Water. Not a day goes by when we don’t think about it, talk about it, drink it, or in some cases pray for it. It’s a valuable resource.

In Australia, we’ve stored more in dams per person than any other country. We’ve piped it, pumped it, and even dragged it down from the clouds, becoming a nation of plumbers in the process.

Now the National Archives has tapped into its vast collection to present the exhibition Just Add Water: Schemes and Dreams for a Sunburnt Country.

The exhibition will be opened by the CEO of the National Water Commission, Ken Matthews, on World Water Day (Tuesday 22 March 2005) at 6 pm, at the Archives in Canberra.

Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, Ross Gibbs, says Just Add Water is a timely exhibition that has been several years in the making.

‘Water conservation is an important topic for all Australians, and the Archives has been able to draw on its rich collection of environmental and social records to look at how Australians have managed this precious liquid,’ Mr Gibbs said.

‘Visitors to the exhibition will see such things as an artesian bore-head, a dethridge wheel (the hidden heart of our irrigation industry), and an indigenous skin water bag from Lake Eyre, one of the driest, most inhospitable areas of Australia,’ he said.

Curator Jay Arthur says one of the exciting aspects of Just Add Water is that it is a hands-on exhibition.

‘Several state water authorities have contributed funding for the centerpiece of the exhibition – an interactive game that allows visitors to allocate water resources and then observe the results,’ Ms Arthur says.

‘There’s also a flushing toilet that shows just what happens when we push that little button and plenty of audiovisual screens to activate,’ she said.

Just Add Water will remain at the Archives in Canberra until 31 July 2005, before touring nationally for the next four years.