You are invited to join the Araluen History Group on Sunday 13th September from 11:00 am at the historic Braidwood Museum, as part of the History Council of NSW’s History Week 2026. Every History Week, groups across NSW explore a shared theme. This year it’s Keeping Stories, how stories keep history alive, and what they tell us about ourselves.
The town of Braidwood and the surrounding villages of Araluen, Majors Creek, Mongarlowe, Nerriga and Reidsdale are coming together to present tales of local people and places at the Braidwood Museum. The area was a major location for gold mining from the 1850s and thousands of people came through to try their luck and then moved on.
Each place has its own character and characters. For Araluen, that story is the Araluen Star, our own local newspaper from the gold rush, and the extraordinary characters who leap off its pages. The preservation of the Araluen Star means the personal stories add depth and colour, bringing an understanding to life in the Valley in a way that dry facts and dates cannot.
Join us from 11am to 2pm and hear about the people who made us and made history, and how we uncover, make sense of and conserve the stories from our past. The presentations from history researchers and story tellers from each of the villages will start at 11.45.
For a $20 entry fee, payable at the door on the day, you can explore the museum, enjoy morning tea with us—including delicious homemade scones with Araluen’s Saucy Ladies jam and cream—and listen to fascinating stories. You’re very welcome to share some of your own, too! We hope to see you there, supporting the Araluen History Group. If you are unable join us in person, the information and presentation will be shared on the araluenvalley-history.com.au website at Keeping Stories.
