Meroogal
Handed down through four generations of women from one local family, Meroogal tells a multitude of stories about the ‘Roogal’ women and the south-coast community in which they lived.
Side of the house facing Worrigee Street, Meroogal, 2008 MER08_0007
Entry
Adult | $15
Concession | $12
Family* | $38
Members | Free of charge
Children under 5 years | Free of charge
*2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children
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In accordance with the latest advice from the NSW Government, staff and visitors are not permitted to enter any SLM site if they have attended identified venues advised by NSW Health. Visitors with pre-booked tickets to whom this restriction applies should retain their tickets for entry at a later date. SLM Bookings can assist Monday-Friday: T: 02 8239 2211 or E: bookings@slm.com.au.
From Sunday 3 January 2021, visitors must wear masks when visiting our museums.
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Thorburn family at Meroogal, 13 January 1891.
A few blocks from the town centre of Nowra on NSW’s south coast, Meroogal is a rare and precious gem. Barely changed since it was built in the 1880s, the distinctive ‘Carpenter Gothic’ house has been loved and maintained by four generations of Thorburn and Macgregor women through the pleasures and labours of daily life. The house still overflows with their belongings – favourite books and ornaments, furniture, photographs, diaries and journals, newspaper clippings, receipts and recipes, appliances and clothes – and the garden, although reduced from its original size, still provides fruits and fresh produce that hint at their self-sufficiency and hospitality. Meroogal invites us into their lives, and through their private histories draws us into a shared and living past.
The latest at Meroogal
School holidays
Summer 2021: opening hoursMonday 7 December 2020
Explore our museums and make the most of your summer holidays.
Fun Activities on offer these Summer holidaysThursday 10 December 2020
Media release
Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2020 Winners’ AnnouncementWednesday 23 September 2020
The Meroogal Women’s Art Prize celebrates the creativity of female artists in NSW. The 2020 Winners were announced at a modest event at the Meroogal house museum.
Meroogal Women's Art Prize updateWednesday 3 June 2020
Meroogal
Meroogal Women's Art Prize 2020 entries now openTuesday 7 April 2020
Exterior view
Exterior view of Meroogal and garden
Meroogal 1903 by John Samuel Browning
Meroogal 1903, John Samuel Browning, watercolour on paper. John Samuel Browning (1831-1909) was a friend of the Thorburn family. He was a retired civil servant who had been Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor in Nelson, New Zealand.
In the kitchen
Stove and oven in the kitchen, Meroogal.
View into big balcony bedroom
A view into the big balcony bedroom from the upstairs (first floor) hall, Meroogal.
Exterior, around 1887
Photograph of Meroogal exterior, circa 1887. The man in the bowler hat is Robert Taylor Thorburn and the women are his sisters Belle Thorburn (left) and Tot Thorburn (right).
Front verandah, facing West Street
Front verandah at Meroogal, facing West Street.