Loxton Historical Village, Riverland, South Australia

Imagine strolling down a village feeling as though you had just stepped into the bygone era. That was exactly how I felt when I visited to the Loxton Historical Village in Riverland, South Australia.

Words cannot describe just how fascinated I was about the village. I felt that it was much better than any ordinary museum, simply because everything felt so ‘real’. I was fortunate enough to visit the historical village during one of their ‘Village Alive Days’ whereby the village comes ‘alive’ with working exhibits and staff were dressed in period costumes.

The Loxton Historical Village main street

With just a short walk along the village main street, I managed to immediately capture the essence of life during the olden days with the village’s century old shops and rural-styled sandy pathways.

My friends, husband and I decided to stop by a charming looking village bakery to buy our lunch. The bakery was neatly fashioned with restored antique display cabinets and simple menu signage. The only thing that felt modern was the pie warmers and cash register. We were greeted by lovely ladies dressed in period costumes and decided to buy some Aussie meat pies.

The ladies at the old fashioned bakery

After a satisfying lunch, we proceeded with exploring more of the historical buildings and exhibits. There were so many exhibits available at the village. What caught my attention the most was the century old house and church. It was surprising for me to see such a small church that existed during the olden days. I guessed that the population of the village during those days must have been very small by looking at the size of the church congregation.

Other interesting exhibits were the working blacksmith demonstration, old school, hospital and dental surgery and old trains. When I visited the old school, I learnt that many could not afford to educate their children during the olden days. This made me realise just how fortunate I was to receive a formal education.

The interior of a century old house

A century old church - Pioneer Memorial Chapel

The interior of the century old church

As we visited the village nearing the Australian Election, there was an entertaining speech given by the ‘Mayor’ of the village to give us an idea of how politicians of the bygone era used to speak to the public.

The Mayor giving a speech

My visit to the Loxton Historical Village was a truly memorable experience and I would highly recommend anyone to visit the village, especially history lovers.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh