Sunday, 20 September 2026

Cyril Callister Vegemite Museum, Beaufort

Ever since I heard about the Cyril Callister Vegemite Museum, I have been looking for an opportunity to drive almost 2 hours to see how they presented the history of the iconic umami black spread that Australians love (while the rest of the world scratches its head in bemusement).  Finally in August with an the indulgent week between the end of one job and the start of another, I booked an overnight trip that featured this visit.

We broke our journey from Melbourne by stopping for lunch at the Pancake Kitchen in Ballarat.  The Vegemite Museum website had opening times but I worried we drive go all that way and find it closed.  So I texted and was relieved to confirm they were indeed open.  As we set off I was sad to hear that Johnny Young who had hosted the tv show Young Talent Time every Saturday night during my childhood.  Then I got so excited to hear one of the YTT kids, Karen Knowles, all grown up chatting about her memories of Johnny that I took a wrong turn.  

After that it was all smooth sailing.  Well mostly.  The news has been focusing on the poor condition of country roads.   One of the more amusing moments listening to ABC 774 on the radio was Charlie Pickering suggesting to the leader of the Legalise Cannibis Party that its politicians should fill in the pot holes in the road!  I understood the conversations more as I was swerving around the pot holes on the rural roads.

I was excited to finally be at the Vegemite Museum.  It is housed in an old petrol station, hence the odd covered area where petrol pumps once were.  Six large 44-gallon drums are painted by regional artists with Vegemite themes.

Inside we were greeted by the Happy Little Vegemites tune that played on repeat in the front room.  The large space had displays of many Vegemite jars throughout the years since it was first manufactured in 1923.  Some of the older jars were ceramic while the more modern glass jars come in many shapes.  There are also various Vegemite produces (such as Cheesymite Shapes and Vegemite baked beans) and souvenirs (including radios, watches and egg cups).

The door opened frequently with new visitors eager to see the history of Vegemite but the museum never got crowded.  I was told that it was busier on the weekends, and of course when they had group visits.

The Vegemite jars that make me the most nostalgic are the ones that could be reused as drinking glasses.  The glasses above are the tall ones.  Most of the drinking glasses in our cupboards as a kid were the smaller Vegemite drinking glasses.  Strangely enough, among all the jars on display, there were none of the smaller glasses.

While Vegemite is the star of the museum, it is dedicated to Cyril Callister who was born in the nearby town of Chute (which had a population of 13 at the last census).  He graduated from the University of Melbourne with a science degree and was employed by the Fred Water Company (that became Kraft) to develop a yeast extract when Marmite supplies were disrupted by World War I.  This of course was Vegemite!  I am sure Cyril Callister would have expected people to eat it but not to paint with it.  How surprised he would be to know someone had painted this portrait of him using Vegemite and water!  Maybe he would even applaud the ingenuity.

I enjoyed chatting to the volunteer, John, who was generous with his time as we were shown around the museum.  Like many small museums, it runs on a small budget that relies on volunteers and the revenue from visitors.  I really liked seeing some of their ideas for attracting visitors.  

This room is set up like a laboratory to reflect the work of Cyril Callister.  When kids visit on school excursions, they are brought in here to do some simple experiments such as making Vegemite pearls which are like those fruit popping pearls that explode in your mouth.  There was also a rack of lab coats for the kids to wear.  Good fun!

In the history room, there are great black and white photos of Cyril with his family and some of the factory work.  In the top photo above you can see one of the laboratories from the 1910s-1920s at Kraft where experiments led to the creation of Vegemite.  The photo below it is of a Vegemite delivery van in the 1940s-1950s.  

In addition to old photos this room has more old Vegemite jars.  The ones on the shelves are given dates to create a Vegemite timeline.

 

Iconic Vegemite advertisements are displayed here too.  Promotions often focused on how the vitamin B in Vegemite was very good for you.  The famous jingle about Happy Little Vegemites claimed "it puts the rose in every cheek". Lots of healthy kids featured on the adverts at a time when many children suffered from nutritional deficiencies.  The above advert encourages putting Vegemite next to the salt and pepper whenever you set the table.

The above black and white photo is one of the kids immortalised like Peter Pan in advertisement for happy little Vegemites.  Next to it is a photo of him grown up.  It seems surprising that this little boy whose face we all knew so well is now lined with age and the fair hair has become grey.

One room is a gallery of Vegemite inspired artworks.  I really loved these tubes of Vegemite that are suspended in the air as they pour Vegemite onto toast and into the jar.  

This painting of a place populated by little Vegemite jars is bright and cheerful.  The gallery is a work in progress but has some interesting representations of the familiar!


This board encourages people to "tell Cyril about your Vegemite story".  Many of the little toast shaped notes are by kids and are fun to read.  Comments include:  "Vegemite with lettuce in a sandwich is good", "I don't eat it but it looks cool" and "one tablespoon in a bucket, sprinkle the roses, get rid of aphids".

One of the activities for kids is painting with Vegemite thinned down with a little water.  In the art room are also Vegemite candles with toast the smell amazing, a book on the history of Vegemite and postcards.

The framed artwork on the wall are Vegemite and water paintings by local high school kids of iconic local buildings in Beaufort.  Some of these young people are very talented.

Before we leave we check out the merchandise.  There is a lot to choose from: little jars of Vegemite, beanies key rings, stickers, t shirts, Vegemite toast candles, and the history of Vegemite.  We bought a tea towel, a fridge magnet, Vegemite fudge, Vegemite meat pies and some postcards

On the table among the souvenirs was this Vegemite Monopoly set where you can land on squares labelled Burnt toast, Vegemite factory and Pass the Vegemite.  It was for show only and not for sale.  

I really enjoyed looking around the museum with all the Vegemite history and learning about Cyril Callister who was the man behind the invention of the wonderful dark paste!  

After leaving the museum we had a quick look around the town.  Beaufort is a sweet little country town that benefits from a major highway running through it.  We recognise a few of the buildings as the subjects of the paintings in the museum.

This building (seen on the Vegemite postcards) is the Flywheel Cafe that my brother really loves for a pitstop on the way to South Australia.  If we hadn't had our lunch in Ballarat, I could have been tempted.

Instead, we enjoyed browsing in op shops and an antique shop (above) with many gorgeous items that I would have loved to have the money and the room to store them.  Then it was time to leave and drive onto Creswick where I had booked to stay the night.

Cyrill Callister Vegemite Museum
23 Neill St, Beaufort
Open Thursday to Sunday 11am to 2pm.
Entry fee $5. Children enter free.
cyrilcallisterfoundation.org/museum


More about Vegemite and its history:

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