La Perouse Museum, overlooking Kamay Botany Bay in south-east Sydney, will close for two months from Wednesday 4 September 2024 for maintenance works and upgrades.
The Randwick City Council venue is an important cultural facility for Aboriginal, French and colonial history.
Works will include repairing and painting internal walls, restoring windows, and cleaning and sealing open fireplaces. The museum’s exhibition lighting will also be improved throughout the public galleries.
Over the next two months, Randwick Council will carry out maintenance works across the La Perouse headland surrounding the museum. This will include the removal of dead trees and weeds, landscaping, installation of new fencing, and works on the museum’s driveway to improve accessibility.
The museum is housed in the 1882 Cable Station, which was originally built for staff operating the submarine telegraph between Australia and New Zealand. From 1917 it provided accommodation for nurses, and from 1944 it was a Salvation Army refuge for women and children.
La Perouse Museum opened in 1988 and Randwick Council took over management of the museum, collections, and the headland in 2017.
Today, the museum includes changing exhibitions, research, cultural tours and programs, performances, education excursions, concerts and public collections across five main themes: the Traditional Custodians and the ongoing stories of the La Perouse Aboriginal community; European arrivals including Lapérouse and the French legacy; science and communication; the environment; and the social histories of the area of La Perouse and connections to Randwick.
La Perouse Museum is estimated to re-open by early November 2024.
