Pictured: some of the many iterations of the humble telephone (image: Sally Singh)
From Morse code to mobile phones, Speak Easy, the newly opened exhibition at Tweed Regional Museum, takes visitors on a journey through the remarkable evolution of communication technology. Running until 22 November 2025, the free exhibition brings together items from the Museum’s collection and beyond, revealing the ingenuity and imagination behind the tools that shaped the way we share information. Speak Easy explores how humans have connected over time – from the first telegraphs to the wireless smartphones in our pockets. The exhibition also reveals the surprising, and sometimes strange, story of how our communication methods got to where they are today. Museum Director Molly Green said the exhibition uncovers the stories behind the devices many of us once used – and may have forgotten. “Speak Easy is an interactive journey into the ways we communicate with each other and how these have changed significantly over the centuries—the exhibition illustrates just how vast this change has been in quite a short space of time,” Ms Green said. From vintage telegraphs and telephone exchanges to pedal-powered radios and spy-style codebreaking stations, the exhibition offers a hands-on, multi-generational experience. Curator Kalindi Hopping said Speak Easy was inspired by some of the Museum’s most curious finds. “I kept coming across these massive, weird-looking gadgets, like something out of a sci-fi movie from the past,” Ms Hopping said. “They seemed totally clunky and outdated, but back in the day they were considered high-tech heroes – saving lives, connecting people, and delivering the news in real time.” Visitors can discover how wartime radar technology laid the foundations for modern weather forecasting and how pulses of light now travel across the ocean floor to keep us connected online. The exhibition also features plenty of interactive experiences – from generating electricity with crank-powered machines to listening to personal stories through vintage handsets. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a curious child, or simply someone who remembers dial-up internet, Speak Easy offers something for everyone. Speak Easy runs until 22 November 2025 at Tweed Regional Museum, Murwillumbah. Entry is free. For more information, visit museum.tweed.nsw.gov.au
From the future to the past — this early 1990s Apple Macintosh once sat at the cutting edge of personal computing. (image: Sally Singh)
Speak Easy explores the evolution of communication technology.
How did we talk before texting? Explore hands-on stations and see how communication has evolved. (image: Sally Singh)
Photo 1: Speak Easy Phones
Caption: Pictured: some of the many iterations of the humble telephone (image: Sally Singh)
Photo 2: Speak Easy Apple Mac
Caption: From the future to the past — this early 1990s Apple Macintosh once sat at the cutting edge of personal computing. (image: Sally Singh)
Photo 3: Speak Easy general Caption: Speak Easy explores the evolution of communication technology. Photo 4: Speak Easy Kids Corner Caption: How did we talk before texting? Explore hands-on stations and see how communication has evolved. (image: Sally Singh)
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Tweed Regional Museum • Murwillumbah | Tweed Heads | Uki PO Box 816 Murwillumbah, NSW 2484