The people behind the cars.

Whiteman Park covers about 4,000 hectares in the Swan Valley, on the upper reaches of the Swan River, 22 km north of Perth’s city centre. The Western Australian Government bought the land in 1978 to protect an aquifer that supplies Perth’s drinking water, and the park is named after Lew Whiteman, the largest of its former landowners.

The museum’s own story, which begins in 1983, is a recent chapter in the much longer history of this land.

The Combined Car Clubs Association of Western Australia, led by Maurice Brockwell, conceived the museum in 1983. It opened to the public on 21 December 1994 and became a trust in 1998.

It is a not-for-profit, largely self-funded through admissions, donations and sponsorship, with no ongoing government funding, and more than 70 volunteers help run it.

• Read the history of the museum→

Ricciardo Hall, a 2,000-square-metre extension, opened in 2017. The collection now counts more than 200 vehicles and over 15,000 scale model cars.

This history belongs to the place and the people who shaped it. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.

• Read the history of the museum→
• Explore the timeline→