Event Description

Step back in time to a world where charms, talismans, and 'cunning men' sit uneasily beside the rise of modern medicine.

In this richly illustrated presentation, historian Dr David Waldron uncovers the hidden world of colonial Australia’s folk healers and fortune tellers - the figures who moved along the blurry line between magic, faith, and science. Drawing on remarkable handwritten texts and precious artefacts, Dr Waldron explores the potions, charms, spells, and home-made remedies used to treat everything from burns and rheumatism to kidney stones and 'bad airs.' 

Through the lives of convict women and the traces they left behind, concealed objects, 'witch marks', and scars, this talk reveals how ordinary people used magic and folk medicine to survive grief, poverty, and uncertainty in a harsh new land. 

In partnership with...

When

12:00PM - 1:00PM
Saturday 2 May 2026
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Contact

9747 5300

Where

Melton Library & Learning Hub
31 McKenzie Street
Melton VIC
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Event Partner

The Heritage Festival is on from Friday 24 April to Saturday 9 May 2026. Find more events at melton.vic.gov.au/heritagefestival

Bookings

Please log in with your library credentials to reserve your place at this event. You may also book by phone, email or at your nearest library.

Events in Heritage Festival Series

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
40 years of the Melton RSL Tomorrow at 1:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Memoir Writing Workshop 28 April 2026 at 1:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Exploring Historic Maps 29 April 2026 at 1:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Paranormal Investigations: The Willows Homestead 29 April 2026 at 6:00PM Willows Historic Park Ages 15+ FULL
Author Talk: 'Black Convicts' with Santilla Chingaipe 30 April 2026 at 6:30PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 13+
Author Talk: 'Black Convicts' with Santilla Chingaipe 30 April 2026 at 6:30PM Online Event Ages 13+
Sketching at the Rockbank Inn Ruins 1 May 2026 at 11:00AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site Ages 13+
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Abode Restoration 2 May 2026 at 10:00AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Open Day 2 May 2026 at 10:00AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Extent Heritage 2 May 2026 at 10:30AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Abode Restoration 2 May 2026 at 11:00AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Extent Heritage 2 May 2026 at 11:30AM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Abode Restoration 2 May 2026 at 12:00PM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Rockbank Inn Walking Tour with Extent Heritage 2 May 2026 at 12:30PM Rockbank Inn Heritage Site
Poetic Voices Workshop with The Ballarat Poetess 2 May 2026 at 1:30PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+

Map

Talks And Workshops Events

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
Author Talk: Demet Divaroren 6 May 2026 at 11:30AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 12+
The Word Crafters Society 6 May 2026 at 6:00PM Online Event Ages 16+
Melbourne Writers Festival: Benjamin Stevenson - Everyone in this Bank is a Thief 7 May 2026 at 6:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Adult Event
Author Talk: Demet Divaroren 8 May 2026 at 4:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 12+
Grant Writing: Practical Tips for Aspiring Authors 11 May 2026 at 12:30PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Adult Event
Make your own Bag Charms 14 May 2026 at 9:30AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 16+

Youth Events

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
Check Mates: Learn to Play Chess 29 April 2026 at 6:00PM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub
STEM Foundation 30 April 2026 at 4:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 9-14
STEM Masters 30 April 2026 at 5:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 10-14
Author Talk: Demet Divaroren 6 May 2026 at 11:30AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 12+
Check Mates: Learn to Play Chess 6 May 2026 at 6:00PM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub
STEM Foundation 7 May 2026 at 4:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 9-14

Heritage Festival Events

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
Yesterday is History Part One – Generations Tomorrow at 2:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Preschool Storytime: Heritage Festival 28 April 2026 at 10:00AM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 3-6
After Schooligans: Heritage Festival 28 April 2026 at 3:45PM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 5-12
After Schooligans: Heritage Festival 28 April 2026 at 3:45PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 5-12
Preschool Storytime: Heritage Festival 29 April 2026 at 10:00AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub

Adult Events

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
Monday Board Games Tomorrow at 10:00AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Adult Event
Yesterday is History Part One – Generations Tomorrow at 2:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Film Club: Charade (1963) Tomorrow at 2:00PM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Adult Event
English Conversation Club 28 April 2026 at 10:00AM Online Event Ages 16+
Knit And Chat 28 April 2026 at 10:00AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 15+
English Conversation Club 29 April 2026 at 10:00AM Caroline Springs Library And Learning Hub Ages 16+

History Events

EVENT NAME Date LOCATION
Yesterday is History Part One – Generations Tomorrow at 2:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Genealogy Help 29 April 2026 at 10:00AM Melton Library & Learning Hub Adult Event
Digitise Your Family Photos and 8mm Film 30 April 2026 at 2:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+ FULL
Digitise Your Family Photos and 8mm Film 30 April 2026 at 2:30PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Digitise Your Family Photos and 8mm Film 30 April 2026 at 3:00PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+
Digitise Your Family Photos and 8mm Film 30 April 2026 at 3:30PM Melton Library & Learning Hub Ages 15+