Illawarra Museum

About this activity

Do you walk around Illawarra and ever wonder what it might have looked like in the past? Perhaps you can't even imagine it looking any different!

The Illawarra Museum collection is a fascinating look into what the area, and by extension Australia, was like over a century ago.

The collections showcase the buildings, places and people of a time gone by. Rare, and locally made artefacts demonstrate the skills that these settlers possessed, as well as documenting their way of life.

What do you think life would have been like back in the 1800s? Do you think it would have been a place you would have liked to live?  The artefacts are great for beginnings of conversations with kids about how life would have been different to the one they know today.  What hardships would they have faced? Certainly no Facebook!

The collection show the turning points, tragedies and pivotal developments that the region faced in the last century, and it also reflects the history of the nation.

The upper level has a bedroom, parlour and even a school room where you can feel like you are actually back in time. Some of the items here might even rekindle old memories for some of the family! (Remember that teachers cane and those slate boards!)

The ground floor features a craft room, and two rooms where you will find the changing displays and travelling exhibitions.

The courtyard has a fascinating laundry, colonial kitchen, blacksmith's shop, stockman's hut and even an air raid shelter.

Take a step back in time and enjoy history coming back to life.