Wanneroo Regional Museum & Community History Centre

The Museum reflects the diverse communities that make up Wanneroo’s history through a range of exhibits, audio visual and interactive displays that are based on the central theme of “journeys”. This is epitomised by a reconstruction of Wanneroo Road, the lifeline of people living in Wanneroo reaching out to the rest of the metropolitan and the beginning of adventure for those travelling to Yanchep and beyond for holidays.

1960 Wanneroo Road Board

The recollections of local residents interpret the regions journey from an open land of lakes and traditional Aboriginal lifestyle to an isolated community of pioneers, and its growth into a thriving centre of industry and a contemporary multicultural society.

The Community History Centre is an amazing resource located within the museum. It provides a wealth of sources including photographs, maps, documents, newspapers and a selection of texts relating to the history and development of Wanneroo. The public access computrer lab is installed with family history research programs such as Ancestory.com to enable people to research their family history. Volunteers are regularly on hand to assist with this process.

  • WRAF Staff at Gloucester Lodge in Yanchep National Park
  • Market gardening was a vital economy in Wanneroo and made use of the natural resources; the abundant lakes.
  • Our children's space is mighty popular with its market garden truck complete with vegetables to pack and eggs to sell!
  • Electricity came late to Wanneroo with some people still using objects like the petrol powered washing machine well into the 1970s
  • An original beachshack was relocated from Quinn's Rocks and reassembled in the Museumw with all its contents as used by the donors, the Watkins family.

Collections

The museum features nearly 300 objects and a vast array of historic photographs to interpret life in Wanneroo as it evolved. The entire collection encompassess nearly 3000 objects relating to domestic life, beach shacks and holidaying in Yanchep and along the coast, commercial and recreational fishing, trade and industry such as Market Gardening,coachbuilding, construction and other rural industries. A moderate collection of textiles is complimented by handicrafts and civic memorabilia.

The Community History collection is comprised of photographs, documents, maps, oral history's, (both transcribed and digital) as well as a wealth of books, clippings and copies of texts relating to the history of Wanneroo.