Port Macquarie Museum celebrates 61 years at state heritage site in Clarence Street

The celebration includes free entry and extended opening hours to give everyone an opportunity to visit.

"We had to postpone our 60th birthday celebrations last year, so we are making this year even bigger," Clive Smith, Port Macquarie Historical Society president said.

"We are giving back to the local community who have generously supported us over the years by offering free entry from April 10-18 and will be opening each day from 10am to 9pm.

"Our birthday celebrations also coincide with Port Macquarie's bicentenary and we are marking this milestone with a specially curated exhibition trail within the museum, 20 Decades 21 Stories."

Visitors will receive a souvenir trail brochure produced with the support of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and a bicentenary postcard produced with the support Charles Sturt University's Community University Partnership Program.

On opening night, Saturday, April 10, the Jugged Hare Bush Band will be playing in The Forest Courtyard and local creative Lucy Frost will be hosting free brick-making workshops in the museum garden on April 10-11.

The Port Macquarie Historical Society opened its first museum in the School of Arts building above the Municipal Library in Clarence Street in 1957.

The museum quickly outgrew its allocated space and the Society secured a lease of the old dilapidated store building at 22 Clarence Street to open a dedicated museum.

Society and community members worked together to repair the historic 1830s building to a fit state.

The Hastings District Historical Society Museum was officially opened on Easter Monday 18 April 1960.

The Museum has recently launched a refreshed website to provide improved online access to its collections and local stories. The website, portmuseum.org.au, includes a new stories page 'The Story Port' to share more of Port Macquarie's special stories with online audiences.

The Port Macquarie Museum is located at 22 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie in the cultural precinct.

For further information email portmuseum@gmail.com, or phone 02 6583 1108.

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