About Us
"In life we all end up with what we think about, and so South Australia now has a culture centre that reminds people of their own life's road. It also shows young people how the world has come to where it is now." ~ Peter Squires
Peter Squires OAM purchased the property after his grandparents passed. He was already familiar with the property and its history, having visited and played there as a child. When it was passed on to Peter, he had a decision to make about what he wanted to do with it.
Having just visited another pioneer village at Swan Hill, he decided that is what he wanted to build for Tailem Bend. Wanting to keep it authentic, he purchased old buildings, some over 100 years old, and transported them back to his property to recreate an olden-day Australian town.
Peter was passionate that our history should be preserved for the public to enjoy and that our children should step out of their modern world for a short time and experience the lives our grandparents once lived.
Now, Peter has retired, his vision continues, while still being kept in the family, with his son Danny and his wife Tina enthusiastically taking it on.
With the Old Tailem Town Map, explore over 100 buildings, including a genuine church (1900), school (1885) and village hall (1883). This village is not designed for working displays, but it does give you time to quietly reflect on how our grandparents and great grandparents lived as well as give you a sense of what we have left behind.
Please note, we are pet-friendly, so as long as your dog is on leash, they are welcome too!
Amenities
Accessibility
Please note that Old Tailem Town has limited accessibility to persons using wheelchairs. The grounds and Entrance building/Function room are accessible, although uneven outdoor surfaces should be noted. Unfortunately however, due to the nature of the Historic Buildings, which have original verandahs, narrow doorways, and limited turning spaces, they are not considered wheelchair accessible. Please contact us directly if you have further questions about accessibility.
Food and Drink
We offer cold drinks and icecream, however we are not as yet baristas. We encourage you to BYO food as you know what your taste is better than us.
Function room
Function room we have seating for 54. Groups on booking are more than welcome to use this space. We can facilitate food by pre booking.
Gallery
