Schaeffer House Museum — Attraction in Grafton

We parked our car and caravan directly outside the museum while waiting for it to open at 1 pm. This was amazing given the limited parking in this tree lined suburban street. Having 40 minutes to spare we thought to visit the information centre and gallery, when we were approached by a staff member who asked us to move as there was nowhere for the staff to park. Please note that there was no signed designated parking on the street. We advised the lady that we were coming back to view the museum when they opened at 1 pm. She suggested a side street next to the museum (which was not appropriate for a 20-foot caravan), or a space further up the road on the next corner. I'm not sure why either of these options were not considered suitable for their staff over the visiting public and the purpose of a museum; however, we did move to the next corner. We continued on to visit the information centre and gallery. However, after our less than satisfactory interaction with the museum staff member, we opted not to visit...

The lovely people here were amazing and incredibly knowledgeable. Thank you so much to Vita, Pat, and colleagues for sharing a piece of Grafton history with us and for restoring this wonderful place. The house was gorgeous and filled to the brim with donated historical pieces. We enjoyed Jacaranda Queens’ gowns and tiaras, photos of the Grafton Bridge, Schaeffer’s personal architectural flares, a full iron lung, playing cards from the 1800s...

What a great little museum. The house itself is interesting enough, but inside it is packed with an eclectic collection of interesting antiques, artifacts and historical items. It is staffed by volunteer, non-indigenous elders, take the time to chat with them, you will learn a lot about the area. They clearly love what they do and you might even be given a tour of the garden, and handfuls of cuttings...