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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Port Macquarie Museum

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Port Macquarie, NSW
Port Macquarie Museum

Discover the people, places and stories that have shaped Port. Our Place. Our Stories.

Port Macquarie Museum offers an authentic connection to Port Macquarie's past and is a must-visit attraction for history lovers, cultural travellers, families and curious visitors of all ages. Port Macquarie Museum is an award-winning local history museum in the heart of Port Macquarie, NSW. Discover the people, places and stories that have shaped our town through engaging exhibitions, fascinating collections and one of Port Macquarie’s most significant heritage sites. Located in Port Macquarie’s earliest surviving commercial building, dating from c1830, the Museum offers an authentic connection to the town’s past and is a must-visit attraction for history lovers, cultural travellers, families and curious visitors of all ages. Explore local stories, discover surprising objects and experience more than you expect at Port Macquarie Museum.

13/10/2026

Object Stories
This engraved pewter tankard was presented to Port Macquarie businessman and club sponsor Roger Knyvett Dulhunty [1925–2003] to commemorate the Port Macquarie Board Riders Rugby League Football Club's inaugural First Grade premiership win in 1980.

The Port Macquarie Board Riders entered the Group 3 Saturday League competition in 1977. In 1980, the club's First Grade team finished second on the competition ladder behind Lower Manning before defeating them 16–6 in the grand final at Chatham Oval on 6 September. It was the club's third grand final appearance in just four seasons and its first premiership victory. The club's Second Grade team also won the premiership that year.

Players, supporters, sponsors and friends gathered at the Port Macquarie RSL Club's Nissen Hut on 10 October 1980 to celebrate the club's achievements. This tankard was likely presented to Roger Dulhunty at that event.

The Club folded in 2012 before returning to the Hastings League competition in 2015. However, difficulties attracting players and sponsors, compounded by uncertainty over training and playing facilities, prevented the club from fielding a team in 2018.

Preserved in the Port Macquarie Museum collection, this tankard commemorates a milestone in Port Macquarie's sporting history and recognises the important contribution of local businesses and sponsors to community sport. It also reflects the challenges faced by grassroots sporting organisations in sustaining their activities over time.

12/10/2026

Our building repairs and conservation works are complete, and now we have to pay for them! You can help us do that by purchasing tickets in this amazing online raffle. Thank you to PA YourWay, Robert Dwyer MP Positive Energy Adventures & Retreats and all the other sponsors and supporters. You are helping to save our heritage Store building so that it can be enjoyed and treasured for decades to come.

11/10/2026

THIS IS PORT MACQUARIE
Tacking Point Lighthouse

08/10/2026

Picture from the Past
Southern Cross Motor Rally, 1971
Thousands of people greeted the final leg of the Southern Cross motor rally at Port Macquarie's Travelodge Motel on 10 October 1971. The winning car was a Holden Torana XU1 driven by Colin Bond and navigated by George Shepheard. The field of more than 80 cars had departed Wentworth Park, Sydney, on 6 October.

The Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce arranged a gala afternoon of entertainment to mark the official finish of the 1971 "Sun-Caltex" Southern Cross car rally. The entertainment included a lucky voucher draw, jet rescue boat displays and the arrival of the rally cars.

At the time, organisers thought the annual event could make Port Macquarie as important as Monte Carlo on the international motoring calendar. Port Macquarie had been selected as the main hub of the rally because it offered Australian and international drivers some of the best motor rally routes and conditions in the world.

This photograph captures Port Macquarie's growing profile as a tourism destination in the early 1970s, and the ambition to use major sporting events to attract visitors and put the town on the national and international map.
Sources: Port Macquarie News, Thursday 30 September 1971, p.3 and Monday 11 October 1971, p.11. Photograph: PMM_NEWS_1-79-041, Port Macquarie Museum collection.

07/10/2026

We’re thrilled to be a finalist in the Cultural Tourism category of the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards!

This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to continually improving what we do — creating engaging and authentic experiences, strengthening our connection with visitors, and finding new ways to share the stories that have shaped Port Macquarie and our region.

We’re proud to contribute to the cultural tourism experiences that make our region such a special place to visit.

Being recognised alongside some of NSW’s outstanding tourism operators is an achievement we’re very proud of.

06/10/2026

Object Stories
This silver-plated trowel was presented to Port Macquarie Mayor Duncan Stewart Kennedy [1910–2003] on 2 October 1955, when he laid the foundation stone of the new Port Macquarie Surf Life Saving Club pavilion at Flynn’s Beach.

The Surf Club, formed in 1929, had operated from a small wooden building before embarking on the construction of a much larger pavilion. By the time the foundation stone was laid, the new building was already more than halfway completed. It was officially opened just two months later, on 8 December 1955.

The ceremony was one of Alderman Kennedy’s early civic duties during his first term as Mayor. He went on to serve several terms as Mayor between 1955 and 1971.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kennedy expressed “the wish to see the building stand and serve its useful purpose for many years to come”.

More than 70 years later, those words have proved fitting. The Surf Club pavilion at Flynn’s Beach is a familiar Port Macquarie landmark, appearing in photographs, postcards and film footage recording everything from surf club activities and tourism promotions to generations of family holidays by the beach.

This trowel, preserved in the Port Macquarie Museum collection, is a small object connected to a much larger story — the building of a community landmark, the civic ceremony that marked its beginnings, and the enduring place of Flynn’s Beach and Port Macquarie Surf Club in Port Macquarie life.

04/10/2026

THIS IS PORT MACQUARIE
The Flagstaff

01/10/2026

Picture from the Past
Surf Boat Christening, September 1973
Port Macquarie Surf Club’s new surf boat, 'Port Macquarie R.S.L. Club', was christened at Flynn’s Beach on 30 September 1973 by Port Macquarie R.S.L. Club president Ken Radley.

The boat was built by Bill Clymer of Sydney, who attended the launch along with the Mayor, Surf Club officials and members, and interested spectators.

The new boat was sponsored by the R.S.L. Club, which donated $500 towards its purchase and provided the balance of the funds as a loan to be repaid by the Surf Club over the following 12 months.

The official opening of the 1973–74 surf lifesaving season took place the following week, when Surf Club life member and trustee Charles Uptin was given the honour of declaring the season officially open.

This photograph captures an important moment in the Surf Club’s history and the strong community support that helped equip its members for their lifesaving work on Port Macquarie’s beaches. A vital community service that continues today.
Source: Port Macquarie News, Thursday 27 September 1973, p. 36. Photograph: Picture Port 20561, Port Macquarie Museum collection.
Surf Life Saving NSW

Address

22 Clarence Street
Port Macquarie, NSW
2444

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.portmuseum.org.au/

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