Owned and operated by the City of Bunbury on Wardandi Noongar Boodja, the Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre combines state of the art exhibition facilities and contemporary museum practice within one of the city’s best-loved heritage buildings, the 1886 Bunbury State School.
The Museum’s permanent exhibition tells the unique stories of the South West's regional centre and the colourful characters who helped to make Bunbury the vibrant port city that it is today. From the oldest continuous living culture of the Wardandi Noongar Aboriginal Australians, to the shipwrecks and struggles of early migrants, convicts and wartime stories, daily life and local industry - the people of the region have all contributed to this city’s rich history.
Museum staff are the caretakers for a number of cultural collections, including the City of Bunbury’s Local Studies reference collection of important documents and images which has been built over more than thirty years, and many artefacts significant to the history of the Bunbury region. These collection items are regularly showcased in the Museum's exhibition spaces, accompanied by other artefacts generously loaned by major cultural partners including the Western Australian Museum and the Bunbury Historical Society.
The Museum also:
- Delivers a changing program of travelling and locally developed Exhibitions and Displays
- Hosts an exciting selection of Events and public programs including School Excursions and Group Tours
- Produces an annual program of keystone events including the Bunbury Family History Expo, our Winter Warmer Program, and the annual History’s Mysteries Young Writers Competition
- Offers spaces for Venue Hire
- Supports the local heritage sector including the South West Historical Writers Group and the Greater Bunbury Heritage Organisations Network
- And runs a retail space stocking a diverse selection of local history publications.
Our mission is to inspire, educate and entertain the local community and visitors to Bunbury about the diverse history and cultural heritage of the City and the region. We are an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming community space, with a vision to engaging and provoking diverse audiences to consider how aspects of the past relate to their present and future, empowering people to share stories, build connections, and feel a sense of belonging and place.
Schedule your next visit to the Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre today to discover, explore, wonder and imagine.