Goldfields Getaway
1 September, 2021
Message in a bottle
WHETHER they have been collecting dust in a box in Grandma’s shed or used for years as a decorative vase, bottles in their many shapes and sizes offer a window into times past. Steve Greenwood is the president of the Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles in...

WHETHER they have been collecting dust in a box in Grandma’s shed or used for years as a decorative vase, bottles in their many shapes and sizes offer a window into times past.
Steve Greenwood is the president of the Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles in Clunes. He said up until 1872, bottles weren’t made in Australia, so the bulk would have been brought over from England or Europe. He encourages people to bring in any bottles they may have.
“People can bring bottles in for sale, to be valued or just out of interest,” Steve said.
“Age, rarity and condition will determine what a bottle is worth, as well as markings that tell us who the company was that actually made it.
“When people visit the museum, we fill them in with all the information they need, starting with the age of the piece, how it was made and so on.”
Steve also wants people to know the museum displays more than just bottles. As well as an exhibition from the former knitting factory that operated from the building, there’s a mining tunnel and a recreation of the Eberhard’s soft drink factory that used to run in Fraser Street, Clunes. The museum also runs exhibitions throughout the year highlighting various artifacts from different times in history. The current exhibition, 150 Years of Chinese in Victoria, includes containers, bottles and even a few dresses which were actually found in the local area.