An exhibition of antique heritage clothing and demonstrations of lace making
Sunday 20 November 2011 at Ziebell's Farmhouse (1pm – 4pm)

As part of the City of Whittlesea’s Cultural Heritage Program, the Friends of Westgarthtown will host a fascinating display of antique clothing with a beautiful and romantic history. Featured among the collection will be Minna Thiele’s wedding dress, along with love notes between the bride and groom which date back to 1910.

Harry and Minna Thiele were both grandchildren of Christian Benjamin Finger, who emigrated from Germany aboard the Pribislaw and travelled to Australia with many of Westgarthtown’s original settlers, arriving in Melbourne in 1850.

Following their marriage on 12 October 1910, Harry and Minna farmed at East Burwood, before moving to Blackburn, where they lived for the remainder of their lives. They had six children, a boy and five girls, the youngest of whom, Gladys Knight, donated Minna’s wedding dress and the other personal items which form the basis of this exhibition.

The exhibition, which includes display panels, along with a demonstration of lace making, will take place from 1–4 pm on Sunday 20 November 2011. Afternoon tea will be available.

Westgarthtown Bluestone Buildings

9 November 2010

The Northern Weekly has published a story on bluestone buildings in the northern suburbs' which features the buildings of Westgarthtown. Click here to read the article.

160th Anniversary celebrations

Sunday 21 November 2010 at Ziebell's Farmhouse. 1PM–4PM

This year is Westgarthtown’s 160th Anniversary and celebrations are planned for Sunday 21 November 2010 as part of the City of Whittlesea’s Cultural Heritage Program 2010.

Join us for an afternoon of celebrations of the 160th anniversary of the 1850 German settlement in Thomastown. The Ziebell Farmhouse precinct will be the focal point of the celebrations to be officially launched at 1.00pm.

Launch of the new Ziebell Farmhouse Garden Guide, the updated Westgarthtown Heritage Trail Brochure and new interpretive panels: Westgarthtown Precinct Farm Buildings.

Guided tours of the Westgarthtown Heritage Trail — gain an insight into the 1850’s settlement. Tours commence at 2.00pm and 3.00pm. Appropriate walking attire and footwear required.

Download

> 160th Anniversary Celebration Flyer [PDF, 122KB]

> City of Whittlesea's Cultural Heritage Program 2010 [PDF, 1.8MB].

Recognising early German settlers

22 April 2010

Several new streets in Epping North have recently been named in recogniton of the City of Whittlesea’s early German settlers.

The new streets not only recognise the names of settlers, but also the regions from which they emigrated and the ships they travelled on to get here. They include Mecklenburg Close, Saxony Drive, Godeffroy Parade, Herlitz Drive and Muller Street.

More information about this interesting new development will be provided in a future newsletter.

2009 Cultural Heritage Program

15 June 2009

Friends of Westgarthtown is pleased to host two events in this year's City of Whittlesea Cultural Heritage Program:

Music In Warm Places (Sunday 19 July 2009)

Presented by Friends of Westgarthtown Inc and supported by the City of Whittlesea

Visit the historic bluestone Ziebell Farmhouse built in 1851 and enjoy glimpses of the past through music in an intimate and warm setting. Featuring guitarist, Igor Pelka and Carol Appelt on flute and piano. There will be arrangements of classical German pieces including; Bach, Beethoven and Schubert plus the Italian Giuliani Sonata.

Afternoon tea will be available at the interval.

Date/time: Sunday 19 July 2009, 1.45pm – 4.15pm. Recital 2pm – 3.15pm. Afternoon Tea: 3.15 – 3.45pm. A Capella German song recital 3.45pm – 4.15pm
Cost: Free. Places limited. Bookings Essential.
RSVP by Wednesday 15 July, 2009, 5.00pm for catering purposes.
Location: Ziebell Farmhouse, Cnr Gardenia Rd and Ainwick Cres, THOMASTOWN
Melway: Map 8 H5

Guided tours of the Westgarthtown Heritage Trail (Sunday 1 November)
Presented by Friends of Westgarthtown
In 1991, the Whittlesea Heritage study concluded that Westgarthtown was considered to be of ‘national and statewide significance for its representation of German migration to Victoria’. Westgarthtown is historically significant for its association with William Westgarth and the early development of Thomastown. It is architecturally significant for its 1850s construction and the introduction of German building techniques in Australia.
Join the free guided tours of the precinct and gain an insight into the area. The tour will be followed by afternoon tea.

Date/time: Sunday 1 November 2009, 1pm – 4pm. Tours starting at the Ziebell Farmhouse at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
Cost: Free. All welcome.
Location: 100 Gardenia Rd, THOMASTOWN Melway: Map 8 H5

Further information is available at the City of Whittlesea Heritage Program page or contact us. Please note that some City of Whittlesea literature for the program contains an error for the date of the second event: it should read Sunday 1 November.

Catalogue your blessings

28 November 2008

A project to catalogue the many historical items at Ziebell Farmhouse is creating a museum standard record of the collection. This is an immense task being undertaken with the assistance of Heritagecare and three very dedicated volunteers. The Friends of Westgarthtown first became interested in cataloguing our collection in 2002. In late 2007, after learning of a Heritagecare program that could assist with this task, we registered our interest and the program began on 16 May 2008. So far over 200 heritage items have been photographed and catalogued, including the recording of detailed historical information pertaining to each one. Further information can be found in Gillian Borrack's article in the November 2008 edition of Friends of Westgarthtown News.

Recent museum aquisitions

28 November 2008

Two large and important items have been aquired by the Friends of Westgarthtown heritage collection. The first is a buggy that served the needs of of Carl and Dorothea Ziebell and their family of ten children through the early 1900’s as their principal horse drawn vehicle of transport. Carl, who was a skilled wheelwright, constructed the four-wheeled buggy on the property. The second is a model of the Ziebell's farmhouse that has been lovingly created by Francis and Joe Adams. Further information can be found in Geoff Borrack's article in the November 2008 edition of Friends of Westgarthtown News.