Randwick City Council signed a 42-year lease of the La Perouse Museum on Tuesday, 5 September 2017, taking over care and control of the area from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Mayor Noel D’Souza announced.

The lease, signed by Mayor D’Souza and NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton, will also include the Macquarie Watchtower, the La Perouse Monument and the Pere Receveur Tomb, but excludes Bare Island.

"This is a momentous occasion that Council and many people in the community have been working towards for a number of years," Mayor D'Souza said. "Council has strong connections with the local community and we’re honoured to accept this responsibility.

“La Perouse has a unique history, which we aim to explore and celebrate when we upgrade the Museum and expand the collection. With this lease handover we now have the opportunity to elevate La Perouse as one of Australia’s top cultural destinations.”

Randwick Council will increase the Museum operating hours to three days per week and hire a curator to consolidate and expand the current collection and develop a new exhibit and display strategy.

"Nowhere else in this great country do we have such an interesting meeting point of cultures – Indigenous, Colonial and French. I’d like to see the Museum brimming with life; a celebration of Australia, of who we are and an acknowledgement of where we’ve come from. 

"My dream is that this precinct becomes a place where students, visitors and locals alike come to learn about our Indigenous brothers and sisters and their unbroken links with this same land dating back 40,000 years."

Council will consult with the local community about the future uses of the area. Some of the ideas being considered include restoring and repairing the La Perouse Museum, increasing community access, expanding and enhancing the Museum’s Indigenous collection and possibly providing a café, event space and Museum shop.

"This headland, the Museum and Watch Tower is steeped in history. It’s a history that needs to be told, it needs to be nurtured and it needs to be protected. Because this building is not owned by us, it’s not owned by the State Government or National Parks – it’s owned by the community. We are merely custodians passing through time. But in this time, we have an opportunity. An opportunity to make this place even better than what it is today." 

At the same event, Randwick Council took delivery of the anchor from Laperouse’s vessel, the Corvette L'Astrolabe. It has been in storage for the past 50 years, but will be restored and returned to display at the Museum so residents and visitors can share in this piece of Australia’s history.

Randwick Council will be responsible for maintenance of the heritage sites and the costs associated with managing the museum and will officially operate the precinct from Thursday, October 26, 2017.