Marlborough Historical Museum Inc.

One Mans Dream.

The museum building and a large part of the collection here were donated by Mr Martin (Mark) Hennessy to the community of Marlborough.

Mark had a desire to preserve the heritage of the district which had been his home since childhood. During his life he saved examples of daily life at home and on the farm as well as collectioning items such as the first car and tractor used in the area. Of particular interest is the Police dray in which the bushranger Frank Gardiner was taken to Rockhampton after his capture at Apis Creek in 1864.

Mark's father, James Hennessy, was a coach builder with the railway and selected land near Marlborough in about 1914. The family settled here on the 10^th December 1914.

Mark attended Marlborough State School,

then worked on the family property. He died aged 76, having seen the establishment of this complex.

Chrysoprase

Marlborough is famous in the jewellery business for producing the world's finest chrysoprase, a semi-precious gem once much admired by Alexander the Great and Cleopatra. The small but high-grade deposit is regarded as the most valuable find of Chrysoprase in the world.

There is an impressive sample over the road from the museum.

A plaque on the side of the rock explains" Chrysoprase is a gemstone variety of Chalcedony that contains small quantities of nickel. Its colour is normally apple-green, but varies to deep green. The Chrysoprase at Marlborough occurs in the nickel laterite formations 20 km to the south-west of the township and has been mined in the area since the 1950s. This example shows Chrysoprase seaming in the iron rich serpentinite matrix.

It came from the Candala Pty Ltd mining leases and was donated by Coolamon Mining for public display in the township. It was removed from the site and located in the park opposite the museum with the assistance of Gumigil Pty Ltd.

Marlborough Chrysoprase is recognised internationally as the world's finest quality and is highly prized by famous jewellery designers and museums alike."