History buffs rejoice, Prossie Museum to reopen its doors

The museum is hoping to see good traffic from the domestic and Queensland travel market

AFTER three long months a Proserpine icon is opening its doors once again to show the history of the region to visitors and residents alike.

The history-filled rooms of Proserpine Museum will reopen from June 22 after the museum was forced to close its doors in late-March due to coronavirus restrictions.

Proserpine Museum secretary Michele Dibben said there had been no shortage of people phoning the museum to ask when they would re-open, proving its importance to the community.

"It's been almost three months since we were allowed to let people in so the museum committee and volunteers are chomping at the bit to get back at it," she said.

"We have been able to give ourselves a week to get into the swing of things before school holidays begin.

Proserpine Museum president Aisla Reinke, vice president Gay Gillies and secretary Michele Dibbens in front of their new phone history display.

"There's a lot of extra work with all the hygiene and social distancing measures but it's all worth it to have people back in the museum."

Ms Dibben said with state borders remaining closed they would see a decline in their visitation numbers.

However, she was confident the domestic and Queensland market would see an increase in patronage to the museum.

"We've had people who lived in Brisbane come off cruise ships when they docked in Airlie Beach and say if they ever did a road trip, they're returning to spend a day with us," she said.

"Now those people can do just that and go on a Queensland road trip and stop off at the museum.

"There's also so many locals who may have never stepped foot in the museum and have always thought 'oh, I should go do that' - well now is the perfect time.

Proserpine Museum secretary Michele Dibbens, president Aisla Reinke and vice president Gay Gillies

"We've had international visitors who were blown away by the museum and we believe it's even better when the history you see directly relates to your region."

Ms Dibben said the museum had been hard at work during its closure and had put together a new exhibit on the history of the telephone, added a cabinet of antique dolls and installed new artwork of the Proserpine region and Whitsunday islands.

She urged Whitsunday residents to consider becoming a museum member which gave them access to four issues of the Proserpine Museum magazine a year and unlimited entry.

"There's so much that I'm still learning about the region myself, so I think it's definitely worth the $13 a year", she said.

"We also have an amazing Facebook page which has been keeping people entertained during the closure."

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