A major photographic exhibition of Elaine history, titled Elaine Thru the Lens, will be staged at the Elaine Mechanics Hall on the weekend of 18 and 19 October, 10am to 3pm.

An estimated 3000 photographs dating from as far back as the 1800s have been collected by the Meredith History Interest Group.

Photographs have been organised into categories including bridges, businesses, buildings, railways, trees and water races.

The group plans to compile many of the photos into an A4 coffee table book – which will also be called Elaine Thru the Lens – and hopes to publish it in November next year.

The exhibition will be officially opened at 1.30pm on the Saturday, when local identity James Connell will ring the ‘Larundel bell’, the actual bell used to call shearers to the sheds on the historic Larundel property.