The Western Australian Museum – Geraldton welcomed its 500,000th visitor through its doors this morning, a major milestone since its new building opened to the public in August 2001.
Mr Alexander Kaiser was the 500,000th visitor and along with daughter Nelli, son Eduard and Eduard’s girlfriend Stefanie Kapp they were delighted to be greeted warmly by Museum staff and presented with a certificate and a basket of gifts from the Museum shop.
Western Australian Museum Geraldton Regional Manager, Catherine Belcher said Mr Kaiser is visiting Australia from Hassloch in Germany and it was an amazing surprise for both him and the staff at the Museum to welcome an international visitor as the 500,000th to the Museum.
“Milestone moments such as this prove the townspeople of Geraldton, and the WA Museum’s foresight to create a museum of this calibre, has been matched by the enthusiasm of the local, interstate and international community,” said Ms Belcher.
The WA Museum has a long history in the Mid West community. The establishment of the regional museum at the Old Railway Building in 1981 made Geraldton the second regional branch of the Western Australian Museum.
Twenty years later the new Museum was the first major building at the Batavia Coast Marina in 2001, now a thriving and integral part of the development of the City’s shoreline.
“The Museum is a significant cultural, educational and tourist attraction that has an important role in telling stories of the region, from the Mid West’s prehistoric past, the region’s Yamaji culture, to the wreck of the Batavia, and the more recent discovery of HMAS Sydney (II),” Ms Belcher said.
“We never tire of creating new ways of telling Mid West stories and bringing events, activities and exhibitions to Geraldton for the enjoyment of the community. I can say that 2012 is shaping up to be another great year and it’s our visitors that energise and inspire us to keep doing more.”
For more information visit: http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/museums/geraldton/
Media contact:
Catherine Belcher
Western Australian Museum
Geraldton Regional Manager
0437 775 109
