Salisbury Waterwheel Museum

The Salisbury Waterwheel Museum is a historic water wheel restored and re-established in a new brick building in Pioneer Park

Built for Frederick Heinrich Kuhlmann in 1899, the wheel was originally installed on his property surrounding the Old Spot Inn, which he also owned. The wheel was built to pump water from the Little Para River and fill a dam to water his 30 acre orange grove and market garden. Mr Kuhlman contracted a local blacksmith named Mr Lee to build the wheel which was located in a pit. Water was diverted from the Little Para River to fill buckets from overhead and in turn drive the wheel. In 1982, around 40 years after the wheel stopped working, it was removed from the original location and later restored by the Rotary Club of Salisbury in cooperation with the City of Salisbury and the Salisbury & District Historical Society. It is now housed in the Salisbury Waterwheel Museum in Pioneer Park which opened on 21 December in 1986. When an operator turns the wheel on you can see it spinning. The museum also contains historic photographs and information. The wheel can be viewed from the window on the outside of the building, but be sure to visit on one of the open days for a better experience.

Opening Hours

1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 2pm to 4pm, except public holidays.