National History

Ronald McDonald House Charities in Australia

In 1981 children’s charities were forever changed in Australia when the first Ronald McDonald House opened its doors in NSW. Since then, the charity has grown to 18 Houses across the country as well as 18 Family Rooms, 5 Family Retreats, 1 Care Mobile and our National Learning Program.

The first Ronald McDonald House

Australia’s first Ronald McDonald House was located next to the former Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Camperdown NSW, before moving to Westmead in 1995 when the hospital relocated.

Our House at Westmead soon had a significant waiting list, so to address the demand we initiated the “Building Love” campaign in 2012 to raise capital funds for the development of a bigger and better House. The campaign was a resounding success and in 2018 our new House was opened, able to house more than double the original facility could.

World-first Ronald McDonald Learning Program

Our Learning Program was launched in 1999 to support seriously ill children who had missed months, or even years, of school. This was a word-first Australian initiative to ensure that seriously ill children weren’t further disadvantaged by also falling behind at school. Providing one-on-one tuition from qualified teachers, this Program has had a significant impact on the confidence and future prospects of children who have battled serious illness.

Ronald McDonald House Charities in Australia Today

Thanks to the generosity of the community, our vital partners, our incredible staff and our tireless volunteers, today we support more than 40,000 families each year.