Noosa Museum was founded by the Cooroora Historical Society in 1985 as a means to preserve the vanishing remnants of our past, and to make our history accessible by residents and visitors. The museum officially opened on 27th April 1985 in the building that was previously the Noosa Shire Council Chambers.

Noosa Museum’s collection includes over 5,000 artefacts telling the story of our region, from the early days to recent times. They include farming equipment, carpentry tools, timber samples – Pomona was known for its high quality timber – through to war relics and musical instruments.

Each display illustrates a moment in time and traces the progress of the Noosa district, from before the arrival of the first Europeans through to the present day. It is a fascinating journey through time.

There is also a library of books about the Noosa Shire and newspapers dating back to the early 20th century and an extensive collection of photographs capturing many moments of our pioneering past, as well as modern moments that will one day be part of local history. These historical photographs offer a revealing insight into the life and times of the district, from the years before the establishment of Noosa Shire in 1910, through to recent times. The pictures document the transformation of the region from an untouched landscape that was home to the indigenous people, through the days of the pioneer settlers to the tourism and development powerhouse it is today.

Visitors are welcome to look through the library, photographs and historical records.

Noosa Museum is more than a static display. They appear at various events throughout the district, where they might be found demonstrating heritage machinery – perhaps even our fire engines – giving presentations on subjects of interest, selling our publications, even hosting performers.

Noosa Shire Museum acknowledge the Gubbi Gubbi people, traditional owners of the land on which this museum is sited, and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.