The Museum operated as a tourist attraction at Bellbrae . Tour buses would bring visitors to the Museum . Morning or afternoon tea was available as part of the experience.
In his introduction to the museum on the inside cover of the catalogue George McCartney wrote,
" Wecome to Bellbrae carriages; have a pleasant visit and i sincerely hope you gain some insight into the past, colourful, exciting but hard early days of our pioneering ancestors...."
George McCartney 's experiences of those early days inspired him to collect and restore the vehicles in this museum.
While the collection currently remains at Bellbrae (2019), the museum has been closed to the public for a number of years and the collection offered for sale.
This catalogue is a record of George McCartneys commitment to preserving a historic record of the horse drawn vehicles which were in widespread using during the 19th and early 20th centuries in Victoria and other parts of Australia.
It is also a record of a local tourism attraction which operated in the latter part of the 20th century.
3 sheets of A3 heavy paper stapled to form a 4 page plus cover, Illustrated Catalogue and History of Bellbrae Carriages, an Early Australian Museum located in Hendy main Road, Bellbrae Victoria. The catalogue features 47 small (approx 5mmx4mm) photographs of the vehicles in the museum along with brief descriptions including origins of each vehicle. There are a further 84 smaller historic items listed including lamps, bottles, clothing and household machinery and equipment.
Bellbrae Carriages George Mccartney Prop. Hendy Main Rd Bellbrae, 3228, RMD Box 1390 Vic. Australia Ph: 612908. Early Australian Museum Illustrated Catalogue and History.
There is no publication date.
bellbrae carriage museum, george mccartney, horse drawn vehicles