Subiaco Museum officially opened in 1975 – and on Saturday, a special golden anniversary party was held on its lawn to mark the occasion.
The museum was opened on 2 November 1975 by Miss Chugg and Miss Daglish – descendants of two of Subiaco’s pioneering families, and founding members of the Subiaco Historical Society.
Its opening was supported by the City of Subiaco and former Mayor Richard Diggins, and twenty years later, in 1994, the City took over custodianship of the museum in efforts to preserve and promote the area’s local history and heritage.
Today, the museum has a collection that spans more than 15,000 objects, and recently underwent its
first major refurbishment in its permanent gallery space, making the centre more interactive, engaging, and contemporary.
The 50
th birthday party hosted on Saturday 1 November included a special panel with the current and former museum curators, plus a sneak peek at the museum’s new anniversary exhibition, titled
50 Objects, 50 Years.
The exhibition, which showcases 50 key objects from the museum’s collection, is now on display until early 2026. View the
museum’s opening hours here, and if you can’t make it in-person, you can
browse the exhibition online.
The museum team has another reason to celebrate, as they were just announced on the shortlist for two WA Heritage Awards; in the categories of Contribution by an Organisation (City of Subiaco), including the museum’s recent major storage upgrade, digitisation of its photograph collection and the development of museum public programs, and Interpretation Project, for the museum’s recent permanent gallery refurbishment.
Mayor David McMullen said, “Subiaco Museum plays a vital role in connecting our community with the City’s rich history, and occasions like this golden anniversary are the perfect opportunity to take stock and appreciate the museum and its staff, who do a fantastic job conserving, preserving, and exhibiting important local artefacts.”
Stay tuned for more information and fun facts about the museum’s 50
th anniversary throughout November 2025.
Fast facts about Subiaco Museum
- There are currently 15,208 items within the museum’s collection.
- The museum has digitised 6,929 photographs, many of which can be viewed on CollectionsWA, alongside another 6,982 objects that have been professionally photographed.
- The most viewed item from the museum on CollectionsWA is a cigarette holder display stand, which has been clicked 4521 times.
- There have been 7 curators since the museum opened – and all are female.
- The diameter of the smallest item in the museum is a 10mm button.
- The largest collection of objects from a single donor is 514 objects – donated by the Lipfert family.
- There are 629 textile items within the museum’s collection.
- Recently conserved large-scale objects include a 90-year-old wedding dress, a 1923 working gramophone, a 19th century cedar sideboard, and the baptismal font from St Hughs Church Jolimont.
- 374 school students visited the museum as part of the 2025 school visit program.
- The museum has 154 oral histories within its collection.