The Shire of Westonia may have a population of less than 250 but what it lacks in people it makes up for in wax dolls.
Located where the Wheatbelt meets the Goldfields in outback Western Australia, the Hood-Penn Museum is the top tourist attraction for the small town of Westonia, often welcoming visitors as they travel along the Great Eastern Highway.
Most of the collection was donated by the Hood-Penn family, who used to run the general store in the nearby town of Burracoppin about 280 kilometres east of Perth.
But it is the life-sized mannequins, made in a factory in Victoria, that really catch the eye.
The dolls are based on scans of real people in the community, featuring various themes unique to the mining town's history.
Shire of Westonia chief executive Bill Price says the lifelike figures, which include "veins" and human hair, are known to give visitors a fright.
"Some people are a bit scared of them and don't bother coming in, or they run out of the museum," he said.
"But most people believe they bring the display to life a bit.
"They were made by a special effects company in Melbourne. They're fairly expensive but they're well worth it … they livened up each prop."
The people behind the faces
Cheerful barman "Dezzie from Wezzy" is based on a local builder who restored the town's pub. The general store owner resembles a member of the Hood-Penn family, and the bush doctor is based on the town's former GP.
There is also a gold miner inside a vibrating mine tunnel, where visitors can experience a simulated journey underground — complete with sound effects and physical vibrations.
But the ruminating shearer, sitting hunched over clippers in the museum's far corner that appears and feels most alive.
"It's a good pose. It's a typical pose of a sheep shearer," Mr Price said.
"He's got his rollie in his mouth and he's changing his cutter. It looks great.
"I believe he's the most real looking of the wax people."
A proud history
The town of Westonia was formed after gold was discovered in the area in the early 1900s.
Its population peaked at more than 2,000 in 1917 — 10 times higher than it is today.
The council recently funded a program to restore the place to its former glory by constructing building facades that replicated the main street during the gold rush.
In the 2021 Census, it was the only Wheatbelt shire east of Beverley — 220km away — to record a population increase.
A unique attraction
Perth resident Debra Hall stopped in town on her drive back from Canberra and said she was shocked by what she found.
"I've not seen anything like this in WA," she said.
"It's pretty special, and I think it's terrific that people are reading about places in the Wheatbelt, coming to the city from the Wheatbelt and looking at our history, our heritage, and how people actually lived in the Wheatbelt and lived in the past."
The council believed tourism had boomed in the past decade thanks to the internet and Mr Price hoped that trend continued for years to come.
"Previous to the last 10 years, caravans sort of stuck to the highway, and there was no reason for them to come 10kms off the highway," he said.
"But through Facebook and word-of-mouth we get extensive tourism now.
"The word gets out about this facility here, and our camps and the hospitality of the town in general, and the facilities are fantastic."
