Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum

Showcasing Australia’s industrial history.

The history of the Lithgow Small Arms Factory is about people – their aspirations, disappointments, and achievements, the economic and social hardships endured, the influence of our British heritage on Australia in the early 1900s, and sheer human stubbornness.

It is also about the introduction of new technologies into the emerging new nation. The Lithgow Factory was Australia’s first high precision mass production facility.

This museum, located on the original Commonwealth Small Arms Factory site, houses a fascinating collection that showcases the industrial heritage of our nation, and the finest firearms display in the Southern Hemisphere.

You may be surprised to recognise some of the diverse array of commercial items manufactured by the factory as it struggled to stay viable between the wars.

The Museum is doing a fantastic job identifying and telling stories that are about Lithgow, its community and the history that intersects with the factory. This way the museum is able to provide stories that resonate with all types of visitors not just those interested in the design and manufacture of firearms.

They have successfully pulled out the social history aspects of the factory and are working on telling these stories in an innovative and engaging way.

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