FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawkesbury Regional Museum

FAQ's by Question

What did the building cost?

What will happen to the old Museum?

Who designed the new building?

Why is it a contemporary design?

What will the Museum be about?

I have some interesting old objects that I would like to donate to the Regional Museum. How do I go about it?

One of my forebears lived in the Hawkesbury and she used to tell wonderful stories about the old days. Would the museum be interested in hearing those stories and recording them for posterity?

Commemorative Booklet

What did the building cost?

The building cost $3.2million. More than half of the cost was met by the NSW Government ($1.15 via Arts NSW) and the Australian Government ($562,628 via the Department of Infrastructure). Further assistance from Arts NSW enables Council to employ professional staff and run special programs and projects.

What will happen to the old Museum?

The original Museum (Howes House) will be retained as an integral part of the Regional Museum. Unsympathetic additions have been removed and the new building designed so that the original rear of Howes House will be seen in a direct line of sight from Baker Street. It will be conserved and interpreted, with assistance from Arts NSW, as a separate and complementary visitor experience.

Who designed the new building?

The building was designed by local firm, Pont Williams and Leroy.

Why is it a contemporary design?

The building is purpose-built to address all aspects of our heritage, including the environmental, cultural and structural. It enables the preservation, display and promotion of Howes House, the Museum collection and associated interpretive material, while providing a comfortable visitor and working environment. The design brief also included recognition of the streetscape and the impact on sightlines from Windsor Mall and Baker Street. Prof Ian Jack of the Hawkesbury Historical Society has described it as “an extraordinarily successful solution” and the design has been approved by the Heritage Council of NSW.

What will the Museum be about?

As well as the main exhibition on the themesRiver, Land, People, the museum will offer a program of changing exhibitions on a wide variety of subjects. More than national or state museums, regional museums are about the history of local people and places. Everyone is connected to the past, and a museum is a keeping place not just for artefacts, but for the stories of the lives of the people who made and used them. If you have a particular area of interest you are welcome to contact the Museum..

I have some interesting old objects that I would like to donate to the Regional Museum. How do I go about it?

The Museum’s Collection Policy determines what types of objects, including photos and printed matter, are collected. Of consideration are the significance of the object and its condition, as well as its provenance (who made it? who owned it? where has it been kept?).If you believe that you have a significant object to donate, first contact the Museum Curator, who will pass on collection donation form to complete with the details of what you have/would like to donate.

One of my forebears lived in the Hawkesbury and she used to tell wonderful stories about the old days. Would the museum be interested in hearing those stories and recording them for posterity?

Yes. The museum is a keeping place for the stories from our past. Click here to download the 'information form'. The local studies collection held and maintained by the Hawkesbury Central Library Service has an extensive genealogical collection and resources. library website

Commemorative Booklet

To download a copy of the Commemorative Booklet from the Museum Opening click here.