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Yamba Museum - The Story House.
"Saving a little of yesterday
for tomorrow"
The 'Clarence', 'Favourite'
& 'Woolwich'
Our Collection
We have 1,000 unique and irreplaceable
photographs, as well as paintings and artifacts
dating back before white settlement that tells
the story of Yamba’s township and maritime
history, thus our name Story House Museum.
Individual photographic wall
displays are set out under the following themes
make up the format of the collection in five “rooms”.
It begins in the “Breakwater
Room” which tells the story of the
construction of the entrance works between 1862
and 1971. The exhibits on this theme include photographs,
artifacts, working plans, documents, official
reports and models. It is a fascinating story
of governments responding to demands by the local
people for help in developing the river, but as
this entailed expenditure of vast sums of money,
cynics had plenty of scope in observing and commenting
on the political maneuvering over the years.
The lighthouse, Yamba (circa
WW2)
There is also a model of the
lighthouse on Pilot Hill. In 1879 the first lighthouse
was built. Over the years it was upgraded and
eventually demolished and replaced in 1955 by
the one that is still in use today. A replica
of the first lighthouse now houses a community
radio station.
In addition this room houses
a library of over 1000 items, mainly on local
history, and subsidiary themes on the Aborigines
and two outstanding mariners connected with the
town’s discovery and establishment.
This living story continues
to unfold from the Entrance
Room, Clarence Room,
the Channel Room
and finally the School
Room. The “leaves” of the book
open to reveal the history in exhibits organised
under the following themes:
Township, Fishing Industry, Sugarcane Industry,
The Waterfront, Australia Remembers and finally
Education.
Of specific maritime interest
is The Waterfront exhibit, which dominates the
Clarence Room. By means of artifacts, model, maps,
diagrams, news items and photographs it covers
the following subjects and more:
Shipwrecks
The Port of Yamba
The Fishing, Sugarcane and Tourism Industries
Shipwrecks
Yamba owes its special character
to the fact that it is situated at the entrance
of the largest estuarine system in the state.
Until the North Coast railway line reached Grafton
in 1923 almost all goods cargo to Sydney was by
sea, as was much of the passenger traffic. The
importance to Yamba of this heavy sea-going traffic
was that the safe passage of ships along the dangerous
channel and through the reef and bar to sea had
to be supervised by the Yamba-based pilot and
his staff. In spite of their best efforts from
1850-1896 numerous ships were wrecked at the entrance,
in many cases brave rescues being effected by
local citizens as well as MSB staff as many of
our photographs can attest to the fate of many
wrecks and the inevitable loss of lives.
Sailing Ships, Paddle-wheelers,
Screw-Driven Ships, Dredges, MSB Tugs Riverboats
and Sugarcane Punts, Droghers, Launches, and Bulk
Carriers
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With Settlement, people and
supplies moving in and out of the entrance meant
that Clarence Heads with its dangerous bar assumed
great commercial importance. This led to an influx
of workers and the establishment of commercial
enterprises needed to provide them with food,
shelter and essential services. Aerial views show
our extensive waterways, the development of Yamba
and the encroaching sands of Pippi Beach that
became a threat in the 1920’s when the sand
dunes became unstable because of pedestrian and
cattle traffic and the prevailing winds blew the
sand and threaten the township.
Main Beach, Yamba, circa
1940.
Yamba was an isolated outpost
for the first 50 years of its existence because
of poor accessibility by road. Life here on the
Clarence might be truly called the Mississippi
of Australia. People went shopping, visiting and
fishing by river boats, sailing crafts transported
timber, sea going paddlewheel and screw-driven
steamers shared the waterways with boat-hauled
trains of sugar cane barges, ferries, droghers
cream boats and mobile general stores.
The Port of Yamba
The large deep-sea wharf was
constructed at Goodwood Island in 1969 and was
for many years completely idle. However in 1977
the facility was brought into commercial use for
deep-sea trade and shipping on the initiative
of the Yamba Shipping Company. During this same
year the first overseas ship came into service
with a full cargo of timber flitches from West
Samoa. 1983-84 saw a change in shipping operations
from imports to exports with live cattle destined
for South Korea. The Lord Howe Island Service
also began and is still in operation today.
The Fishing, Sugarcane and Tourism
Industries
These are the mainstays of our
economic development and our collection gives
a good picture of the way we were and how we have
grown and developed over the years. There is a
wide selection of photographs of fishing trawlers,
cane punts and a variety of modern vessels that
use the marina facilities built in the early 1990s.
Ships of War are also on display
along with replicas of the Norfolk and Bounty
who have also visited the port.
The collection has grown in
recent times to include our schools, sporting
clubs and organisations, communication and essential
services. Thus providing an overall picture of
the way we were and how we have grown and developed
into what we are today.
ABOUT US:
Open
Tuesday, Wednesday 10am - 4.30 pm
Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 2pm - 4.30 pm
Closing 5pm daylight saving time
or by appointment
Located
River Street Yamba (next to the Golf Club)
Entry
Adults $3 School Children Free
Contact
PO Box 100
Yamba 2464
e-mail: pyhs@ceinternet.com.au
Museum Phone/Fax
(02) 66461399
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