The Lure of Lapidary

sphere of striped red and black stone

Gilmore Bennet, known as Gil, was a Tamworth resident with an interest in geology – the study of the matter and processes that shape the earth, and lapidary – the art of cutting, polishing and engraving stones and gems. For over 20 years he collected geological specimens from Australia and around the world. In 2008 […]

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Celebrating the Key To Power

On 9 November 1988 the Tamworth PowerStation Museum was opened on the site where, one hundred years earlier, the steam engines that ran the town’s first electric street lights were located and housed. The museum’s opening marked and commemorated the centenary of the introduction of the town’s electric light system – which was the first […]

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The Gift of a Gallery

Made in 1919, a gift of over 100 paintings and works on paper led to the establishment of Tamworth’s first public art gallery. Known collectively as the Salvana Collection these works were donated by Australian artist John Salvana (1873-1956). Principally a painter, Salvana was best known for his ‘bush scenes’ or impressionistic landscapes of rural […]

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First Light

aged hardcover book with 'LETTER BOOK' on the spine

Tamworth was the first town and municipality in Australia, and the Southern Hemisphere, to install electric streetlights. The Veness Letter Book, pictured here, documents the unfolding story of this celebrated occasion. Installed in 1888, the electric streetlights replaced poor performing gas and kerosene lamps, which dimly lit the centre of town. The installation of electric […]

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