Crumbling museum and neglected La Perouse headland saved after Randwick Council takes over lease

EXCLUSIVE: Australian history crumbling at La Perouse Headland will finally be restored following a landmark lease agreement between the National Parks and Randwick Council.

Randwick Mayor Noel D'Souza jumps for joy outside the old cable station, now the La Perouse Museum. Picture: John Appleyard

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AUSTRALIAN history crumbling at La Perouse Headland will finally be restored following a landmark lease agreement between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Randwick Council.

The lease, to be signed this morning, is the result of a two-year campaign to save the site from dilapidation.

The La Perouse museum, the Macquarie Watchtower, the La Perouse monument and headland landscape are all encompassed in the deal.

The c1820 Macquarie Watchtower is the earliest known surviving, sandstone tower building in Australia.

With its French, English and Aboriginal cultural significance, La Perouse is unique in the country’s colonial history, but the vestiges remaining are either overgrown by weeds or housed between the disintegrating walls of the old cable station.

Signs of damage and decay at the La Perouse Museum.

The cracked exterior — the building leaks during rain.

Randwick Council said its planned multimillion-dollar investment could transform the headland into of one Australia’s top indigenous cultural and tourist destinations, alongside Uluru and Arnhem Land.

“In particular the La Perouse Museum located within the cable station building provides us with a great opportunity,” Mayor Noel D’Souza said.

“With the lease of the land being handed over by State Government to council, I believe now is a turning point and an opportunity to work with the community to create a place that we’re all proud of.”

With multiple iconic buildings, monuments and indigenous history, Randwick Council is hoping to restore the headland and transform it into a top Sydney attraction.

The council has already allocated $610,000 towards initial repair work necessary to make the building presentable for visitors, as well as planning for its long-term refurbishment.

First up will be to improve public access and open the museum three days a week.

It is currently open for just six hours on Sunday.

Plans for the building include a possible cafe, gift shop, tours and additions to the 670-strong collection.

The La Perouse Monument is also included in the lease agreement.

A National Parks spokeswoman said the lease was a “common sense consolidation”. She declined to provide an answer for how the headland fell into disrepair but confirmed the department would continue to work with Randwick Council to ensure its heritage values are retained. “A comprehensive maintenance schedule is included in the lease, with council to be responsible for all maintenance of the heritage site,” she said.

NSW Heritage Minister Gabrielle Upton said the department would ensure the State Heritage-listed La Perouse headland is protected in the future.

“I want our state’s extraordinary heritage to get the focus it deserves,” she said.