Murray Raine's Marvellous Marionettes

Murray Raine's Marvellous Marionettes is on at the Newcastle Museum from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 1 November 2026, with the museum open 10am to 5pm daily. It's a look back at the career of Murray Raine, a Newcastle-born puppeteer who's spent decades working with marionettes.

The exhibition brings together many of the characters he's created over the years, and the range is one of the best things about it. You'll see the traditional Punch and Judy alongside figures from pop culture, including Madonna. It's not just the puppets on display, either — there are photographs hanging throughout that focus as much on human connection as they do on music.

There's a nice local thread to the whole thing. Raine started his career in puppetry as a young child right here in Newcastle, where he was mentored by Norman Hetherington, the man behind Mr Squiggle. From those early days, he grew into one of Australia's most celebrated puppeteers, and the exhibition traces the highlights of that journey. It's supported by Create NSW.

If you're heading in, the museum is at 6 Workshop Way, Newcastle 2300, and entry is free. It runs from 4 July through to 1 November, 10am to 5pm daily, so there's plenty of time to fit it in.