Century-old stories to come alive as doors to historic courts swing open

Patrick Fahey faced the Macarthur Courthouse in the months after it was opened in March 1892.

He had purchased the items from the husband of Mrs Maddigan without her permission, and during a period of heavy drinking.

Mr Fahey was ordered to return the property with costs of five shillings.

His case will be among a number of stories explored during a courthouse car tour, which will allow history buffs to travel between the historic Macarthur, Port Fairy and Penshurst law courts.

A group of south-west historical societies will join together for the event on May 25 and 26, 2024, as part of Victorian Law Week.

Wendy Ginter, from the Macarthur & District Historical Society, said the two-day event was an opportunity to bring the courts to life.

"We all have the old, preserved furniture and once you stand inside you really get a good sense of what these old courtrooms were like," she said.

"In Port Fairy you've got the jury bench and in Penshurst there's the old press bench where the journalists sat.

"It's a great sense of history and each museum has the various cases that you can explore, whether it be stealing a pig or a handkerchief, or drunken disorderly - it's all a bit different to what we see in the newspaper today."

Among the cases heard more than 130 years ago on the opening day of the Macarthur court were six debt claims.

Over the coming months the court heard the case against Mr Fahey, as well as a man who struck a librarian while drunk, and a vermin inspector who failed to destroy rabbits.

The court of petty sessions continued until 1977 with girl guides then using the building for their meetings.

The clerks room was used by the Lands Department and later an insurance agency until 1982 when court resumed again.

The building was closed four years later and Macarthur's historical society took it over the following year.

The society formed in March 1987 and has renovated and occupied the Macarthur courthouse since.

To book a spot on the courthouse car tour, visit Macarthurmuseum.org.au.