Emerald Museum & Nobelius Heritage Park

Love local history?
Come and learn more about the Emerald Museum and Nobelius Heritage Park and its committee

Do you enjoy learning about the history of your local area, meeting new people and giving back to your community?

Emerald Museum is full of fascinating items and records from Emerald and the surrounding district. Managed by volunteers, the museum features more than 3,000 artefacts including household items, photographs, agricultural machinery and documents.

Emerald Museum is a facility of Cardinia Shire Council, located within Nobelius Heritage Park, 5 Crichton Road Emerald.

Both the park and museum are cared for by a committee, which holds a biennial general meeting to elect members. 

Community members are invited to attend the Committee Meeting to learn more about the museum and park, and to express an interest in joining the committee.

Expected requirements of committee members include:

•  Attending regular committee meetings
•  Participating in a rotating roster during museum open hours

A part-time museum officer is also located at the Museum two days per week to support the committee in their important work.

Cardinia Shire Mayor, Councillor Graeme Moore, said the Committee of Management and team of volunteers do a fantastic job collecting and cataloguing the many artefacts that make up its valuable collection of local history.

Come along to the Nobelius Heritage Park and Emerald Museum Biennial Committee Meeting and learn more about the committee, park and museum.

Committee Meeting: 18 July 2019 from 7pm – 9pm. Light supper will be available following the meeting. All welcome. The purpose of the meeting is to nominate no less than five or more than ten people as the committee of management for the Nobelius Heritage Park and Emerald Museum for a term of two years. All positions will be declared open and nominations will be accepted prior to, or on the night.

More info: (03) 5968 2152 or enquiries@emeraldmuseum.org.au, or visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/EMvolunteers

Carl Axel Nobelius migrated from Sweden in 1872 and with his training and experience in horticulture he quickly obtained work as a nursery assistant, and later foreman, for the prominent landscaping firm Taylor & Sangster of Toorak. He then worked for South Yarra nurseryman Joseph Harris.

However, Nobelius dreamed of having his own nursery, so whilst continuing to work for Joseph Harris in South Yarra he began looking for land where he might be able to fulfil his ambition.

Read the full story ....

Brookdale Guest House
(click to enlarge)Bullocky David Charman selected land in 1890, extending from Charman Ave to Menzies Creek up to Monbulk Rd. He named the property “Brookdale”.

The Charman sons, Edgar & Percy, ran the farm with their father. Both David and Edgar had bullock teams. They attended church in Avon Rd, Avonsleigh which was then known as East Emerald.   .

David & Lily made many friends who came to stay and as a result they started a guest house sometime around 1908.

The house became known as ’Brookdale Guest House’ and was located between Charman Ave and Brookdale Ave off Monbulk Rd, Emerald.

In 1914 Brookdale Guest House was sold to the Ferres family, and the farm later sold to Mr Robert James in 1980