Gunnedah Water Tower Museum

The Water Tower Museum is located in Anzac Park on South Street and is housed in an old water tower reservoir. The museum has a large display of memorabilia, artefacts, and archives with four floors and an observation deck.

On the outside of the museum are two large murals, painted by Jenny McCracken, commemorating those who served in the Vietnam War. On the surrounds is a memorial to Staff Nurse Annie Egan. Honouring a brave Australian WW1 Army Nurse who gave her life caring for soldiers at the Quarantine Station during the Spanish Flu epidemic.

Inside on the second floor is a mural painting that captures the very early Aboriginal and European history of the district. The Bill Clegg Memorial Display, on the ground floor, commemorates the service of Gunnedah and District people in the military conflicts from the Boer Wars through to that in Afghanistan.

The Water Tower Museum is the permanent home of Gunnedah and District Historical Society. The society was formed in 1963 at a public meeting called by Alderman Frank O’Keefe who was then mayor of Gunnedah. Gunnedah Municipal Council supported the society by providing an initial home for the collection in the rear of the new Elgin Street Council Chambers and has continued to support the society throughout the years.

The water tower was built in 1908 and was the first reservoir constructed in Gunnedah. It remained in service until the late 1950′s when it was eventually replaced by a steel reservoir that had been erected nearby. In 1968 work began to convert the old water tower into a unique home for the Historical Society’s collection of documents and articles. The Water Tower Museum was opened in 1980.

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Society Officers:

President: Marie Hobson

Secretary: Judy Lee

Treasurer: Alan Barker

Family Historian: Shirley Coote

Web Master: Colin Rosewell

Publications

The Water Tower Museum has a range of publications available for purchase including:

In The Line Of Fire – Gunnedah and District’s role in the Great War – Ron McLean (2015)

Soldiers of Gunnedah: In the Great War 1914-18 – Ron McLean (2020)

Gunnedah’s Lost Folks – Burials at Gunnedah’s Hunter Street Cemetery – Shirley Coote (2013)

Gunnedah & District Lost Folks – District burials at villages and properties – Shirley Coote (2008)

Searchable Publications

Some publications have been converted to electronic format and are fully searchable at the museum:

Centenary – Gunnedah Centenary (1856-1956) – John Longmuir (ed.) (1956)

A Century of Progress – A history of local government in Gunnedah and district 1885-1985 – Gunnedah Shire Council (1985)

Curlewis School Centenary – Curlewis Centenary Committee (1985)

The Way We Were – Sesquicentenary of Gunnedah 1856-2006 – Ron McLean (2006)

In The Line Of Fire – Gunnedah and District’s role in the Great War – Ron McLean (2015)

The Final Curtain – Triumph and tragedy, hope and heartbreak in the life of Gunnedah – Ron McLean (2019)

District War Memorials and Honour Rolls

Our database contains 4,458 records of names found on 23 War Memorials and Honour Rolls in Gunnedah and district.

Historic District Schools

60 historic (closed) schools in or near the Gunnedah Shire have been mapped and documented.

Exploration of the Liverpool Plains (1818-1843)

Our database and associated maps show the route and location of camp sites used by the explorers Oxley, Cunningham, Mitchell, and Leichardt on their journeys through the Liverpool Plains.

Archives

The museum has a large collection of historical records comprising newspapers, maps, personal papers, records of local businesses and organisations.

Researchers may view our records on payment of a $10 access fee. Museum volunteers can assist with research at $15 / hour or part thereof. Photocopies can be supplied at a cost of 50c / A4 page and $1 / A3 page.

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