Westonia Hood Penn Museum

The Hood-Penn Museum in Westonia is the result of a an extremely generous donation of a large historical collection from the Hood-Penn family who previously owned the Burracoppin Store. The museum features a variety of scenes showcasing early life in the shire including a pub scene, a shop/hardware store scene, a petrol station/garage scene, a kitchen scene, a bedroom scene and a blacksmith/farm workshop scene. Each scene also includes a realistic lifelike mannequin, complete with wrinkles and blemishes.

The museum also includes a vibrating mine tunnel that aims to replicate life in an early Westonian gold mine. Visitors press a button upon entering the tunnel and then experience a 3-minute sequence of sound effects and physical vibrations that simulate blasts going off in the vicinity of the mine. The sound effects also include a conversation between miners working in the mine.

The display area of the museum incorporates early maps of the area, 1930s photographs of Perth and surrounds and many other displays housed in exquisitely made jarrah cabinets that were originally used by the Perth Mint.

The museum building and its Club Hotel façade was designed by David Guest of Eastern & Guest Design Architects. The façade aims to represent the real life Club Hotel which operated on Westonia’s main street between 1913 and 1922.