Portland’s social history is on display in “History House”, the former Portland Town Hall built in 1863

The museum underwent refurbishment in 2007-08 and new displays were established to illustrate the story of Portland from the early 19th century.

Centrepiece of this intimate museum is the iconic Henty plough, used to turn the first sod of soil in Victoria in 1834.

The core display looks chronologically at the history of the region from the indigenous inhabitants to the arrival of Europeans and subsequent establishment of a settlement in Portland Bay.

The displays focus on various aspects of the Portland story, including the achievements of the Henty Brothers; and Portland Bay as the site of an influx of assisted immigration to Australia in the 1850s.

Other themed displays include the centenary celebrations of 1934, the various volunteer militia groups of the mid to late 19th century, and the public baths that once graced Portland’s foreshore.