Sydney's Powerhouse Museum Goes West

13 Apr 16

This week the New South Wales government announced its plans to relocate Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. One of the biggest cultural institutions in the city, the museum is set to move to the banks of the Parramatta River, in the former David Jones car park. Despite opposition from the community, Premier Mike Baird makes no apologies for the decision to build a new Powerhouse Museum in the new location.

However the Powerhouse is one of the most popular Sydney attractions and is held dear by many. The decision to move it has affected members of the community far and wide it seems, with a petition calling for the government to reconsider its decision to move the museum receiving 10,000 signatures including signatures from former premier Bob Carr and Australian-born Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett. Supporters of the petition have called for the government to scrap its plan to move the museum from the inner city out to Ultimo in the city's west.

Mr Baird has defended the relocation, saying that it was time western Sydney had one of the great cultural institutions during a visit to the proposed site. Blaming the previous state government for neglecting the city's west, Mr Baird said he was confident tourists would be willing to make the journey west to visit the attraction, helping to boost the local economy. Although plans for the Ultimo site still need to be determined, the government is expected to sell the valuable inner-city land the Powerhouse currently stands on.

The current site of the Powerhouse Museum is steeped in history and originally housed a power station which was dedicated to running Sydney's electric trams. The new museum is expected to be renamed and will showcase a great deal more of the Powerhouse's exhibits. Construction on the new museum is due to start in 2018 and is expected to be completed by 2022, creating an estimated 3000 jobs.