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Wednesday 9am - 1pm Thursday 9am - 1pm Friday 9am - 1pm Saturday 9am - 1pm

Tamworth Powerstation Museum

Name: Tamworth Powerstation Museum
Address: 216 Peel Street, Tamworth, NSW, 2340, AU
Telephone: +61267668324

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Tamworth Powerstation Museum

In 1888, Tamworth became the first city in Australia to be lit by municipal electric street lighting

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14/08/2026

Tomorrow is the start of National Science Week.
This years theme is "seeds of Science: Nurturing knowledge for all". Science is used in everyday objects, whether it is in the production of electricity or the building of a house, we see it everywhere and use it everyday. During this National Science Week, starting from the 15th August and running until the 23rd August, come check out the Tamworth Powerstation Museum. At the museum you can explore science and technology with the hands on learning through a number of objects set up demonstrating magnetism, light circuits and static electricity. The Tamworth Powerstation Museum is open Wednesday to Saturday 9am - 1pm.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council

23/07/2026

Did you know that The Veness Letter Book is on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register.
The Veness Letter Book is the only known surviving record of official correspondence relating to the establishment of Australia’s first municipal electric lighting plant and system in Tamworth, New South Wales. From 1877 to 1891 Daniel Frederick William Veness worked as Council clerk for Tamworth Borough Council. This book covers the period from the first letter dated 3 August 1881 to the last letter dated 11 March 1890. The copies in this book include letters to the tenderers for the electric lighting plant, the successful tenderer, the appointment of the Council`s first electrical engineer, and the clerk`s replies to enquiries from other councils about electric lighting.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council

15/07/2026

This Australia Post Lettergram is historically significant because it was the last one to be sent in Australia before Australia Post closed down the Australian Telegraphic Service, at 5.00 pm on Thursday 30 September 1993. It was sent from the Tamworth Post Office to the Tamworth Powerstation Museum. The telegraph commenced in Tamworth on 9th November 1861. Australia`s electric telegraphs used the Morse system wherein the alpha/numeric characters of the message are converted into a code of short and long electric pulses (represented on paper as dots and dashes). People wishing to send a message by the electric telegram would go to the Post Office where they would write the message and addressee on a form and pay the fee. This would be relayed to the nearest Telegraph Office to the address. The telegraphist at the receiving office would type out the message as it was being received onto a ‘TELEGRAM’ form and deliver to addressee.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council

27/06/2026

LAST DAYS // Tamworth Heritage Festival Exhibition
Join us at the Tamworth Regional Gallery this weekend for the final few days of the 'Change' exhibition. Housing a unique collection of objects for the past couple of months, the 'Change' exhibition offered an insight into how history has changed us, and how we are changing history. Catch the last glimpse of these twelve unique objects, before they are separated and returned to their individual collections. The exhibition closes 28th June. Tamworth Regional Gallery is open 10am - 4pm, on both Saturday and Sunday.
Source: Tamworth Regional Gallery

15/06/2026

Today is National Electricity Day. Electricity has been an integral part of Tamworth since it was first turned on all those years ago on the 9th of November 1888.
One person was very much behind Tamworth converting to electricity and that was, Alderman James Piper. James Piper was born in Maidstone Kent England and sailed out to Australia on the ship the 'Wisconsin' in 1856. He opened a business in Newton, then move to Brisbane, followed by Dungog, before settling in Tamworth. Piper purchased Cohen and Levy's soap works and renamed it Messrs. Piper & Co., soap and candle manufacturers. James Piper also ran for council in 1878 and became alderman, and during his 20-year tender on council, served twice as Mayor. In 1880s, Piper was a strong supporter of Tamworth converting to electricity and was Mayor at the time of Tamworth becoming the first town to have municipal owned electric street lighting in Australia.
Mayoress Elizabeth Piper turned the key that switched on the lights, 138 years ago.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council

11/06/2026

If you cannot get to the gallery to see the Heritage Festival "Change' exhibition, we are sharing the stories and objects as a part of our object highlights.
We are starting off with the Tamworth Powerstation Museum's 1950s Portable Radio.
This portable valve radio was created by AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Pty Ltd) in the 1950s. AWA played a significant role in the development of radio technology in Australia, through both its manufacturing and broadcasting activities. During the 1950s, the radio ruled Australia’s airwaves as a primary source of entertainment and information. Technology has advanced exponentially since these early portable valve radios were in wide use with new technology such as Wi-Fi, blue tooth and 5G making entertainment and information accessible anywhere and anytime on any device.
The exhibition is on at the Tamworth Regional Gallery until the 28 June.
Source: Tamworth regional Council

31/05/2026

Congratulations to the volunteers and volunteer organisations that were recognised last Saturday at the Volunteer Expo. How great is it when we can all come together for a shared passion and achieve our goals. We would like to thank each and every volunteer at our regional museums and gallery for ensuring that our region's fascinating history and heritage continues to be shared, celebrated and enjoyed by all those within our community, as well as visitors to our region. We would like to acknowledge the support of our committed volunteer teams, as they often go above and beyond running guided tours, assisting with collection management and documentation, and contributing to outstanding Heritage Festival events and a collective exhibition.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council

Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Visitor Information Centre

27/05/2026

This pink Bakelite clamshell bed lamp was produced about the 1950s. It was made by Duperite Moulded Products Company which was making moulded plastic wares from 1941 to 1960. The company was named for the moulded thiourea-formaldehyde plastic that had been made by Dunlop-Perdiau from around the 1930s. This lamp was advertised in the 1950s as the "Princess" lamp and could clip to the bed and had a built-in switch. The Duperite company made many different products that came in many colours including mottled and plain, brown, cream, blue, red, green, cream, primrose, white, lemon, and amber.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council

17/05/2026

Happy International Museum Day!
The theme of this year’s celebration is "Museums Uniting a Divided World". This theme "highlights the potential of museums to act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion and peace within and between communities worldwide". On this International Museums Day - regional museums can "create conditions in which differences can be understood and handled with respect: by safeguarding heritage and memory, offering learning and reflection, and providing welcoming spaces where diverse voices can be heard. Open and accessible, museums foster diversity and sustainability". – International Council of Museums, 2026.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council

16/05/2026

Today, on International Day of Light, we recognise the crucial role of light and light-based technologies in various fields, including science, culture, education, and sustainable development.
This International Day of Light, particularly as it falls within the Tamworth Regional Heritage Festival, we would like to honour the large role light played in the history and national recognition of Tamworth, as well as the surrounding towns and their electrical developments. As part of the towns continued move into more street lighting, this opal ball light from 'White Way' Lighting was installed in Manilla in the 1930s. The opal ball lights were to provide continuous ribbon of light along the footpath of the main streets in Tamworth and Manilla. The lights were on stems cut to the appropriate length to make sure they made a continuous line regardless of the height of the shop awnings. At that time lighting for pedestrian movement was more important than providing illumination for the sparse vehicular traffic on the street.
Source: Tamworth Regional Council

Address

216 Peel Street
Tamworth, NSW
2340

Opening Hours

Wednesday	9am - 1pm
Thursday	9am - 1pm
Friday	9am - 1pm
Saturday	9am - 1pm

Telephone

+61267668324

Website

http://tamworthpowerstationmuseum.com.au/

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