A LONG-awaited heritage building project, the Koobabbie Precinct will officially open to the public on Saturday, April 17.
In 1965, following the death of her parents Arnold and Clarice Rudduck, Alison Doley and her husband John, took over her family's farm, Koobabbie, in the Mid West.
Located in Coorow, Koobabbie had been in Ms Doley's family since 1906, with some of the property's oldest buildings dating back to 1910.
The Doley family restored and maintained Koobabbie's heritage buildings over the years and when Alison, a former president of the Coorow Heritage Group, died in February 2019 her sister Wendy Leget decided to donate the family's heritage buildings to the group.
The buildings, coupled with vintage farm machinery and tools left to the Coorow Heritage Group in Ms Doley's will, all form part of the Koobabbie Precinct, which has been set up on Coorow's Main Street.
The Coorow Heritage Group was tasked with finding a home for the heritage buildings and machinery when the local shire offered up a site on Coorow's main street last year.
After receiving $126,000 of Federal government funding and donations from CBH, Warradarge Wind Farm, Nu Steel and other private donations, the group moved Koobabbie's heritage buildings and farm machinery 24 kilometres to their new home in Coorow.
The heritage buildings included in the Koobabbie Precinct are the farm's main stables, oat bin, maids room and Leo's camp - named after the last workman who lived in the building.
The Coorow Heritage Group also created a local history wall which now forms part of the precinct.
Group president Jan Muller said she expected the heritage site would attract visitors from near and far, with the opening day already receiving a lot of interest.
"We expect about 200 people to attend the opening day and the whole town is already booked out, with a lot of previous residents of Coorow making the trip," Ms Muller said.
"The CWA will hold a morning tea prior to an official presentation at 11am where Ms Leget, Federal MP Melissa Price and members of the Coorow Heritage Group will say a few words.
"People will be able to walk in and have a look around before walking up the main street to the town hall for lunch.
"The Coorow Hotel across the road will open at 3pm and there will also be a light show of the stars in Carnamah at 6pm."
Located on shire land, the Koobabbie Precinct buildings will be maintained by the Coorow Shire, while the Coorow Heritage Group will be in charge of the upkeep of the vintage farm machinery and tools.
"The precinct will also feature a beautiful dog statue based on the late Alison Doley's dog in which people can place their donations," Ms Muller said.
He said the project couldn't have been completed without the help of the Greenhead Men's Shed and Coorow Heritage Group committee member Guy Sim.
Opening hours for the Koobabbie Precinct will be 9am to 5pm each day with free entry.
For those wishing to make a weekend of it, the following day the Carnamah Historical Society will also reopen their heritage museum after it was closed for renovations.
p If you would like to donate or want more information on the Koobabbie Precinct project contact Coorow Heritage Group president Jan Muller by email: coorowheritage@ hotmail.com or phone 0408 950 766.
