dunera museum

This was a very interesting tour through part of our history I knew nothing about. People wrongly (and rightly) sent to Australia and interred - and what life was like for them in Hay in the mid-40's we can barely imagine. But this helps!

Two railway carriages full of memorabilia and the story of the Dunera Boys and a bit about the PoWs too. Honour system for entry.

The Dunera museum is a collection of stories and some artefacts from the POW internment camp at Hay. The collection is displayed in old train carriages at the historic (no longer used) train station at Hay. It is not a professionally run and polished museum, it looks a bit amateur but if you take the time to read the stories, you could not help but be moved. Before we went to Hay, I had no idea there had been a POW camp there. The museum displays the reasons the camp was there, gives statistics of who was there, tells some of the individual stories and has reproductions of the camps newsletters and currency. My husband was particularly interested in this and we were delighted to find we could purchase a book about the camp in town. The entry fee to the museum is quite cheap and is paid into an honesty box in one of the carriages.

Great big old station house with nothing in it. 3 old train carriages with a little history of the POW camps in Hay. Wasn't really worth getting out of the car for.

I found the visit to the old restored railway station very informative as I was unaware of this history of the Dunera Camps for the Jewish refugees and the Japanese and Italian POWs. Entry fee is via an honesty box and it is a self guided tour with recorded information available. The memorabilia from the camps is very touching. and gives a very personal touch to the history.

Nice setting in the old railway carriages and a unique bit of history.Could do with a tidy up and a refresh of some of exhibits( re laminate etc) so easier to read.Station has been restored very well and looks a treat.

Amazing display and informative. best way to learn... I did not know this story before, and I think It is a great credit to Hay that they have this museum set up.

Went to the Dunera Museum expecting an interesting experience but one which would not take up a great deal of time. We were wrong - we stayed far longer than we had expected, and wished that we could have stayed longer. The museum is set up in two railway carriages which are "parked" in the now disused Hay Railway Station. The attractive station buildings are well cared for, in excellent condition, and are flood lit in the evening - and it's worth a visit to see them after dark. The museum contains fascinating memorabilia of an unfortunate episode in British history - the sending out to Australia of a group of (mainly) Jewish men who fled to England to escape Nazi Germany. They were treated badly (by some British Army Officers) on board The Dunera on the journey to Australia, and although held in the Hay internment camps for some time, were well treated there - and eventually released. Italian and Japanese POWs were then held in the camps - they were required to work on the land, growing food for the camp and surrounding area. Men from all groups have made return visits to Hay and some migrated back to the area after the war. It's a long time since the time of the camps - and now some of the descendants of the internees are making trips back to Hay. The Dunera Museum was the highlight of our recent trip to Hay, and if you're very lucky you may encounter local expert David during your visit - and if you do meeting him will probably be the highlight of your visit to the Dunera Museum.

The museum is small being based in 2 converted train carriages. It was very quiet when we visited. The museum is set out well with lots of information on the POW's.

Dont get me wrong I liked what we saw here, its just that its at that point where a lick of paint and some better (or overhauled) displays would really tidy the place up and bring the stories out better. With the local blokes shed just over the road it seems like a god project for them if they were keen.Only $4 to get in and with an honesty box, its hard to not to give them more in the hope they will invest in the museum.

A bit disappointing. Expected the museum to be in the old Railway Station as well, however only the 2 railway carriages are used.Was interesting, but not enough information as to where the actual camps were.

We visited the Dunera Museum in April and found it to be a unique and very interesting place to see. The museum is set in old train carriages at Hay Railway Station which itself is a lovely step back in time, as it no longer functions.The train carriages set the scene perfectly for the many stories and artifacts of various Prisoners during WWII that were in a Prisoner of War camp in Hay during that time. We felt It is well worth our time spent there and highly recommend visiting.

I recently went here with my university as a part of heritage studies. This little museum featured on old railway carriages is quite simply incredible. Very informative, contains unique collections and stories that could not readily be found on the not very well known prisoner of war camp that operated in Hay. The lovely chap who runs it is a local and lived there while the prisoner of war camp was operating. If you get chance, he has many stories worth a listen. This small historic museum is one of a kind and I highly recommend a visit.

A relatively unknown story, but well told. The setting of the museum adds to the attraction, being in railway carriages at the very impressive Hay Railway Station.

The setting, at the old Railway Station - with an irritating wind moaning, was quite evocative. It felt so desolate, and then to read the stories of the people interned there was so poignant. They really made the best of it and the whole experience was uplifting.