Our history

Helping families with ill or injured children stay together and near the medical care they need for over three decades.

A family is crouched in front of greenery smiling at the camera. Included in the photo is a grandpa and grandma. In front of them is young boy, mum and dad. On mums lap is a small toddler wearing a nasal tube.

Local history

Since opening the doors to our Ronald McDonald House in Newcastle in 1991, we’ve supported hundreds-of-thousands of families, offering a place for families with ill and injured child a place to stay when they’ve needed to travel for medical treatment.

We’ve continued to expand our Programs, operating another Ronald McDonald House in Tamworth, two Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms in John Hunter Children’s Hospital and another in Gosford Hospital, as well as a Ronald McDonald House Family Retreat in Forster.

Our Ronald McDonald House Learning Program also supports sick kids and their siblings, equipping them with the tools to catch-up on any education they have missed due to illness.

National history

In 1981 children’s charities were forever changed in Australia when the first Ronald McDonald House opened it’s doors in Camperdown NSW. Since then, the Charity has grown to 19 Ronald McDonald Houses across the country; 19 Family Rooms; five Family Retreats and one Care Mobiles, as well as our Hospital Cart and National Learning Programs.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, our vital partners, incredible staff and tireless volunteers, today Ronald McDonald House Australia supports more than 64,000 families each year.

Global History

Our first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 1974, after recognizing the need for parents to stay close to their hospitalized child. As we opened more House Programs around the world, it became clear that caring for the family of a sick child was as important as caring for the child.

News from the Heart

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