Event information
This large museum is set in a 20 acre heritage park. It comprises 23 buildings dedicated to subjects as diverse as war and agriculture, mining, industry and domestic life. Started in 1979 to commemorate the Anglo Zulu war, the small collection moved to the present site in 1983. A section of Dundee Farm was bought for use, and this now includes the farmstead of a town founder.
Smith Cottage provides a picture of the lives of pioneer farmers. This restored home and farm buildings house cultural, agricultural and transport displays. They include weapons, uniforms, photographs and artifacts depicting the conflict between the Zulu, Boer and Brit.
Glass has been manufactured here since the end of the 19th century and the museum homes a collection of glass from South Africa and around the world. Beadwork also depicts African culture and the use of beads in Indian and western cultures: all on show in a Bead Gallery.
Dundee became the heart of coal production, and today the museum has four coal exhibits. A Talana station complex also comprises the reconstructed Talana Station with a Class 13A locomotive and the Shosholoza carriage. There is also archival material relating to the town, region, coal mining and military conflicts in this area over the past two centuries.
A Museum Shop offers books relating to local military history, plus beadwork, baskets and other crafts. A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, commemorates his involvement in this area in the early 20th century, and the Kwakunje Cultural Village portrays the traditional lifestyle of a Zulu family.
