Merimbula Old School Museum

30/08/2026

Maize, Munn and Merimbula

One of Merimbula’s most important early industries began with a crop.

Unlike wheat, maize grew well on the district’s fertile flats, and with enterprise, investment and local labour, it became the basis of a cornflour industry. Scottish-born Matthew Munn converted an earlier flour mill into a factory producing maizena — linking local farming with manufacturing, transport and wider markets.

It is a story of paddocks, machinery, workers, packaging, steamers and ambition.

Local industries like this remind us that small towns were never isolated from bigger economic worlds. They grew, adapted and took risks.

Find out more at the Merimbula Old School Museum. Open Thursday & Sunday 1:30 – 4:00.

25/08/2026

MUSEUM AGM REMINDER
Just a reminder that the Merimbula Old School Museum / Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society’s AGM will be held in the William Dawes Room at the Merimbula RSL Club next Monday, 31st August, at 2pm. Anyone can attend, but only members are permitted to vote or stand for positions.

Reports from executive members are available on our website at

2026 AGM The AGM for the Merimbula Imlay Historical Society will take place on Monday 31st August at the Merimbula … Read MoreAGM

18/08/2026

From the collection — Gus Cole’s oyster punt

Gus Cole’s oyster punt is a powerful reminder of the long relationship between Merimbula Lake and the people who worked its waters.

Built and used for oyster farming, the punt connects us with local skill, family enterprise, estuary knowledge and the daily labour behind one of the district’s most important coastal industries.

It also reminds us why collection objects matter. A boat is not just a boat — it can hold stories of work, weather, changing technology, community memory and a way of life shaped by the tides.

You can explore publicly accessible collection items from the Merimbula Old School Museum through our eHive collection: https://ehive.com/collections/202676/objects/1555026/oyster-punt

16/08/2026

The stories in photographs

Old photographs are full of clues.

A building in the background, a street sign, a hairstyle, a vehicle, a shopfront, a uniform, a fence line or a familiar face can all help reconnect an image with its story.

Community knowledge is one of the most valuable tools a museum has. Sometimes one remembered name or place can transform an unidentified photograph into a meaningful local record.

Do you recognise people, places or events in old photographs of the district?

Merimbula Old School Museum, 85 Main Street Merimbula (opposite the Merimbula RSL). Open every Thursday and Sunday, 1.30 - 4 pm.

15/08/2026

On 22 July, 1942, 17-year-old Merimbula resident “Chappie” Munn set off from the family dairy before sunrise to deliver milk…

15/08/2026

Small objects, big stories

A museum object does not need to be large, rare or expensive to matter.

A school slate, butter box, medicine bottle, oyster plate, fishing tool or family photograph can tell us about how people lived, worked, learned, cared and adapted.

Just like this little ointment jar, dispensed by Pambula chemist Miss M. M. Kruger during the 1950s.

Often, the smallest objects bring us closest to everyday life in the past.

Merimbula Old School Museum, 85 Main Street Merimbula (opposite the Merimbula RSL). Open every Thursday and Sunday, 1.30 - 4 pm See less

13/08/2026

Behind the scenes at the museum

Behind every museum display is a lot of quiet work.

Volunteers help catalogue objects - like this medal won by Munn's Maizena at the 1878 Paris International Exhibition - research local stories, prepare displays, check object condition, care for photographs, and keep the museum welcoming for visitors.

It is careful, thoughtful work — and it helps make sure the history of Merimbula, Pambula and the wider district is preserved for future generations.

11/08/2026

Before it became a museum, this building was a school — a place of lessons, friendships, routines, rules and childhood memories.

The old school reminds us that local history is not only found in grand events. It is also found in slates, desks, class photographs, handwriting, lunchboxes and the everyday memories of people who learned, taught and grew up here.

Do you have a school memory from Merimbula, Pambula or the surrounding district? We’d love to hear it.

09/08/2026

Sometimes the most ordinary objects tell the most extraordinary stories.

At first glance, these timber shingles may look like simple pieces of old wood — rough, weathered and unassuming. But look closer, and they open a window into the earliest years of European settlement, building traditions and family life in Pambula.

The shingles came from the historic Woodlands property, where they had been preserved beneath later corrugated roofing iron. Hidden from view for generations, they are a rare reminder of how early local buildings were constructed, repaired and adapted over time.

Objects like these are exactly why museums matter. They show us that history is not always grand, polished or obvious. Sometimes it is tucked away under a roof, held in the marks of an axe, the grain of timber, or the survival of something that was never meant to be noticed.

You can explore these shingles through the Merimbula Old School Museum’s publicly accessible eHive collection at https://ehive.com/collections/202676/objects/2515411/shingles

08/08/2026

Visit this weekend

Looking for something local to do this weekend?

Come and explore the Merimbula Old School Museum and discover the stories behind the people, places and objects that shaped our district.

Whether you are a long-time local, a new resident or a visitor to the Sapphire Coast, there is always something to discover.

Merimbula Old School Museum, 85 Main Street Merimbula (opposite the Merimbula RSL). Open every Thursday and Sunday, 1.30 - 4 pm