Merimbula Old School Museum

31/05/2026

📣 TWO BRAND NEW EXHIBITIONS NOW OPEN! 📣

The Merimbula Old School Museum is excited to announce two fabulous new exhibitions celebrating the people, experiences and traditions that have shaped life on the Far South Coast.

🏥 Caring for Community – Health, Distance and Resilience

Step back in time and discover the remarkable story of healthcare in our region. From doctors travelling on horseback and pioneering women physicians, to community-funded hospitals, nursing, childbirth, ambulance services and the fight to retain Pambula District Hospital, this exhibition explores the challenges of providing medical care in a remote coastal district. Through personal stories, historic artefacts and local memories, it reveals the determination, ingenuity and resilience of the communities who cared for one another when help was often many miles away.

🦪 A Taste of the Tides – Oyster Delights of Pambula and Merimbula

For generations, the oysters of Pambula and Merimbula have been celebrated as one of the region's most treasured delicacies. This mouth-watering exhibition explores the story of oysters not simply as an industry, but as a food that has brought people together around tables, at celebrations and beside our beautiful estuaries for thousands of years.

Discover the traditions of oyster dining, elegant oyster plates and serving ware, seafood feasts, and the enduring appeal of the famous Sydney Rock Oyster. From Aboriginal shellfish gathering traditions to the region's reputation as a destination for seafood lovers, A Taste of the Tides celebrates the flavours, customs and social occasions that have made oysters an iconic part of life on the Far South Coast.

Together, these exhibitions reveal two very different but equally important stories of community life - one centred on caring for people, the other on gathering around food and sharing the bounty of our waterways.

Whether you have memories of local hospitals, a connection to the region's oyster traditions, or simply enjoy discovering the stories that make our communities unique, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

📍 Merimbula Old School Museum
📅 Open Thursdays and Sundays, 1.30pm – 4pm. Group bookings by appointment.

Come and discover the stories, flavours and experiences that have helped shape our community.

27/05/2026

18/05/2026

Opening soon at the Merimbula Old School Museum - “Caring for Community: Health, distance, and resilience on the Far South Coast.”

Discover the remarkable stories of the doctors, nurses, midwives, ambulance volunteers, hospitals, ancillary staff, and everyday community members who cared for people across our region through times of hardship, isolation, emergency, and change.

From home remedies and bush nursing to maternity wards, hospitals, ambulance services, and community campaigns to protect local healthcare, this new exhibition explores how generations of Far South Coast residents worked together to support one another when care was often difficult to access - and never taken for granted.

Featuring historic photographs, objects, personal stories, and powerful local memories, Caring for Community reflects on resilience, resourcefulness, and the enduring spirit of community care.

📍 Merimbula Old School Museum
📅 Opening soon — stay tuned for details.

Because care has never belonged to institutions alone. It has always belonged to people.

15/05/2026

📣 Come and meet us at the Bega Valley Volunteer Expo tomorrow!

The Merimbula Old School Museum will be joining community organisations from across the shire at the Volunteer Expo at Oaklands, Pambula, from 10am–1.30pm this Saturday (tomorrow). Museum President Peter Clancy will be on hand to chat about the many ways you can get involved in helping preserve and share our region’s rich history.

Whether you’re a long-time local, newly retired, looking to build skills, keen to meet people, or a “voluntourist” wanting to connect more deeply with the community while visiting the Far South Coast, there are plenty of opportunities to be involved. From exhibitions, collections care and research, to events, gardening, maintenance, storytelling, digitisation and welcoming visitors — every pair of hands helps carry our heritage forward for future generations.

Volunteering is not just about giving your time — it’s about making a difference, building connections, sharing knowledge and being part of something meaningful within the community.
📍 Oaklands Event Centre, Pambula
🕙 Saturday 16 May | 10am – 1.30pm
We’d love to see you there and have a chat about becoming part of the museum community!

03/05/2026

CALL-OUT FOR COOPER WOODS OLYMPIC MEMORABILIA! 🇦🇺❄️

Our region is still buzzing with pride after the 2026 Winter Olympics — and local legend Cooper Woods has given us something truly worth celebrating! 🥇

From the excitement of the world stage to the incredible welcome home in Pambula and Merimbula, this is history in the making — and we want to make sure it is preserved for the future

📣 Did you attend the welcome home?
📸 Got photos, videos, banners, tickets, or memorabilia?
🗞️ Held onto newspapers, programs, or anything special from the celebrations?
⛷️Items relating to his pre-Olympics training and achievements?

The Merimbula Old School Museum is keen to capture this moment for future generations — and we’d love your help.

👉 Donations can be dropped off during museum opening hours, Thursday and Sunday 1:30 – 4:00, 85 Main Street, Merimbula, NSW
(opposite the RSL); or email curator Angela George on [email protected]

Be part of telling this story. Be part of preserving our history.

Let’s make sure this moment — from before Olympic glory to community celebration and beyond — is remembered for years to come.

19/04/2026

A NEW ARRIVAL WITH A BIG STORY TO TELL:
The Merimbula Old School Museum is delighted to announce that the "Alma Gray", Merimbula’s last commercial fishing boat, has arrived on site.

This significant vessel was generously gifted to the Museum by Dr John Stephen, and we extend our thanks to him for ensuring her future within the community. We also sincerely acknowledge John and Joy Dawson, who cared for and stored Alma Gray over an extended period; as well as local fisherman Jack Gray, the vessel’s former owner. Their collective stewardship has helped preserve an important part of Merimbula’s fishing history.

We would also like to highlight the foresight of the Museum’s former President, Don Bretherton, who recognised the importance of the "Alma Gray" and her story to our region.

"Alma Gray" represents the end of an era in Merimbula’s commercial fishing industry. Alongside the Museum’s Brown oyster punt, these vessels are rare, tangible links to the working lives, skills, and industries that shaped our coastal community. They are not just boats, they are stories of labour, livelihood, and life on the water.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE - PROTECTING OUR MARITIME HERITAGE:
Now that the "Alma Gray" has arrived, the next step is ensuring her long-term preservation. Exposure to sun, rain, and changing weather conditions places both the "Alma Gray" and the Brown oyster punt at risk of gradual deterioration. A simple, well-designed shelter will make a significant difference, protecting these vessels while allowing them to remain accessible and visible to the public.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NEXT:
Following a recent on-site meeting with Bega Valley Shire Council staff and Council’s heritage advisor, the Museum now needs to:
• Engage a draftsperson or architect to prepare plans for an appropriate shelter structure
• Lodge a Development Application for approval of the structure
• Consider the relocation of both vessels within the site

These steps are an important part of ensuring that any work undertaken is appropriate, well-designed, and respectful of the site and its heritage context.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Museum Committee is now exploring ways to raise the funds needed to progress this essential work. We look forward to sharing more as plans develop, and to working with our community to help protect these important links with Merimbula’s history for future generations.

We need the community to get behind this project and help us protect these two at-risk icons of local heritage. Stay tuned for more info

21/03/2026

🦪 New exhibition opening soon at the Merimbula Old School Museum… A Taste of the Tides: Oyster Delights of Merimbula and Pambula

Fresh. Briny. Irresistible.

From the sparkling waters of our lakes to the tables of locals and visitors alike, oysters have shaped life on the Far South Coast for generations.

This delicious new exhibition explores the story of oysters as food - from the moment they are lifted from our pristine estuaries to the pleasure of eating them.

A Taste of the Tides celebrates the experience, traditions and rituals of oyster consumption on the Far South Coast. Discover how oysters have been:
✨ Eaten and enjoyed for thousands of years
✨ Served at celebrations, gatherings and festive tables
✨ Savoured fresh, shared widely, and remembered fondly

Through evocative stories, historic images and local voices, this exhibition brings to life the tastes, textures and traditions that make oysters such a cherished part of our coastal culture.

📍 Merimbula Old School Museum
📅 Opening soon — stay tuned!

Come and experience the story of oysters not just as an industry, but as something to be tasted, shared and celebrated.

25/01/2026

Visit the Merimbula Old School Museum

14/11/2025

EXHIBITION OPENING CANCELLED

Due to inclement weather and thunderstorms, the official opening of our special exhibition “Lessons for Life” has been cancelled.

We apologise for any inconvenience.