Step inside Coolart’s old Shearing Shed and you can still get a sense of the days when this was a working property.
Slide open the old wooden door and, as your eyes adjust to the gloom, there’s the smell of wool and timber – and a building that still feels ready for work. If you grew up around sheep farms, it may be instantly familiar. You can almost hear the buzz of the electric shears, the barking sheepdogs, the click of the wool press and the banter of the shearers and rouseabouts.
For others, the shed is full of intriguing details. Why are there slats in the floor? What were those bins used for? Where did the sheep go? The original fittings and equipment offer a glimpse into how a shearing shed worked and the people who worked in it.
Friends of Coolart, working with Parks Victoria, has developed interpretive displays throughout the shed to help tell the story of wool at Coolart and bring its working past to life.
The project was supported by a Museums Australia (Victoria) Roving Curator grant and funding from Mornington Peninsula Shire.
To help protect the native wildlife and wetlands, dogs are not permitted at Coolart under Parks Victoria regulations. We appreciate your understanding.
We acknowledge the Bunurong People as the traditional custodians of Coolart lands and we pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and future.
Coolart Wetlands and Homestead
40 Lord Somers Rd, Somers VIC 3927
Open 7 days 9am–5pm
Wednesday 11am–3pm
Saturday 11am–3pm
Sunday 11am–3pm
