A 4-star rating might seem a bit generous: After all, the museum is quite small, open only on Wednesdays and Sundays, staffed primarily by volunteers, and includes a few ordinary displays inside. But, upon closer inspection, especially out the back, the museum offers some unique insights into Illawarra during the early years. Outside are a series of rooms or spaces, each replete with fascinating artefacts around a particular theme. For example, these spaces include an air raid shelter, a blacksmith’s shop, a stockman’s hut, a laundry, and horse drawn vehicles. The artefacts that adorn these spaces, including ploughs, surreys, and a range of other implements, vehicles, and objects, are each labelled and described, in some depth, on a separate display. Some of these narratives are intriguing. Inside are also various rooms, with furnishings and objects from previous decades, coupled with some interesting panoramic photos of Wollongong over the years as well. The museum is housed in a building that was the first telegraph and post office in the area. The staff that man the desk are friendly and informative as well.

Not as much actual history of Wollongong as I expected. My partner thought we were going to a 'real' museum and had planned several hours for the site. That was my fault for not expressing that it was a tiny, local place. All in all, the staff was friendly and it had a pleasant presentation. Not really worth the time though ... all 15 minutes of the 'day' that it took to see it.