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Museum rooms and Wagon House

Museum rooms and displays

The Museum has 10 rooms with unique displays in each one, as well as the Wagon House built just north of the homestead in 1985.

All rooms in the house had separate entry onto the surrounding wide wooden verandahs, now newly restored, as are the polished original floorboards throughout the house.
 

Museum collections

View all the items in the museum's collections by room on the Cockburn Libraries catalogue.
Entrance
The Entrance, which is still used as the main entrance, is on the north side of the building. The entry now houses the military memorials for the surrounding district, and civic memorabilia and Historical Society Museum restoration information.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Entrance Room.
Manning Room
Originally the Drawing Room, and named for the family that built all three homesteads on the larger Manning Estate.

On display in this room is some history of the Manning family, including the newly conserved 100 year old wedding dress of Azelia, and information and imagery relating to Davilak, where she was born and married.

The displays also reflect the traditional activities that took place and artefacts from this era, donated by the local communities.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Manning Room.
Pioneer Room
Originally the Dining Room and now housing the archaeological explorations of Shane Burke, from diggings undertaken at Peel Town, displaying materials these pioneers, brought from England nearly 200 years ago.

This room also displays some of the first furniture to arrive in the new colony, belonging to Captain Armstrong, and arriving aboard the Gilmore in 1829.

Some of the artefacts reflect travelling, writing and seafaring equipment, and early musical instruments.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Pioneer Room.
Heritage Room
Originally Azelia’s husband, Jack Ley’s room and now exhibiting costumes from the 1800’s, including childrens’, christening, wedding and bathing outfits, especially the costumes of Azelia Ley and her mother Florence Manning (nee Bickley) recently donated by their descendants.

Also shown are some early sewing machines and paraphernalia and accessories of that era.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Heritage Room.
Gilmore Room
Named for the ship bringing the early settlers to this area in 1829 together with the Hooghly and Rockingham in 1830, this room houses equipment showing early technology of music, film, cameras, typewriters, and textile industries.

The books on display reflect the fact that Azelia appreciated literature and had a substantial library in what is now the kitchen.

This room also displays an historical mosaic depicting the heritage of the estate, created by the Jobswest team commissioned by the City of Cockburn.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Gilmore Room.
Colonial Room
This was the original Guest Room, and features the four poster bed brought by the Drummond family to the colony, aboard the ‘Parmelia’, the first ship to bring settlers to Fremantle, WA, in 1829.

Used and passed down through the families to the present day and donated to the Museum by their descendants, this is one of the rare first pieces of furniture to arrive and still in existence.

The other displays in the room reflect childhood toys and activities, and some imagery of a few of the early ships.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Colonial Room.
Hallway Gallery
The Hallway Picture Gallery, shows early photography of the settlers of the wider City of Cockburn area, homes, families and industries, including the Market Gardeners, and some history from the beginnings of the City of Cockburn.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Hallway Gallery.
Davilak Room
Named for the large hacienda style homestead, built from materials on this Manning estate, the ruins of which are currently being conserved, and where Azelia was born and married, this was Azelia’s bedroom and houses the furniture of the time and examples of the equipment she needed as a result of polio as a child.

An interesting dressing table, once owned by the Congdon family, located in one of the Mell Road original stone cottages, built c1906, has recently been donated by the Gasper family, but little is known about its origins.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Davilak Room.
Kitchen

This room was originally the Library, as Azelia was a well-educated woman, who wrote extensive diaries, now housed in the Battye Library, Perth WA.

Now displayed as a kitchen, converted for use after her death, it now displays articles donated by the local community, that reflect the activities of this time.

Azelia’s original Kitchen was an annexed area at the back of the house with the Maid’s room and Pantry, which is now used by the staff and Historical Society for meeting, office and storage of items for archiving.
 

Azelia Ley Museum Kitchen Room.

 

Bathroom
This is the original Bathroom, with deep iron bath and toilet commode. The cabinets display the various bathroom artifacts used at that time.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Bathroom.
Wagon House
The Wagon House is located adjacent to the Azelia Ley Homestead. It is a large building constructed in 1985 to house the various wagons and trucks donated to the museum.

Inside the Wagon House Museum you will find a collection of trucks, farm machinery, wagons and carriages.

There is even some trucks out the front of the building that the kids can play on anytime.
 
Azelia Ley Museum Wagon House.

Contact

Address

City of Cockburn
Whadjuk Boodja
9 Coleville Crescent,
Spearwood 6163

Po Box 1215, Bibra Lake DC,
Western Australia, 6965

Visit the City of Cockburn homepage

Cockburn Nyungar moort Beeliar boodja-k kaadadjiny. Koora, yeyi, benang baalap nidja boodja-k kaaradjiny.
Ngalak kaadatj dayin boodja, kep wer malayin. Ngalak kaadatj koora koora wer yeyi ngalang birdiya.

City of Cockburn acknowledges the Nyungar people of Beeliar boodja. Long ago, now and in the future they care for country.
We acknowledge a continuing connection to land, waters and culture and pay our respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging.