Clunes - The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles - Central

Clunes - The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles

The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles consists of over six thousand old and historical bottles and other related objects. Dating from 1500 A.D. to present time the bottles cover all types of beverages including beer, wine & spirit, aerated waters, preserves, condiments, ginger beer, chemist and drug companies.

You'll find some very rare and significant pieces in the collection.

The collection is housed in the decommissioned South Clunes State School which was, for over 45 years, used as the Clunes Interknit Mill.

Clunes - The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles

Opening Hours:

Open 4 days 11am-4pm Thurs to Sun or by appointment - contact Barb Webb (03) 5345 3865, Jan Turner (03) 5345 3346 or Yvonne Yates (03) 5343 5281

Cost:

Admission is $3 per person.

George Lee Medlyn

George Lee Medlyn was born in 1921 in St Arnaud Victoria.

Most of his life was spent as a sheep farmer and wool classer. However it was whilst fossicking for gold that he discovered his lifelong passion for old bottles, many of which were found alongside the old diggings. After the death of his first wife in 1981, Lee sold his farm and retired and became a resident of Clunes.

Lee later met his companion of 13 years Joyce Harrison at an antique and collectibles fair where she was working as a judge. In 1985 with storage of his bottles becoming a huge problem, they purchased the former State School No 136, and began a new venture, the Bottle Museum.

They shared a love of travelling and collecting that took them to many places throughout Australia enabling them to add selected pieces of interest to the collection, which led to the present display of many rare and historical items.

Following his death in August 1994, Lee bequeathed the collection and building to the Shire of Talbot and Clunes. This generous gift to the town is managed for the community by a committee of management made up of volunteers appointed by Hepburn Shire Council.