Murals of Millmerran – Visiting the Good Old Days

Millmerran was our last stop before home (Brisbane) after six weeks of caravanning in South Australia.  We’d heard about the historic murals and were keen to see them first hand. (Favourite town on the trip you ask?  The picturesque seaside town of Coffin Bay where we shucked oysters straight from the beds in the ocean!)

Back to Millmerran…what an excellent stopover allowing us time to see murals of yesteryear on several old buildings throughout the town, each with a different story to tell.

Location of Millmerran:

Located 80 km south-west of Toowoomba, 220 km south-west of Brisbane and 140 km north-east of Goondiwindi, Millmerran sits on the western edge of the Darling Downs.

Of Interest – The early history of the area is linked with the pastoral industry industries  that included sheep, cattle, pigs, egg farming, and crops like cotton, cereal grains, and olives.

Millmerran Village Caravan Park

An overnight stop at the Millmerran Village Caravan Park was ideal as we were able to walk through the back fence, straight into the Mill Tavern for our dinner!

Cycling one day through the town and driving the next, we followed the historic trail of the Millmerran Murals.

The caravan park had a locational map of the murals that helped – well most of the time anyway!  (Note to self – never go in a serious car rally as, even in this small town, I said “go right” instead of left!)

The Old Millmerran Butter Factory

This mural outlines the development of the dairy industry.  Don’t you just love the artists impression of the milking maids – I’m sure they’d have had their fingers crossed the cows wouldn’t kick the buckets of milk over!

The Millmerran Swimming Pool

The Swimming Pool walls feature swimming costume fashions that our Mums and Grandmothers used to wear.  Well, maybe not the bikini, but definitely the others. I took this photo to give our grand-kids a chuckle!

The old Millmerran Swimming Hole

The Millmerran swimming hole was a good second choice for the “costumes” to get wet on a Sunday afternoon.

The Millmerran Water Tank (Reservoir)

This mural shows the important development of water in the area  from the nineteenth century to the early part of the twentieth century.

Originally, in 1881, the town water came from holes in the creek beside the Reservoir – it follows that this is where the township was formed with water always being the liquid gold of any settlement.  From holes to bores and then a pipeline to supply water to homes, 1981 saw the Reservoir built adding massively to the town water storage supply.

Are you a water tank mural fan?  If you are it’s worth a visit  on the Australian Art Silo Trail website that has both silo and water tank sites.  So interesting.

I’ve definitely become a convert seeking these murals out, and have bought maps of every state in Australia through the Australian Art Silo Trail website.

The water tank is located by the roadside and you can see it way before you get there. (NB – the car park is ok for caravans as well as cars).

After you’ve parked you can walk around the tank, because though it’s fenced it’s easily seen from all sides.

Old Transport Depot Murals

Can you imagine what it was like to move everything imaginable needed for daily life by horse and wagon?  These murals on the old Transport Depot show how transportation moved from horses to trucks from the 19th century to the early part of the 20th century.

The Trusty Horses

Horses were such a critical part of Aussie transport, and at the beginning of the 1900s there was one horse for every two people in Australia!

The Millmerran Octopus Truck

Eventually, the transport system was revolutionised by the invention of a heavy vehicle, and  horses were replaced by a Leyland ‘Octopus’ Truck, one of only 3 to be imported to Australia.

Millmerran’s First Rail Motor

For over 50 years these rail motors were a vital link between Millmerran and Toowoomba carrying passengers, mail and general freight.

Cecil Plains Memorial Hall

Now, I won’t fib, because we didn’t get to the Cecil Plains Memorial Hall – ran out of time.    When you go to Millmerran it’s only about 47k further and takes about 34 minutes to drive.

The four giant murals that will be waiting for you at the Cecil Plains Memorial Hall show what life was like on the land from the 19th century until the early part of the 20th century when the railway line was welcomed to town.

And…Millmerran Camp Oven Festival

Having never been to the Millmerran Camp Oven Festival, we’ve marked this on our calendar for the weekend of 2-4 October, 2020.  (The festival is every two years).  Plus there’s a week of pre-festival activities including busking, work-shops, farm tours, lawn bowls and more so we’ve decided to spend a week in the town.

Although a sheep shearing competition is out of the question, I could have a go at throwing a damper!

Note – bookings for powered sites at the Showgrounds open on 1^st May, but all information is on their website.  There’s lots more information on the Millmerran Visitor Information Centre website.

Please contact me if you have any questions on the Millmerran Murals – I’d be happy to help.

Other posts on towns visited on our six week holiday to South Australia are:

White Cliffs – White Cliffs Underground Motel and Opal Mines, Aussie Outback   

Mt. Gambier –  Mount Gambier – Amazing city of Volcanoes, Caves and Lakes.

Murphy’s Haystacks (Streaky Bay) – Incredible Murphy’s Haystacks won’t give you Hay-fever

Eden – 1 Fantastic Day in Eden – Fresh Fish Heaven, NSW

Wilson’s Promontory – Wilson’s Promontory – Wombats and Wildlife