Live music at open day at Morrisons, east of Ballarat

Believe it or not, there is still a well-preserved church in the tiny hamlet of Morrisons, east of Elaine - and the community are holding an open day with live music to showcase its austere beauty.

Artists on the day at the Tablelands Road church includes the Gordon Gypsies (made up of young musicians from Gordon), Morrisons based guitarist Jayden Vermeend with contemporary tunes, and Claritude with some easy-listening.

"It's good music and a way for the community to come together in an historic building," West Moorabool Anglican parish locum Russell Trickey said.

"It should be a great event."

Parish Council member John Waddington said the 3pm-to-5pm 'drop in' was designed for people to relax, enjoy the music, catch up over a coffee and see what was inside.

From 5pm Ballarat Bishop Garry Weatherill will hold an Easter Saturday service.

Church documents show Morrisons got its name from 1840s settler Hugh Morrison - on whose land a goldrush erupted in 1858.

The town's population exploded to around 1600 people - and the first Church of England services began in 1865.

The Tableland Road site was set aside in 1871, with fundraising to replace an ageing wooden church beginning in 1922.

St James was constructed by Ballarat company Ludbrook and Son at a cost of £1100 pounds in 1924.

It wasn't consecrated until 1929 - and much of the furniture was donated by locals including the Molesworth and Hodge families.

The population of Morrisons fell sharply during the Depression - with the now-defunct local school dropping from 70 to 16 students between 1920 and 1930.

Before the pandemic, the church was only open about four times a year.

The structure is renowned for its stained glass windows - and is a remnant of what was once a thriving goldrush town.

One of the few other civic buildings left in Morrisons is the fire brigade, which was given $600,000 in 2020 to build a new shed on nearby Elaine-Morrisons Road.

Fr Trickey said everyone was welcome on Saturday.