The social history of this farming community is illustrated through an eclectic collection and the recreation of scenes from the past. Accessible 24/7, all year round, is the refurbished skeleton of a unique submarine named Platypus, designed and built in 1873 to prospect for gold in the Clutha River. It features a permanent exhibition “At Home in Middlemarch during WW1,” focusing on life in the Strath Taieri during wartime. The museum includes displays of wartime saddles, horse-drawn implements, and a restored railway wagon, along with extensive document and photograph collections.