Reopened museum welcomes its 20,000th visitor

THE revamped Queenscliffe Historical Museum (QHM) is proving a hit with visitors, with the facility marking its 20,000th visitor since it opened 18 months ago in its new home at the Queenscliffe Hub.

Mary Grundy, 84, acheived the milestone when she came through the doors on Monday this week.

Ms Grundy has a story to tell of her own. She has a long history with Queenscliff and was visiting the museum with her daughter Frances, a volunteer in the collections area.

She was born in 1932 in Geelong and lived in the borough as a child.

“I have wonderful memories of my mother who worked as agent for the paddle ships,” she said.

Ms Grundy trained as a teacher, married in 1966, had eight children and lived in Melbourne, often holidaying in Queenscliff.

In the 1980s, she returned to live in Queenscliff and taught at Queenscliff High School from 1984 to 1988.

QHM focuses on about 170 years of social history, stretching from the mid-1800s to the present day.

It is based in the Queenscliffe Hub (also known as Wirrng Wirrng), which opened in Hesse Street in October 2022.

The museum relies on fundraising, donations, and grants to keep its entry free to ensure Queenscliffe’s history is accessible to all, particularly young families, six days a week.

QHM president Stephen Lee congratulated Ms Grundy on being the 20,000 visitor to the musuem.

“I am privileged to be the museum’s president and to lead an amazing team of more than 100 volunteers who have re-established our museum in the new Queenscliffe Hub,” he said.

“We are also grateful to all our sponsors, including Regional Development Victoria, the Borough of Queenscliffe, FFV, and others listed on our website.”

The museum’s recent awards include 2024 Community Organisation of the Year from the Borough of Queenscliffe in May, AMaGA’s Volunteer-run Project of the Year (Museums & Galleries) in 2023, and a commendation at this year’s Victorian Community History Awards from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.