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*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the centenary and re-opening of Manly Fire Station in December 2021. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. The Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Manly Beach It was in 1877 that a major fire occurred in West Esplanade destroyin

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019-2020 saw a period of intense, high-severity fires spread across Australia, burning an immense 17 million hectares of land. Thirty-three people, include nine firefighters, lost their lives, approximately 3,000 homes were destroyed, and over one billion animals were killed or injured. During the catastrophic season, chief photographer at The Sydney Morning Herald , Nick Moir, captured what is now one of the most iconic photographs

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the opening of the new Ropes Crossing Fire Station in 2016. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. What's in a name? Munitions Factory Brigade (1942-1946) – The current Ropes Crossing Fire Brigade has its origins in the Brigade

Here at the Museum, we focus on local firefighting history, but did you know that floods are the most expensive type of natural disaster we face? The costliest summer for floods in Australia was 2010-11 across Lockyer Valley, Ipswich and Brisbane which cost 7.45 billion dollars! This week, we’re looking at the town of Narrabri, which due to its geography, is no stranger to a flood or two. Narrabri is located in the Northwest Slopes of New South Wales on Kamilaroi country, abo

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the opening of the new Lambton Fire Station at an event held in 2016. This book included the history of five stations. These were New Lambton, Lambton, Hamilton, Adamstown and Broadmeadow Fire Brigade's. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission whe

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the opening of the new Eden Fire Station at an event held in 2019. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. The Establishment of a Fire Brigade in Eden In early 1968 the Chief Officer of the NSWFB recommended that the Fire Brigade

Here at the Museum of Fire our collection focus is on preserving the history of local firefighting history, specifically that of firefighting in NSW and across Australia. For that reason, we don’t often bring you stories from overseas however this week, 150 years ago, the Great Chicago Fire occurred, and we thought it was a good opportunity to share a brief history of the devastating event as it had far reaching ramifications for the development of fire protection. Around 8.3

Fire Brigade Championships (as we know them today) began as ‘Demonstrations’ where fire brigades demonstrated their skills to the local community. Events in the ‘Demo’ are based on real situations that firefighters face daily and are designed to highlight their talent and expertise. These demonstrations were also used as a way to train firefighters. Following the formation of the NSW Fire Brigades in 1910, it was not until 1932 that ‘Demos’ were reinstated as a regular occurr

*This information is an extract from the colour-book produced by the Museum of Fire's Heritage Team to celebrate the opening of the centenary of Narrabri Fire Brigade at an event held in 2018. Should you wish to use any of the information and pictures provided we ask that you please reference the Museum correctly and contact the Museum for permission where applicable. A Town Ravaged by Fire Narrabri is traditionally thought of as a quiet town, however it has had a long histor

It is #AskACuratorDay tomorrow (Wednesday 15 September 2021) and to celebrate we are hosting a week-long curatorial takeover! Did you know that our CEO started her museum career as a Curator? Perhaps this is why she has endorsed this weeklong promotion of our curatorial team, but it might also be because Curators are the backbone of a museum. What is a curator? A curator is defined as a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. It is Curators who oversee the conser