For three years photographer Simone Rosenbauer traveled throughout rural Australia and documented 41 quirky and tiny museums and their caretakers for a series called Small Museum. The House of Bottles was built by Joseph Eykenbaum in 1969 after he spent two years collecting 13,569 bottles to use in the construction of his home (the interior is shown in the second photo). Man From Snowy River Museum tells the story of Jack Riley, a stockman who lived and worked near Corryong, in the Upper Murray area of North East Victoria and who inspired Banjo Paterson’s famous poem. Then there is the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame, started in 1992. Its collection contains costumes, musical instruments, photographs, recordings, and memorabilia dating back to the 1930s. Originally built as a warehouse in 1947, the Apple Heritage Museum tells the story of the early settlers in the area who exported around 300,000 cases of apples per year, from only 50 acres of apple trees. Part of the National Trust, Dow’s Pharmacy Museum is exactly how Mrs. Dow left it when she walked out of the door in 1968. Visitors can see pill-making machines from the 19th century, when the pharmacy was originally opened. Old Timers Mine is an underground establishment built between 1916 and 1920. There is a recreation of a 1920s home (people lived here until 1999) as well as daily free mining-equipment demos.
There’s nothing I love more than places like this, except for the documentarians who highlight how unique they are.
