Newcastle Museum marks 15 years at Honeysuckle with surging youth visitation

Newy 87.8 FM – Newcastle Museum has marked 15 years at its Honeysuckle home, with new figures revealing it has one of the youngest demographics of any museum in Australia.

Around 20% of the Museum's visitors are aged under 25, a significant increase from 15 years ago when just 6% of visitors fell into the 16-24 age bracket.

Almost 2.3 million people have visited since the former Railway Workshops at Honeysuckle were transformed into a state-of-the-art cultural facility in 2011. A glass Link Building was constructed to connect the three Heritage-listed railway workshops as part of the relocation.

Last year the Museum recorded its second highest audience numbers since the move, with just over 188,000 visitors, and more than 97,000 people had come through its doors by the end of July this year.

City of Newcastle Museum Archive Libraries and Learning Director Julie Baird, who is also President of the Australian Museum & Galleries Association, said the Museum had been strategic in appealing to multiple age groups, from teen-led after-hours takeovers to programs for broad tastes.

Ms Baird said around 65% of the audience now comes from outside the Hunter Region, compared to just 27% 15 years ago, with the Museum playing an increasingly significant role in the city's tourism offering.

The Museum achieved a satisfaction rate of 96% this year, with one of the highest visitation rates per capita in Australia.

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