LOCATION:
2 Queensland Road Murwillumbah NSW 2484
HOURS:
10am – 4pm Tues – Sat
PRICE:
Entry is free
Tucked away in one of my favourite towns in all of Australia, Murwillumbah, is the beautiful Tweed Regional Museum. Unassuming from the front, in it’s beautiful heritage exterior, within lies a modern space filled with fun finds, and interesting stories, and for local lovers like us, a rich history of our beloved Tweed region.
Celebrating 20 years, the museum has just launched their latest exhibit, Omnia: all and everything. It’s a playful exploration of our history, taking us through everything, including the clever and quirky.
Omnia features over 200 carefully selected objects, many of which have never been seen before by the public, which are curated by the passionate team into the most delightful displays.
This week, with NSW School Holidays happening, we decided to take a short drive out to Murwillumbah to check out Omnia, a celebration of all and everything with a collection of over 200 pieces carefully curated from the Tweed Region.
We stepped inside, and were instantly delighted. Met with whimsical displays, painted by the museum’s director, Molly, giving a great taste of what was to come. One thing I love about the Tweed is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and us locals seem to sprinkle everything with a little humour or fun, and that’s true for this exhibit too.
While we took our time to soak everything in, the kids dispersed quickly, drawn to the colours, and the interactive displays. I quickly found them in the rainbow room, making their own magnets to add to the large local map of Murwillumbah.
We stumbled across two old school phones, so I asked them, “How do you think you’d use this?” and they started trying to figure it out, spinning the dial quickly and not even picking up the receiver.
A quick lesson later, and they were trying out what it would be like to call our phone numbers, and ended up talking to each other (the phones are connected), which was really novel, and made me feel very old at the same time.
With Omnia there’s lots to see and explore, from a small room that has six minute stories, telling tales from the local area in an interactive way. There’s also an area where you can try and figure out where the tales are tall or true, including the popular story of the biggest bank robbery of all time that happened right in Murwillumbah.
As we were strolling around, one of the guides stopped by and asked if were booked into the School Holiday activity called Map Mystery. We weren’t, but the kids gave me the eye to say, “CAN WE?” and we quickly arranged it, so they could head out and get making maps.
With a quick chat around maps, and what makes them important, the girls then went out to the courtyard and got creating their own map on rice paper, aging it with tea and coffee, and of course burning the edges carefully to give it the authentic old look. The school holiday activities do generally book out quickly, and cost a small fee (it was $5 each and included all materials).
Afterwards we headed to local cafe The Austral (an iconic cafe in town), and ate lunch together and debriefed about the day. I grinned, “Did you have fun?” They almost yelled down the cafe in response. Lulu and her friend, Elle queried, holding onto their handmade maps, “Can we go again one day?”
And the answer is yes, because I would happily take it all in again too.
Why we love visiting
TWEED REGIONAL MUSEUM
It’s FREE. The Tweed Regional Museum is jam-packed with fun, and it’s all complimentary. With two levels, there’s plenty to explore, with interactive elements, videos, it feels super generous. If you’re visiting during the school holidays, you can book into one of their holiday activities for a small fee.
It’s ever-changing. The current exhibit is a celebration of Tweed, Omnia, which is super awesome, but the great thing is that next time you visit it might be something completely different. We try and visit at least twice a year so that we don’t miss an exhibit.
It’s fun for all ages. During our visit, we all seemed to disperse and explore ourselves. I stayed with the younger girls, and watched as they marveled at the exhibits, while Shane took in the rich history of the Tweed. We kept crossing paths and sharing things we found. If you’d like to explore without the kids, they also offer Sip & Stories, which a sweet tour, complimentary drink and a stroll through the museum with curator Erika (check the museum for dates, and to book tickets).
It’s an inclusive exhibition. Both the Tweed Regional Museum and the Tweed Regional Gallery offer free Auslan-interpreted tours for deaf and hard hearding visitors.For Deaf and hard of hearing visitors throughout the year, with staff and interpreters from Auslan Stage Left.
What to bring on your visit to Tweed Regional Museum
As the Tweed Regional Museum is a mostly indoor experience (you may spend time outside if you end up joining the School Holiday Activities), the great thing is, you don’t need to bring a thing. Pack your curiosity and your sense of adventure!
My kids love to take their pocket money, because the Tweed Regional Museum now has a shop, and it has some really fun buys. Our favourite is the geodes (a rock with crystal formations inside). You can pick up one for $5, and crack it open with a hammer when you return home, and discover the magic inside.
