History tour for Thomastown locals

Coordinator of the trek Liz Pidgeon stands at the starting point of the walk at Thomastown Library. (Damjan Janevski) 324896_02

Hannah Hammoud

Thomastown’s local residents are invited to join history experts on a trek to discover the deep history of Thomastown.

As part of Whittlesea Councils Cultural Heritage Program, the Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) is partnering with Friends of Westgarthtown to celebrate the history and heritage of the area.

On Tuesday, May 9 participants will lace up their runners for the two and a half hour trek along Edgars Creek to the historic precinct of Westgarthtown and return.

The trek will tour through the historic farmhouse, church and cemetery in the Westgarthtown precinct which is home to Victoria’s oldest German settlement.

YPRL Local and Family History Librarian Liz Pidgeon coordinates the walk, she says that her biggest takeaway from running the trek is connecting people in the community with one another.

“We like to have local residents come along and learn about where they live and connect with where they live,” she says.

“The people that come along are usually interested in the historical information they receive. But the walk is also able to connect people with each other, all of a sudden they start telling us their stories, and opening up to the group about their experiences growing up and living locally.”

Details: yprl.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/EVSESENQ?SETLVL=&RNI=587874