The Farmers' Arms Hotel Museum
25 Kirkland Avenue, Euroa, 3666
The former Farmers' Arms Hotel where the museum is located, was built in 1876 and served as a hotel until 1917 when it was de licensed. The shire of Euroa purchased the building in 1970.
Euroa was surveyed in 1849, and from then on the township of "Yer-o" was in the making. There were squatters on the land previous to this date, making up a small population with their workers.
The railway came through in 1873 and the land was opened for selection in 1877 which boosted the population and business and industry began to grow.
The museum consists of nine rooms and a breezeway in the hotel building, and four rooms in the old Seven Creeks gardener's cottage, now known as the Eliza Forlonge Cottage.
A range of items including what may have been found in a dining room, bedroom and kitchen can be seen.
Also displayed is a dress room, hospital room, radio room and a room dedicated to war memorabilia.
The National Bank premises from Longwood, built in 1886 from recycled timber is located in the grounds, as are stables from the Euroa Police Station.
On display is a steam engine, first used in the district in the 1870's. There are two machinery sheds where you can see a three wheeled tractor, chaff cutter, shearing gear, hay baler, and all sorts of tools and many more items.
 |
 |
Above left is one of the most complicated and precise machines ever made. It is a Linotype machine used in the printing and newspaper business. To see more about this magnificent machine, click on this link to a printing museum.
The photo above right is of some old push lawn mowers, whilst the one on the right is an early model electric lawnmower.
 |
 |
There are sheds full of interesting historical machinery, and an old army cannon.
 |
This beautiful steam engine stands proudly in the grounds.
 |
 |
The room above left is dedicated to Eliza Forlonge and the wool industry of Euroa, whilst the room on the right displays historical telephone and electrical equipment.
 |
Above is a very early model gas oven and range top. The metal sides of the small oven are very thin, not like the cast iron stoves. The oven sits on top of one of the three gas burners. This oven is extremely rare and is not displayed in any other museum to our knowledge.
Eliza Forlonge
On the 10th October, 1769 Alexander Jack, a teacher, married Jean Mc Kennon at Glasgow, Scotland. From this union 8 children were born. Eliza (Elizabeth ) was the 7th child, born in 1784.
John Forlong was born 3rd November 1782 at Rutherglen, Scotland. He was the elder of 2 children born to Reverend James Forlong. A daughter, Janet, was born in 1785.
On the 26th November, 1804, John Forlong, a wine merchant, married Eliza Jack at Glasgow. Of their 6 children, the first 4 died of tuberculosis at an early age.
There were 2 surviving children, William, born 1813, and Andrew, born 1814.
When William developed symptoms of the disease, a friend of the family, Sir Thomas Brisbane, who had recently returned from his turn as Governor of NSW, suggested the Colony as a suitable place for the boy's health.
At that time the growing of fine wool offered good prospects for a successful career.
It was decided to send the boys to Saxony, the principal grower of fine wool, so the boys could learn.
While the boys studied, Eliza made three expeditions to Saxony in order to purchase the best possible sheep for her sons. Each of the 3 trips took between 4 to 6 months.
Once purchased, a collar was placed around the sheep's neck and secured with the Forlong seal. Eliza paid for the sheep with Gold sewn into her petticoat.
In June 1829 William sailed for NSW with a Saxony Merino flock of 7 rams and 90 ewes. William was only 16 at the time.
When the ship landed at Hobart on route, William decided to stay and take up a large grant of land near Campbelltown.
Andrew Templeton, a successful banker in Glasgow, died in August 1829, leaving his widow Janet, ( nee Forlong ) with 9 young children. This seems to have triggered the whole family to emigrate.
The ship arrived in Hobart in 1831, with 63 Saxony sheep belonging to Janet Temple, and a further 130 sheep belonging to Andrew Forlong.
Eliza and Andrew joined William at Campbelltown whilst John accompanied his sister Janet and her family to Sydney. Janet took up land south of Goulburn.
John, Eliza and Andrew traveled to England in 1834 to try to gain a land grant for Andrew who was not yet of age. John died in England in November 1834.
Eliza now widowed, and Andrew, without a land grant, returned to William's property in Tasmania.
In 1837 William married his cousin Marion Templeton in Sydney. He now added an E to his surname.
News of the recently obtained good grazing land in the Port Phillip district attracted William and Andrew, who wanted to increase their land holdings.
William crossed Bass Straight in 1839 with a flock of 1200 sheep and took up land. Andrew followed him with more sheep.
Their cousin, John Templeton, ( Marion's brother ) drove a flock of sheep south from Goulburn and took up Seven Creeks Station, 70,000 acres in October 1838.
In 1851 William Forlonge purchased the lease of Seven Creeks Station. Eliza moved to the property with William and his family.
William was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1856.
Eliza died at Seven Creeks Station on 5th August 1859 aged 75.
The Forlonge Memorial, an unusual wool pack shaped granite structure, marked her chosen resting place, on the creek flats below the property's garden and orchard.
Although neither the Forlonges nor the Templetons had anything to do with stud breeding after the 1840's, the sheep selected for them, mainly by Eliza, but also by William and Andrew, made a significant contribution to Australia's wool industry.
The Up Button takes you to the Home Page