Sutherland Shire Historical Society
​Mindful of the Past
​Focused on the Future
HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM
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From early 2021 the Sutherland Shire Museum is located on the corner of Venetia Street and Holt Road Sylvania  in a small refurbished building originally opened in 1969 as a Baby Health Centre. It is sited on a 700 square metre Crown Land block administered by Sutherland Shire Council. It is adjacent to another larger vacant Crown Land parcel not administered by Sutherland Shire Council and to Sylvania Heights Public School.
 
The Sutherland Shire Museum is an arm of the Sutherland Shire Historical Society which was established in 1966. From its establishment there has been an affiliation with Sutherland Shire Council.
 
A museum was established in 1986 when the Sutherland Memorial School of Arts, built in 1922 and dedicated to the men from C Riding who participated in World War I, was renovated by Council. Two rooms were dedicated for use as a regional museum under the jurisdiction of the Sutherland Shire Historical Society. All maintenance and utilities costs were born by Council and no rent was charged.
 
Changed Council policies led to extensive consultation with Sutherland Shire Council, Sutherland Shire Historical Society, Museums and Galleries of NSW and the museum committee. The museum at Sutherland was closed in 2020. Following a period of uncertainty the museum was relocated and reopened in 2021 to  a refurbished building and in a new location. 
 
The museum is constrained by space and location limitations and significantly increased financial costs.
 
As with many regional museums run by historical societies, the financial, regulatory and staffing responsibilities of running a museum have resulted in some Councils assuming the management under Cultural Development Departments with related and complimentary facilities including a cafe, retail, tourism and art galleries (note: Bathurst, Orange, Lithgow, Katoomba). The Sutherland Shire Historical Society ultimately sees this model established by Council and professionally curated as the  most desirable model in order to best preserve the Society’s Collection.





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 Official Museum Opening Day  22 October 2022