Just 90 minutes from Cairns on the Cairns Highlands is the sleepy town of Herberton. A quaint little town with a population of 1000, Herberton’s streets are peppered with buildings reminiscent of a time long gone.A time when there were no cars, when people still walked to church in their Sunday best and there was still the need to use the school cane. Some would say that Herberton was a town forgotten, its history known to only the few who called it home, until a chance encounter in 2008 changed its future forever.This encounter was to see the rebirth of the Historic Village Herberton, Queensland’s largest outdoor pioneer museum. Located on the outskirts of the town and closed since 2002, Craig and Connie Kimberley fell in love with old museum the moment they set eyes on it.Since taking on what they call “custodianship” of this incredible museum, the pair have spent the last five years transforming what was once a tired, set of historic buildings into one of the largest visitor attractions on the Atherton Tablelands, attracting thousands of self-drive visitors each year.

With almost 60 original buildings dating from Herberton’s foundations years as a tin mining town, visitors are given a real insight into life in Australia at the turn of the century. Walking down the Main Street you will pass the chemist, bottle shop, school, bank, grocer’s store, frock salon, toy shop, mechanic, jail and more.

Everything at the museum has been lovingly collected and restored and visitors will recognise many of the priceless Australian collections from their own childhoods. There is a restaurant onsite selling fresh home cooked meals as well as a traditional camp kitchen serving damper and billy tea.

The Historic Village Herberton is an award-winning attraction, and was the recipient of a Bronze Award at the 2013 Queensland Tourism Awards as well as TNQ Winner for best culture and heritage attraction.