Bulli Black Diamond Districts Heritage Centre - Museum

Don’t forget to check our upcoming Exhibitions programme!

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Unfortunately, due to community activities in Bulli, the Museum will not open until 2.00pm on Sunday 12th October 2025 –  apologies for inconvenience.

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In Brief – The Bulli Black Diamond Museum &  Heritage Centre at the eastern platform Bulli Railway Station was opened in 1989. The Centre houses a collection of railway and local coal mining artefacts, as well as exhibitions of social history, eg Sherbrooke the Lost Village on Bulli Mountain. We are an affiliated member of the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Location – The Black Diamond Heritage Centre is located on the eastern or “down” side of the Bulli Railway Station in Franklin Avenue, off Park Road Bulli.

Visitor Entry to the Centre is via the Porch at the roadside on the Station ‘down side” – which then opens to the Main Waiting Room.  Self guided heritage tour brochures, of Bulli’s heritage trails, are currently being developed for visitors to the Museum.

Hours – The Museum is open Sundays from 1pm-4pm and at other times by appointment. 

Entry Costs – $5 Adults / $4 Seniors – Concession / $3 – Children / Under 5 – Free / $12 Family – Credit Card Facility available. Morning Tea can be provided for Groups by Pre-arrangement – $6

For more details – see our BDHC Museum Brochure 2025

Exhibitions – Please look out for our regularly changing displays and exhibitions – click to view pics from our past exhibitions. Selected items from our collection may also be viewed  on eHive.

• Groups – We also open our Museum midweek for Groups by arrangement – attracting Seniors Groups, School Groups and Special Interest Groups – which cater for 5 – 45 people.
• Events – We regularly participate in NSW Seniors Festivals and National Trust Heritage Festivals.
• School & Youth Groups – We welcome visits from School Groups – for Schools, we aim to provide support for the NSW Schools History Syllabus K – 10 : Organisation of Content Early Stage 1 to Stage 3  and also for Teaching Heritage in NSW

Membership – New members are welcomed,  and volunteers are always sought to assist in the operation and maintenance of the Centre. Download Membership application (New members 50% discount in 1st year). For details on current office bearers – CLICK

Our Museum and Its History – The old station was headed for demolition in 1987, which triggered a concerted community effort to save it  – click here for more details of the Centre’s establishment – why not join us too – download a  Membership Form (New members 50% discount in 1st year).

Rail Heritage – Rail in Bulli has a history of over 150 years. The first rail in the township was the 1861 horse drawn tramway of standard gauge for the Bulli Mine, after mining had commenced as early as 1858. Though commercial operations didn’t get underway for several more years.  The horse drawn trams were followed by the first steam locomotive in May 1867. The South Coast Line was opened between Clifton and Bombo on June 21 1887, with full duplication of the line completed May 27 1923  (Source : C.C. Singleton – “Railway History in Illawarra“).

• See More on Rail Heritage

Reference Library – The Museum has a collection of books on Local History and Railway History which may be accessed in the Museum. Folders with photos from past Museum exhibitions from 2014  can also be viewed.

Social History – In addition to the main focus on Rail and Coal, the Museum also features some local family history, particularly of the Blinkco and Chamberlain-Hargrave-Nicklin-Aston families. There are also a number of books on local history for sale.

The Museum also has a Facebook Page, where historical photos are shared, and is associated with the Sandon Point Bulli Then and Now Facebook Page. Several books of reminisces of Bulli people have been published in the “Footprints” series, and also Seniors Memories.

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