Now the landmark Newstead House is about to start a new chapter - as a child care centre.

Building works on Gowrie NSW's $2 million-plus conversion of the old Newstead Bowling Club will be complete in the next week or so, after which the organisation hopes to open the doors to children and their families as soon as possible.

"We don't have an exact date, but we're employing staff now with a view that as soon as our service approval comes through we'll be ready to go," Gowrie's general manager of early education and care Nicole Tytherleigh said.

Ms Tytherleigh says the new space will be a far cry from the standard design of most early learning centres.

The conversion was sympathetic to the original Victorian-style circa 1890 home, and while additions like the old bowling club bar that was installed in the 1950s had to be removed, heritage features like cornices, fireplaces, a large skylight and the tiled entry and stained glass remained intact.

"The building itself is beautiful ... and we want people to get a real sense of the history when they're inside as well as outside," she said.

The gardens will also retain their park-like feel.

"We don't want to deviate too far from that original aesthetic of the gardens.

"We really wanted to be authentic and true to the history of the building."

She said a lot of Orange residents had a connection to Newstead.

"When we we're recently doing some resourcing in local stores we heard lots of stories. One person said they'd had their wedding reception there, somebody else said they met their husband there at the bowling club - so it was really quite lovely that people have so many stories about how they relate and connect to the space."

COVID and trades availability caused some minor delays to the building works, but the biggest challenge facing the centre now was finding staff, Gowrie's executive director of pedagogy Michelle Richardson said.

The entire sector is facing severe staff shortages, with many centres struggling with recruitment.

"Our priority at the moment is finding a team and recruiting the remaining staff that we need, which is still quite a substantial number," she said.

While it has already employed some team members and a director, Kelly Grabham, Gowrie is still short of the 22 staff it needs to run the 90-place centre that will cater for children aged from six weeks to six years old.

Ms Richardson said the not-for-profit organisation, which was founded in in 1940, was an attractive employer that offered unique opportunities, above award salaries and excellent professional learning and development opportunities.

Positions are currently being advertised on the Gowrie website.

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