fourteen years later, passing away in a care home at the age of 92.
Fast facts
- The pharmacy was built in the Victorian Italianate style.
- The original fittings and fixtures, including the mahogany counters, brass scales, and glass display cabinets, are still in place.
- The pharmacy’s collection of medicines includes over 1,000 different items dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- The pharmacy also has a collection of photographic supplies, including cameras, lenses, and film.
- Dows Pharmacy was donated to the National Trust of Australia in 1988.
Visiting the Pharmacy
Dows Pharmacy is a valuable historical resource and a fascinating place to visit. It is also a reminder of the important role that pharmacies have played in our communities, and it is a window into the past. If you are ever in Chiltern, be sure to stop by and take a look.
Dow’s pharmacy is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 pm. The pharmacy is also available for group tours by appointment.
National Trust Members: FREE
Adult: $5
Concession: $4
Child: $3
Family: $12
42 Conness Street, Chiltern
My Travel Buddy had heard about a just completed water tower painted by Cam Scale and Andrew Davis. A big bonus it was only about a short trip from home. So enjoying the first dry day after a week of endless rain, we headed up to Tatura and Murchison.
Tatura
The pretty little town of Tatura is an easy 20 mins from Shepparton via the Midland Highway. Tatura has a strong wartime history and a German war cemetery. The graves of 351 German civilians who died during internment in WWI and WWII are located in the cemetery. The seven camps housed German civilians (deemed ‘enemy aliens’) and prisoners of war during WWII, with the camps spread through Tatura, Murchison and Rushworth. We planned to photograph the new water tower – and visit the wartime museum. Unfortunately, we were there around 11 am, and the museum didn’t open until later.
Situated in the main street and easily seen from the Bendigo and Shepparton approaches is the water tower featuring General Sir John Monash. An engineer and soldier, Sir John is credited as one of the architects of the Allied victory in WW1. He designed many structures around the region – including the water tower he now graces, built in 1912. It is the earliest surviving example of a reinforced concrete tower of this design in Victoria.
Tatura Memorial Garden
While in Tatura, we visited the Robert Mactier VC Memorial Garden, home to a statue commemorating Tatura born Private Robert Mactier for his “conspicuous bravery at Mont St Quenton, France” on September 1st 1918. Robert charged a machine gun nest and killed its six crew. He then charged two other machine guns, killing more squads and causing 40 enemies to surrender. He was then killed by fire from a fourth machine gun and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
Murchison
Thirty-five kilometres south of Shepparton and 145 km north of Melbourne is Murchison. It is smaller than Tatura but full of charm with lovely old homes and buildings, and it sits on the Goulburn River. In 1853 gold was discovered. So a town sprung up in 1854, named after Captain John Murchison, who surveyed it in 1854.
Due to the healthy river trade from paddle steamers, Murchison at one time boasted six hotels, several general stores, two flour mills, a post office, a sawmill, a cordial factory, two blacksmiths. In 1878 the Kelly gang briefly took over the Murchison Police Station as their base.
War Camps
Between 1940 and 1947, the seven camps housed 10,000 to 13,000 people. Four camps were for civilians, and three were prisoners of war.
In the late 1930s, thousands of refugees – either Jewish or those politically opposed to the Nazi regime fled to Britain for sanctuary. At the outbreak of WWII in one of Britains most deplorable acts. The British Government rounded the german and Italian refugees up as possible enemy spies. They then put them on a ship bound for Australian internment camps at Tatura and Murchison. The ship, the HMT Dunera, had a capacity of 1600 souls – however, the British Government crammed 2000 on it.
After a 57-day journey in appalling conditions, during which the ship was hit by a torpedo, the internees’ eventual arrival is regarded as one of the greatest influxes of academic and artistic talent to have entered Australia on a single vessel. Among those on the Dunera were Franz Stampfl, who helped coach the athlete Roger Bannister to the world’s first sub-four minute mile and Anton Walter Freud, grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud
BBC
Moooving Art
In 1999 the Shepparton’s Marketing Committee introduced Merry Moos for a Christmas campaign. This proved to be so successful it was decided to expand the concept into Moooving Art (rather like how the silo art trail took off). The Shepparton council provided the 3D cows and invited emerging artists to paint them. A ‘herd’ of 90 cows dotted in parks, playgrounds and gardens around the district. We are now on a mission to find them all 🙂 We subsequently found two at Tatura and four at Murchison. There are many more in Shepparton – which is where we plan to head next.
The Moooving art exhibition pays homage to the strength of the dairy industry in the Shepparton region. In 2018, Trip Advisor awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Greater Shepparton’s Moooving Art attraction.