Rock in to historic Eurobodalla library exhibition this January

The Eurobodalla granite quarry workforce of 250 included men of 13 nationalities. Photo: Moruya and District Historical Society.

The team from Eurobodalla Libraries is letting pictures tell the story this January, with an exhibition chronicling the early years of granite mining in the shire.

‘Our past in pictures: A closer look at the history of Moruya granite’ uses photographs supplied by the Moruya and District Historical Society to take a closer look at an important part of the Eurobodalla shire’s history.

Libraries’ coordinator Samantha Fenton said people connect with pictures in ways that differ from reading.

“The exhibition of seven photographs shows some landmarks from the quarrying days,” she said. “The group shots are particularly compelling. There’s something about looking at portraits – you think, ‘What was it like to live like that?’”

From 1876, Moruya’s four granite quarries developed a reputation for stone with good quality and colour, and it was used in the construction of famous structures such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Cenotaph.

Ms Fenton said the exhibition can be viewed at Eurobodalla’s libraries until the end of January 2021.

“Each library has enlarged copies of the original photographs held by the historical society,” she said. “We’ve also made available a small take-home fact sheet that includes the images with extended captions and a brief overview of granite quarrying in the region.”

Ms Fenton said history-based exhibitions are always a hit with residents and visitors.

“We’ve done two similar exhibitions previously – one about Moruya Airport during World War II and another on the changing landscape of Eurobodalla’s main streets,” she said. “And we’re already working on the next exhibition, which looks at influential women from the shire’s past.”

‘Our past in pictures: A closer look at the history of Moruya granite’ runs until the end of January at the Narooma, Moruya and Batemans Bay libraries.

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