The Yarra Valley regional museum in Lilydale is about an hour drive from the Melbourne CBD. The museum is a wonderful example of a thriving regional museum, exhibiting what the Yarra valley has to offer in terms of both the history of the area and developments in the future. It displays many fascinating items such as local art in its gallery, indigenous artefacts as well as lots of other things that will make all ages and tourists exclaim in awe. The museum doesn’t have a very long history. A museum such as this\ is relatively new in comparison to others closer towards the inner city.
“THE building that houses the former Museum of Lilydale has been transformed into a collection of innovative exhibition spaces that portray the history and residents of the Yarra Valley. Sleek and modern inside, the Yarra Valley Regional Museum in Lilydale has three exhibition spaces — including the heritage-listed building's former council chamber” (Yarra Ranges Weekly 2011).
The Regional museum is almost at the level as the Melbourne Museum but at the same time it is still a local museum that cannot possibility achieve heritage level that the award winning state museum is, even though it is in a league of its own regarding regional museums. The Yarra Valley regional museum is a state of the art heritage space in which people of all ages can learn the complex history of the Yarra Valley and surrounds and contemplate what it means for the future. The individual collections make it easier to understand the story that is the Yarra Valley, ultimately showing how the Yarra Valley has influenced Melbourne and the rest of Victoria as a whole.
“The collection of Dame Nellie Melba objects at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum reveals a woman who was the contemporary equivalent of Kylie Minogue in terms of popularity and longevity” (Clyne 2014, p. 42).
The collection of the museum uniquely captures the heart of the museum, therefore allowing for the regional museum to show how different events and people form the area of the Yarra Valley. Such as Dame Nellie Melba, wineries and the logging industry, all of which provide a great look into the Yarra Valley. Due to its central placing on the outskirts of both the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, it can be seen as one of first places to go in Yarra Valley and be a sort of gateway into the area, perfect for those who love rural history and that of a look into an area of great interest.