AN EVER-evolving car museum has helped revitalise a Gippsland town, writes JOHANNA LEGGATT
The Gippsland Vehicle Collection Motor Museum was conceived out of a broader plan to put the town of Maffra on the map.
Situated at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, Maffra has an abundance of attractive 19th-century homesteads, is a rich dairying district and has a respectable weekend farmers' market.
To reach the town, however, requires a detour off the Princes Highway, and for many years, it was passed over by tourists and day trippers bound for the better-known drawcard, the Gippsland Lakes.
"We are not allowed to advertise for the town on the highway so we needed a good reason to get people to come into the community," Gippsland Vehicle Collection president Peter Gault said.
That reason became apparent around five years ago when a group of local residents noted the impressive range of motorcycles, cars, tractors and truck memorabilia in the Maffra region.
The Grand Prix Rally had come through the town, and to celebrate, Maffra locals dusted off their prized vehicles, closed down the main street's service road and mounted a display.
"We saw all those cars sitting there, and the locals were so impressed by them that we thought we could make good use of them," Peter said.
Enter the Maffra Shed: an open-trussed building of around 2200sq m built during World War II as a vegetable dehydrating plant to provide food to our troops overseas.
It has since moonlighted as a factory and storage warehouse over the years, before falling into disrepair about 15 years ago. When the newly formed Gippsland Vehicle Collection crew came knocking, they found the perfect space to house their new museum.
"The community really got behind us," Peter said.
"We managed to raise around $100,000 to refurbish the shed to our needs.
"We held a series of open days and invited enthusiasts to come and display their vehicles, which gave us a chance to build up a database of potential display vehicles."
Rather than buying the vehicles outright, the museum keeps costs down by leasing the cars off the owners for four months: this not only ensures a wide audience for the owner's prized vehicle, but guarantees an ever-changing range of displays for enthusiasts to check out.
"Generally, the vehicles are more secure at our shed than in the owner's garage, and they appreciate that," Peter said.
The museum has been a showcase at one point or other to every conceivable collector's item: motorcycles; hot rods; vintage, classic and veteran cars; horse-drawn carriages; trucks; and even farm machinery and equipment.
The first gift to the museum was the 110-year-old "Maffra Spectator", a double royal printing press.
This 5.5-tonne belt-driven machine is displayed alongside other antique printing presses and equipment, in a bid to preserve Maffra's heritage.
About 40,000 people have visited the shed since it opened for business, and last year 9800 people alone walked through its doors. The museum has just wrapped up an American-themed display, and staff are now compiling a 1970s vehicle exhibition.
Peter said the beauty of the museum was the nostalgia it stirred in visitors.
"Sometimes I think the museum is more about memories and not necessarily about cars," he said.
"You get the ladies coming in here reminiscing about their first date in a particular vehicle.
"It gets people talking. It reminds people of their childhood memories, which they want to share with you.
"I have never had an occasion where someone has been through the museum, but hasn't then wanted to talk about it.
"We have a range of volunteers who work at the shed and their job is basically to talk to people about the displays, because we find that is what visitors want to do the most."
Peter often receives gifts from the sheds of Maffra enthusiasts.
"Lots of people come in and want to give us the spare tyre from the old Dodge, car parts, flags, or some piece of car memorabilia they had lying around the house," he said.
"We are actually working with Museums Australia to catalogue all of the memorabilia we have been given over the years."
Peter said while he was a keen appreciator of a beautifully restored car, his own mode of transport - a Porsche 911 - left a lot to be desired.
"It's a nice car to drive around in but could do with a bit of a wash most days," he said.
"I have put it on display in the museum but it is in no way what you would call restored. I have displayed it more to show the variety of cars on offer.
"We don't want to just show people the best and most restored vehicles. Sometimes the best displays are those vehicles that haven't been touched much and you can really see into them."
- The Maffra Shed is open on Friday to Monday from 10am- 4pm and seven days a week on school holidays. Entry is $8 or $6 on open days.
