BY ALEXANDRA REES
The rich history of Lake Macquarie could soon be celebrated under a new draft heritage museum strategy.
On public exhibition, the Council's hoping to develop tourism-focused museum heritage programs and will work with local aboriginal groups to recognise and preserve sites and collections.
Council Arts and Tourism Manager Jacqui Hemsley says there's been increased interest in the region's history.
"There's huge interest from visitors to our city as well as well as our students and our community in understanding a little bit more of the identity and the history of our place," she said.
"That includes our pre-contact history with the Awabakal culture as well as our more modern history."
Council already maintains a variety of sites that form part of Lake Mac's museum landscape from libraries to the landmark Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC), at Booragul.
Ms Hemsley says the program wouldn't have been possible without co-operation with the community.
"The superb work the heritage advisors have done in developing heritage plans and strategies for the city, some of the cultural collections as well as some of the Awabakal cultural heritage, and working through some of the amazing programs and stories and oral histories that come from that sector," she said.
"We've really started to develop quite a strong and vibrant heritage community."
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| Community Museum Officer Meg O'Donnell with heritage items in Council's collection. |
