High Fuel Prices Fails To Keep Grey Nomads Away

DESPITE skyrocketing fuel prices, the migration of the grey nomad is in full swing on The Discovery Coast, with the Miriam Vale Shire Museum a major drawcard.

Almost 4000 history buffs and curious tourists pass through the museum in Agnes Water each year with the majority from Easter onwards being the retirees, the grey nomads.

President of the Miriam Vale Historical Society, maintainers of the museum, Barbara Homer, said while there were plenty of families who spend time delighting at the exhibits and collections it was the grey nomads who make up the bulk of the visitors.

"It (the museum) is very good for the town, it brings a lot of people in," said Mrs Homer.

"And it is pretty good for families, the children really enjoy parts of it too, but from Easter onwards the grey nomads come in their droves."

The museum is a collection of the memories and memorabilia of what was the entire Miriam Vale Shire, a testament to its founder Arthur Jeffery.

The two small buildings on Springs Road, Agnes Water house a wealth of history, including that of Capt James Cook and his second only landing in Australia, at what is now The Town of 1770.

As well as the life and exploits of Cook, there is record of the amazing botanical finds of the Endeavour's botanist Joseph Banks, a comprehensive collection of Aboriginal artefacts, plus the history of the Shire and museum pieces collected since European settlement.

Arthur and his brother Tom Snr were part of one of the area's best known and remembered families, the Jefferys _ some of the Agnes "originals''. The family is still strong in the region and Tom Jnr only recently retired as the last mayor of the old Miriam Vale Shire Council.

Born in Miriam Vale in 1902, Arthur Jeffery was a keen student of history from an early age and began studying Cook and the settlement and characters of the area, as well as the history that predated Europeans and the flora and fauna of the Discovery Coast.

He travelled all over adding to his collection, and knowledge of Cook and his voyages, in particular the master navigator's time in this part of the world.

Arthur started the museum as nothing more than a timber hut in 1953 in its original location on the Jeffery family property down on the Agnes foreshore now Jeffery Court and Tom Jeffery Park.

As well his extensive collection, Arthur also kept meticulous records and diaries of not only the history and settlement of the shire, but also day-to-day accounts of the times for decades, including rainfall and weather records.

A Bi-Centennial grant obtained in 1988 allowed for the building of a new museum and the collection handed over to the newly formed historical society. Arthur Jeffery passed away in 1994 but left the museum in good hands with the many volunteers who still maintain and run the Agnes landmark.

The buildings were shifted from the old location up onto Springs Road in 1996, where it stands today _ a monument to Arthur Jeffery and the people who still donate to, maintain and generally look after the Miriam Vale Shire Museum.