Morpeth Court House Museum and Maitland Regional Art Gallery art and heritage audio tour will vie for an award in their respective categories.

The museum is entered in the adaptive reuse category, while the gallery is in the education and interpretation category.

Winners will be announced at Daltone House in Pyrmont, Sydney on May 14.

Built by William Cains and ­completed in September 1862, Morpeth Court House is in the middle of town on the corner of Swan and Northumberland streets.

While courthouses were operating at East and West Maitland at that time, Morpeth’s rapid development as the Hunter Valley’s original river port meant crime came along with it.

Maitland City Council heritage ­officer Clare James entered the museum building in the competition. 

“The project involves the ongoing adaptive reuse of an 1860s former courthouse building in the heart of Morpeth township, with associated works to maintain, preserve and restore the building fabric,” she said.

“The work included updating the maintenance plan, lifting and re-affixing the slate roof and roof drainage system, external repairs and painting.”

Maitland Regional Art Gallery art and heritage audio tour, compiled by consultant historian Janis Wilton, offers an innovative and stimulating encounter with history, heritage and art.

The content draws on memories shared by residents, artists and architects voices, historical documents and old and new photographs.

The audio tour condenses a rich and varied history into sound bites that invite visitors to pause, listen, look, learn and be stimulated at various points throughout the gallery.

The tour app is a free download.