05/01/2026
The Port Albert Maritime Museum did not suddenly appear in 1976.
The idea had been circulating for years.
As early as 1968, the Yarram Junior Chamber of Commerce suggested a museum at Port Albert and tested the idea with a dinner at the Ship Inn, inviting the President of the National Trust and members of the local Historical Society. A local National Trust sub-branch followed, and when that group disbanded in 1971, the idea was taken up by the South Gippsland Preservation and Conservation Society.
A museum sub-committee was formed, led by Jack Gregory, and in 1972, working with the former Shire of Alberton, the group secured a grant to purchase the near-derelict former Bank of Victoria building. Restoration began. Early acquisitions followed — lifesaving equipment from the rocket shed near the wharf, charts and lights from Ports and Harbours, and the Cliffy Island work boat.
By 1973, the building was open to the public with exhibits in the main banking room. By November 1975, all rooms had been refurbished and the museum was opening regularly each Sunday afternoon. At that point, Warren Curry was President, guiding the Society through the period leading up to the museum’s official opening.
Then, in early 1976, something important changed - the museum began opening on a trial basis two afternoons a week, staffed entirely by volunteers. A roster was drawn up. Keys were issued. Responsibility was shared.
Those first afternoons were covered by:
Mr Irving — 7 March
Mrs Fordham — 8 March
Mrs Guy — 14 March
Mrs Missen — 21 March
Mrs Atkin — 28 March
Mr Curry — 4 April
Mrs Greenaway — 11 April
This marks the moment the museum stopped being a project sustained by effort and became a place sustained by presence. By the time the official opening took place on 17 April 1976, the museum wasn’t an idea anymore — it was already operating.
As we mark fifty years, this is where the story begins: not with ceremony, but with people showing up.
Next: the official opening — and why it mattered precisely because the work was already underway.
The Bridge -Local News Discover PORT Albert Visit Yarram
