New slate pillars memorialise former Aboriginal settlement in western NSW

Community members and local authorities in Coonamble, New South Wales, have unveiled two large monolithic slate pillars to memorialise the names of families who lived in a former settlement called Tin Town.

The pillars stand near Warrena Creek and serve as a permanent historical marker for a town camp that was decommissioned in the late 1970s. The settlement was established around the 1940s and received its name from the corrugated iron and tin materials residents used to build their homes.

Although the site lacked running water and electricity, former residents like May Welsh recalled it as a place of community. After the site was closed, authorities bulldozed the remaining structures, leaving the area empty. Project coordinator Andrew Hull stated that the memorial acknowledges the site as a former part of the local community. Artist Ian Marr created the work as part of the Coonamble Regional Art Trail, which also includes projects in the nearby towns of Gulargambone and Quambone.

Marr intended the stone inscriptions to provide descendants with a place to acknowledge the lives of their ancestors. The memorial aims to encourage younger generations to learn about the history of the settlement. Former residents and their descendants gathered to mark the unveiling of the slates, which are expected to remain at the site for many years.