Community members are invited to share their remembrances and personal histories of East Water Tower, as part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s conservation assessment for the site.
East Water Tower has been a significant visual landmark in Bundaberg for over 100 years, and many people in the community have strong ties to the iconic structure.
Council’s Arts and Heritage portfolio spokesperson Councillor John Learmonth said Council wanted to hear stories from a broad range of the community including former workers, visitors and locals.
“Until about the 1970s, people could access the tower and climb to the top to enjoy the view,” Cr Learmonth said.
“Many wrote their names on the internal walls, with the earliest noted dating back to the 1920s.
“Water department staff who maintained the tower and water supply system would also have valuable stories to share about working in the tower and the changes to work practices over the years.”
Cr Learmonth said Council was interested in hearing personal anecdotes and memories, as well as photographs that capture the tower at different stages of its history.
“The community engagement project aims to record and publish the stories to help understand and celebrate the tower’s importance to the social history of the Bundaberg Region,” he said.
“Once collected, we look forward to sharing the stories with the wider community.”
Community members can share their stories by completing the submission form on the project page.
East Water Tower
Constructed in 1902, East Water Tower is the tallest circular brick water tower remaining in Queensland and was a key element in Bundaberg’s first reticulated water system.
The tower stands 35.5 metres high and has eight internal levels containing 138 steps.
It has a base diameter of 9.5 metres, and the thickness of the exterior walls tapers from 91.5 centimetres at the base to 35.5 centimetres at the top of the structure.
The tower is topped by a steel water tank with a capacity of 182 kilolitres, which was constructed in place by the Bundaberg Foundry.
Considered a masterpiece of brickwork, the tower’s innovative engineering design offered a solution to increasing water pressure to allow a reticulated water supply system to operate effectively over Bundaberg’s very flat terrain.
The tower was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, and most maintenance and conservation work undertaken on the site must be assessed to protect its heritage value.
Inviting the community to share their stories about the tower is part of Council’s East Water Tower Conservation Management Plan project.
The East Water Tower Conservation Management Plan will be prepared by consultants Converge Heritage and Community, funded through the Queensland Government Community Sustainability Action (CSA) Grants for Community Heritage.
