Illawarra Museum Wollongong

28/05/2026

The next meeting of the Illawarra Historical Society will be Thursday 4th June 2026 at Wollongong City Library LAB -level 2 at 6:30pm.
Our guest speaker, Peter McCall will talk about AN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC VISIT to Wollongong in 1858.
The Austrian scientists collected geological, botanical and other samples during their visit which became part of the Natural History Museum of Vienna collection.
All Welcome

30/04/2026

The next meeting of the Illawarra Historical Society will be held in the Wollongong Library LAB on Thursday 7th May at 6:30pm. Our guest speaker, Wendy Nunan, will speak about the Original Catholic Burial Ground Wollongong (now known as Andrew Lysaght Park) from the earliest known burials (1830) to the last burial in 1914. All welcome.

04/04/2026

Illawarra Historical Society and Museum fully supports The Kiama Historical Society in its SAVE THE PILOT'S COTTAGE MUSEUM campaign- read below
Kiama Council yesterday gave notice of an emergency meeting next Tuesday to ask Councillors to evict the maritime museum from a heritage maritime building and relocate the displays to a darkened corner beneath Kiama Library.
This is a loss to the whole town
The award-winning Pilot’s Cottage Museum was established by Kiama locals in 1988. Run by volunteers at no cost to ratepayers, it opens longer hours than similar south coast museums. The building is one of the most used in the Council area, open to visitors and tour groups 238 days each year.
History belongs where it happened
The Pilot’s Cottage Museum is part of Kiama’s identity. It connects the harbour, the Blowhole and our maritime history in the place where that story belongs. Families visit it. Volunteers keep it open. Visitors walk away with a stronger sense of Kiama than any café or shop could give them.
Take the museum out of Pilot’s Cottage and Kiama loses more than a room full of displays. We lose history in its home. We lose one of the few places that gives locals pride and gives visitors a reason to stay, look and learn.
Protect the Pilot’s Cottage Museum for future generations
Please help Kiama Historical Society defend local heritage and culture. Make your views known to our councillors aby emailing them [email protected]. Share this post with others who care about protecting Pilot’s Cottage Museum.

29/03/2026

The next meeting of the Illawarra Historical Society will be held in the Wollongong Library LAB on Thursday 2nd April at 6:30pm. Our guest speaker, John Shipp, will conduct us on a virtual tour along Campbell St, celebrating some of the historic houses and lamenting those lost to progress. All welcome

27/02/2026

The next meeting of the Illawarra Historical Society on Thursday 5th March will be our Annual General Meeting. Following the business portion of the meeting Susan Jones will show footage from the Queen's visit to Wollongong 11th February 1954. Wollongong City Library 1st floor HUB 6:30 pm. All welcome.

Images of the Royal Train at Bulli and the crowd at Bulli Showground to greet her.

31/01/2026

Susan Jones will be guest speaker at the Illawarra Historical Society meeting on Thursday 5 February. Susan is a board member of the Society and a long term staff member at the University of Wollongong Library.

Susan's topic will be - Windows on the Wollongong CBD in the late Sixties/early Seventies
Susan will be discussing several historical news stories focusing on Wollongong’s Central Business District, and featuring related footage from the University of Wollongong Archives’ digitised collection of early WIN4 news film. Come along and see what was happening along downtown Burelli Street in the late 1960s/early 1970s!

Date: Thursday 5 February 2026

Time: 6.30pm-7.30pm

Venue: Wollongong City Library, Burelli Street (Level 2)

04/01/2026

When the Post Office (now the Illawarra Museum in Market Street) was a single storey building.

28/12/2025

12/11/2025

Looking for a Christmas gift? "Misfortune or Fraud? Illawarra and the 1840s Depression" is a collection of biographies of the 42 locals who became insolvent in the 1840s. Well known names include Bate, Fuller and Kennedy. Some of the insolvents were ex-convicts, some sons of convicts, some born here, some "arrived free" and one businesswoman whose grandson became Premier of NSW. Get your copy for only $10 at the Museum.
Published in 2023 with the support of Arts NSW Cultural Grants Program.

02/11/2025

At the next meeting of the Illawarra Historical Society on Thursday 6th November, Museum curator, John Shipp, will describe some items in the Illawarra Museum which reflect his experiences as a child in the 1950s. John's childhood coincided with the introduction of significant changes in Australian life. The Second World War had brought sacrifices and scarcity of food and other necessities throughout the world. By 1950, Australians were ready to forge ahead. Attitudes to housing, migrants, women in the workforce and household appliances were questioned. The once ubiquitous icebox was one of the appliances which disappeared.

first floor Wollongong City Library, Burelli St 6.30pm - 8.00pm

29/09/2025

ILLAWARRA WOMEN AT WARFree public lecture Thursday 2 October 2025. 6.30pm to 8.00pm- Wollongong Public Library. Burelli St Wollongong. ALL WELCOME
Noted local historian, Kerie Anne Christian, will recall the exploits of local women who went to war. Kerrie Anne has researched and written on many subjects. Her research highlights often unknown or overlooked contributions which servicewomen made on the Homefront as well as in war zones.