Emma Pritchard|

As she prepares to close the door behind her, Clarence River Historical Society member Robyn Schaeffer, is looking forward to opening it again soon and welcoming visitors back to one of Grafton’s most valuable attractions.

Forced to close several weeks ago due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and growing outbreak in Greater Sydney, Schaeffer House Museum is preparing to reopen to the public once again.

President of the Clarence River Historical Society Steve Tranter said while he and the other members have been closely monitoring the latest Covid-19 developments, they are confident the museum will be able to safely welcome visitors under strict and carefully managed guidelines.

“We want to open the doors again,” he said confidently.

“We want visitors to come back and I think we’ll be able to manage numbers effectively.”

Mr Tranter believes Schaeffer House Museum can be safely reopened in compliance with Covid-19 guidelines to small groups of visitors including local school excursions and day tours if bookings are made in advance, numbers are limited, and travellers can provide information to confirm they do not live or have not visited a hot spot.

Since the museum shut its doors on June 27, members and volunteers have taken advantage of the forced closure to dedicate more time to documenting and cataloguing the enormous historical collection on display and make several changes to the exhibitions.

Rooms have been rearranged to provide better disabled access for visitors and to safely accommodate a limited number of people in adherence to social distancing rules.

“There have been a few changes going on,” Mr Tranter said.

“Our members have been working hard to organise the museum for its reopening, which we hope can happen sooner rather than later.”

The museum is home to some of the Clarence Valley’s most historically significant artefacts and treasures along with local family heirlooms and several priceless pieces of Australian memorabilia.

While discussions about a possible reopening date are yet to finalised, Mr Tranter and the other members of the Clarence River Historical Society are hopeful the doors will open again to visitors in the upcoming weeks.

The Clarence Valley Independent will continue to provide further updates regarding the reopening.

Please keep a lookout in upcoming editions and on our website and social media sites.