Portland History House

Located in the historic 1863 bluestone former Portland Town Hall, the Portland History House is home to some of the fascinating objects from the Glenelg Shires Cultural Collection. Core displays in the museum include stories of sealers and whalers, the arrival of the Henty Brothers, the establishment of a town and trading port and the arrival of immigrant ships from Great Britain in the 1850's.

Centrepiece of the museum is Edward Henty's plough, used to turn the first sod of soil in Victoria in 1834. Other key objects include a bucket from Henty's ship the 'Thistle', and a fragment from a tree in which Portland's surveyor Charles Tyers carved the township's coordinates in 1840.

Opening Hours:

Open 10am - 12noon and 1-4pm daily, except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Cost:

Admission is adults: $3; pensioners, primary and secondary school students: $2; and school groups: 50 cents per student. A research fee applies for any genealogical enquiries.