The National Wool Museum is housed in a beautifully restored 1872 bluestone wool store close to the vibrant new Waterfront Geelong.

The Museum is Australia's largest comprehensive museum of wool, showcasing the region's wool story - from the sheep's back to the clothes rack, and from the birth of the industry in the 1840's to its place in the world today.

Central to the Museum experience is the 1910 built Axminster Jacquard carpet loom. Daily demonstrations by the Museum's skilled carpet weavers show how the loom works, and at the same time produce the Museum's own "Manor House Rug", available for purchase through the Museum Shop.

The Museum has two permanent galleries telling the Australian story of wool. The first, "The Wool Harvest", looks at sheep farming and wool production. Exploring the pastoral aspect of wool in Australia, visitors can follow the path of the fleece through shearing, classing, wool pressing and dispatch. A recreated shearing shed and a film about shearing demonstrate what life in the shearing industry was like. Shearing demonstrations can be arranged for group bookings.

Gallery Two, "From Fleece to Fabric", looks at the processing of wool into fabric and offers an insight into the people and processes involved in the textile industry. A sequential display of the machinery actually used in the process demonstrates the transformation of fleece to fabric.

The Museum also has an exciting annual calendar of temporary exhibitions and events. On the Ground Floor, the Museum Shop stocks a wide range of woollen products and unique local crafts while Black Sheep Cafe & Restaurant offers great food, wines, coffee and cakes.

The Museum is fully wheel chair accessible and there are accessible parking spaces located directly in front of the Museum. Bus parking and group tours are also available.

Cost

Payment methods accepted

Cancellation and booking policy

Cheque payment acceptable for group bookings only.

Local directions

The Museum is located at the corner of Moorabool and Brougham Streets in the heart of central Geelong, one block from the waterfront and a ten minute walk from the Geelong Railway Station. A free shuttle bus service operates daily between the Geelong Railway Station and the Museum, running every 10 minutes during the summer months. Telephone 5272 5272 for more information.

Facilities

Activities

Opening hours

Museum and Shop Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday.

Monday to Friday
9:30am -5:00pm
The Museum Shop is open from 9am to 5pm 7 days per week.

Saturday and Sunday
10:00am -5:00pm

Memberships

• Cultural Tourism Industry Group
• Museums Australia
• Tourism Alliance Victoria

Disabled access

The Museum is fully wheelchair accessible and disabled parking is available in Brougham Street in front of the Museum. A wheelchair can be provided on request; bookings are advisable.

Additional business information

Scarf Festival 2012: The Journey
16 June to 2 September, 2012 The National Wool Museum and Craft Victoria are calling for craft enthusiasts to ‘take the journey’ with them and visit the 2012 Scarf Festival. Inspired by daily trips, happy holidays and special sojourns, the theme for this year’s festival is “The Journey”. This theme examines the paths we choose and the extraordinary discoveries we make along the way, allowing scarf makers to explore through textiles what it means to them to travel. Now into its fourth year in Geelong after a very successful run at its former home at Craft Victoria in Melbourne, the Festival will be staged from 16th June to 2nd September, 2012. The key event for the festival will be an exhibition of original handcrafted scarves created to reflect the maker’s own unique experiences and featuring a range of awards for the best scarves in each of the 12 categories. For the first time this year the Festival will also incorporate a People’s Choice Award, allowing visitors to vote for their favourites entries. More than 250 scarves will be on display submitted by individual craft-makers from around Australia and overseas. Most of the scarves will be available for purchase, although all will remain on display until the end of the exhibition. There’s also an exciting program of craft demonstrations running throughout the Festival. Entry is just $7.50 for adults, $6 concession and $4 for children. For further information, visit www.nwm.vic.gov.au, email scarffestival@geelongcity.vic.gov.au or telephone (03) 5272 4701.

Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs
2 November 2012 to 3 March 2013 Ok, so you know all about the Dinosaurs, but do you know about the ‘Permian Monsters’? This exhibition presents the relatively unknown and bizarre creatures of the Permian that lived before their more ‘famous’ ancestors, the dino¬saurs. The aim of the exhibition is to educate people about this geological period, its bizarre creatures and the greatest extinction Plan¬et Earth has ever experienced.

Expressions: The Wool Quilt Prize
17 December 2012 to 10 February 2013 Expressions 2012: The Wool Quilt Prize is a biennial exhibition and acquisitive award of AUS$3,000 designed to encourage excellence and promote the use of wool in contemporary art quilt making. The exhibition features finalists from around Australia in a visual feast of colour, design and texture, highlighting the unique qualities and versatility of wool as a creative medium. Have your say and vote in the People’s Choice Award, announced at the close of the exhibition.