The Tweed Maritime Museum is located in the Old Soldiers Hall, Pioneer Park, Kennedy Drive, West Tweed Heads. The displays naturally have a maritime flavour as befits our policy, however artifacts that reflect our pioneer past are also represented.

Altogether, there are over 20 main display areas in the Museum, as well as a photographic gallery located in the nearby Court House. We also have displays in the Boyd's Shed and the Deck House.

It should be noted that although some displays are of a permanent nature, other exhibits are changed on a semi regular basis as new material comes to hand and artifacts are rotated through our storage area. Therefore, the Museum layout and exhibits may not be exactly as described here.

Working in an clockwise direction as one enters the Museum, the following exhibits may be inspected.

Inside the main entrance on the left (area 1), there is small exhibit of maritime relics retrieved from wrecks on the Tweed Coast. The display is arranged as though the artifacts are still lying on the sea bed, with sand, an under water mural and lighting used to achieve this effect.

The next exhibit (area 2), also a diorama, recreates a shipwrights workshop in the early 1900's. On display is a selection of old wood working tools. Local shipwright, William Seymour is honoured in this display.

The last diorama (area 3), features a model of Tweed Heads as it would have appeared in the 1890's. The information needed to recreate this diorama has been gained from old photographs and contemporary reports.

An adjacent doorway leads to the "Centaur" Room (area 4). This entire room is dedicated to the memory of the many servicemen and women who lost their lives when the hospital ship MV "Centaur" was sunk by a Japanese submarine during WW2. Featured is a magnificent model of the vessel click here for a photograph of this model.

to get more information on the "Centaur" disaster.

Leaving the "Centaur" Room, two large glass cases on your left (areas 5 and 8) will be seen. These contain several model ships, made by local enthusiasts. Some of the vessels represented are the coastal steamship "Tyalgum", the Tweed tug "Terranora" and Blighs ship, "Bounty". On an adjacent table, (area 7) is a vessel which we are very proud to display. It is a model of John Oxley ship "Mermaid", in which he discovered the Tweed and Brisbane Rivers in 1823. We believe that this model is quite rare and was made by local model builder Bill Spencer, after studying old drawings and paintings.

For a listing of models and some photographs

The East wall (area 6), forming a backdrop for these models, is named the Old Soldiers Memorial Wall, because it was from this building that many Tweed soldiers left for war. Featured on this wall are photographs of local Servicemen who lost their lives during WW2. In front of this wall (area 6a) is a glass case containing a small selection of war relics.

Areas 9, 10 and 11, against the South wall, feature more ship models, one of them being the Gwendoline, which traded to the Tweed. The model was built by her skipper, Captain Simonsen, when he retired. (area 12) exhibits relics from the schooner Coolangatta which foundered on the beach and after which the famous Gold Coast town is named.

Various maritime articles are displayed in (area 13), a large glass case against the South wall. An interesting collection of bottles, retrieved from wrecks is shown here, as is a fine ships chronometer.

Above the glass case on the wall, is (area 14), a unique map of the world showing the voyages of Captain Cook. Each voyage is depicted with different coloured light and these lights can be activated by the visitor. There is a short description of each voyage beside the buttons.

Area 15 is a display honouring our pioneer women and features a model of Mrs Margaret Lillie seated at her treadle sewing machine. This machine was donated to us by her descendants. This display is in the process of being refurbished. Beside Mrs Lillie is a very large cedar wardrobe, originally owned by Capt. Alex Logan , a pioneer of the Tumbulgum district.

Next to the Lillie display, is (area 16), also known as Heritage Corner, which features displays of heritage artifacts other than those of maritime origin. At the moment, (the first half of year 2002) Heritage Corner features a display of old gramophones, dating back to the wax cylinder type. These artifacts are on loan by the kindness of John Ely.

Adjacent to Heritage Corner is a low plinth (area 17) on which is displayed a large selection of ships lights, eg masthead, port, starboard etc.

On the other side of our office doorway, is a display (area 19) of brass objects retrieved from various vessels. It includes portholes, binnacles, a ships bell and a fine engine telegraph.

The corner display, (area 20), is one of our permanent exhibits and features a fine model of Fingal Lighthouse, as it was when is was manned, between 1879 and 1920. click here for a photograph of the diorama.
The original lighthouse can still be seen on Fingal Headland, although the keepers cottage and oil store were long ago demolished and the light is now automatic. On either side of the model, (area 20a and 20b), more relics salvaged from wrecks can be examined.

Towards the centre of the room adjacent to the lighthouse is a glass case (area 17), which houses a tribute to the pioneers of our Tweed postal service.

Having now made your way round the Museum, the last display before the main entrance (area 21) features a surf life saving reel, which was used to rescue countless swimmers from certain death. This type of apparatus is now used for display and ceremonial purposes only, as all rescues are carried out with the use of "rubber duckies".

Facing the main entrance is a board, (area 23) featuring a magnificent display of wire rope work. It is doubtful if one would ever see a finer example of this difficult art. On the reverse side of the board is an interesting depiction of the Tweed area as it must have appeared when the pioneers first started to settle the district. The painting is by our immediate Past President, Warren Keats.

Finally, in the centre of the room (area 22), is our largest artifact, a clinker built sailing boat, donated to us by the Dry Dock Naval Cadets. This is fine example of this type of construction and is not often seen these days.

Not mentioned in this brief introduction to the Museum, are the numerous photographs, posters, paintings and individual artifacts scattered throughout the room, as well as two old surf skies and numerous maritime flags suspended from the ceiling.

Two out buildings should also be mentioned as they are also valuable historical artifacts in themselves. On the waterfront behind the museum is Boyd's shed, which has been rescued from derelict status and refurbish to house mementos of the well known Boyd family of fishermen.

The other building is an old deckhouse also salvaged from decay by Museum members and placed on site. This Structure was used as crew quarters on various vessels in the 1880's.