Since opening in 2011, Newcastle Museum has gone from strength to
strength, gaining accolades for its sustainable design, its exhibitions,
and the sensitive restoration of the historic Honeysuckle site.
The most recent feather in the Museum’s cap was a win in the Sustainability category and a commendation in the Permanent Exhibitions category of the 2012 Museums and Galleries Awards (MAGNAs), held every year by Museums Australia.
Newcastle Museum Director, Belinda Betts, said that the MAGNAs were very competitive, as they are open to all Australian cultural collecting institutions.
Belinda went on to say that the recognition the Museum was receiving, both in terms of awards and from the public, was well deserved.
“We expected the new Newcastle Museum to be popular with visitors and this is certainly proving to be the case. What we didn’t expect is the redevelopment project and final product to be so well received across such a diverse range of industry experts.”
In its first year, Newcastle Museum has received the following awards: Master Builders Association of NSW 2011 — Winner of Adaptive Re-use of an historic building; Melbourne Design Awards 2011 — Best Photography for the promotional campaign directed at kids; Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Awards 2012 – Commendation Award in Urban Renewal and Winner of Best NSW Regional & ACT Project; Hunter Tourism Awards 2012 – Winner in New Tourism Development; and the Landcom Lower Hunter Urban Design Awards 2012 – Graph Building Heritage Award and the Scooters & Mobility and Australasian Independent Living Aids Universal Access Award.
“The recognition at the MAGNAs caps off what has been a very successful year for the Newcastle Museum. From the bricks and mortar, to marketing and mobility — all facets of our operations have been in the spotlight,” said Belinda.
