Bark Mill Museum

The Bark Mill Museum is a heritage museum housed in an 1885 bark mill on Noyes Street in Swansea on Tasmania's east coast. Built to process black wattle bark for the leather tanning industry, it is the last of its type in the region. Operated by volunteers, it preserves original milling machinery and displays relating to local colonial, maritime and industrial history of the Glamorgan-Spring Bay area.

Visitors can expect a small heritage building containing original bark-crushing machinery, steam-era equipment and interpretive displays on the wattle-bark tanning industry. The interior includes photographs, artefacts, documents and objects relating to Swansea's settlement, farming, fishing and community history. The site is compact, set near the Swansea waterfront with a garden area and is explored on foot at a self-guided pace with volunteer assistance.

Built in 1885 to mill black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) bark for tannin used in leather production, the Swansea Bark Mill operated during the peak of Tasmania's wattle bark industry in the late 19th century. It is a rare surviving example of this industrial process in Tasmania and reflects the economic importance of bark milling to the east coast before synthetic tanning agents replaced natural tannin.

The museum preserves and interprets the industrial and community heritage of Swansea and the Glamorgan-Spring Bay district, showcasing the role of the wattle bark trade, early settlement and maritime activity in shaping the region's identity. Maintained by the Glamorgan Spring Bay Historical Society, it serves as a community heritage resource.