Tablelands - Mareeba Historical Museum

We have passed through Mareeba several times on our way to various points of interest and on each occasion there was always a large number of vehicles parked around the Information and Heritage Museum.

Decided to have a day visit - it's a worthwhile visit with a collection of memorabilia from the area and only a gold coin donation.  The Historical Society also hosts a gold panning competition which just happened to coincide with the Saturday market.

The contestants would get 6 pieces of gold (size of a pin head) put into their pan and basically covered with a shovel of dirt and gravel.  The first contestant to retrieve the pieces of gold in the quickest time was the winner.

Panning for gold demonstration

Each time the demonstration found 3 small pieces of gold which he would put back into the pan for the next demonstration.

Telephone exchange at the Heritage Museum

The old Mareeba rail ambulance

Not sure what to say about this character

I had a chat to a couple of old timers while waiting to use the dunny, they sat and listened to me for ages!!

Butcher was too busy to serve Helen, so she had to walk away. Oh well salad for dinner tonight.