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Friday 30 September 2011
Museum Full Steam Ahead With Free Re-Opening Weekend
Arts Minister Rachel Nolan announced that The Workshops Rail Museum has re-opened with free entry for the weekend 1 & 2 October after its temporary closure.
"It's fantastic to see the Museum open its doors again and get back to doing what they do best," Ms Nolan said.
"The Museum has been closed since a fire on an adjacent property on Monday night, 26 September. The Museum was not damaged in the fire but was without power since the incident.
"I think everyone in the community held their breath when it was first feared the Museum was in danger because it's such an important part of Ipswich.
"Throughout the temporary closure the Museum and Collection was safe as staff worked to restore power to the multi-award winning tourist attraction.
"This re-opening weekend is also the last chance for visitors to participate in the school holiday event, The Great Train Robbery, so there will be plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy."
Director of The Workshops Rail Museum Andrew Moritz said staff were overwhelmed by the messages of support by the community for the Museum and the historic Ipswich Railway Workshops site.
"Our free Re-Opening Weekend is our way of saying thank you to the community for their support and kind wishes this week and it's also a great way to get the message out that we're open again," Mr Moritz said.
The Museum is currently powered by a generator and is operating as per normal. In order to restore mains power a specialised part is required which is expected to take a week or two. In the meantime the Museum will continue to operate as per normal off the generator.
The Workshops Rail Museum has won two Australian Tourism Awards and four Queensland Tourism Awards, recognising the Ipswich attraction for excellence in Heritage & Cultural Tourism.
For more information about the re-opening weekend event and The Workshops Rail Museum, please visit www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3432 5100.