The Hastings District Historical Society Museum occupies one of the town's heritage-listed buildings on Clarence Street and holds a substantial collection of objects, photographs, and documents relating to Port Macquarie and the Hastings River district from the convict era through the 20th century.
The collection covers farming and timber-getting equipment, domestic life, the cedar trade that drove much of the region's early European settlement, and the stories of individual families — both Indigenous Birpai people and the settlers who displaced them. Photographs from the 19th and early 20th century are a particular strength.
The museum is volunteer-run and opening hours can vary; check ahead or plan to visit mid-morning on a weekday. Entry is by donation. Given its proximity to the courthouse and burying ground, it fits naturally into a walk through the town's historic core.