Bedpan Waterfall - Wingham, NSW, Australia
S 31° 52.172 E 152° 22.538
56J E 440941 N 6473855
This Waterfall was built in 2017, as a replacement for an earlier fountain.
Waymark Code: WM162D4
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 04/19/2022
Views: 0
Central Park had been central to the early pioneers of the rural town of Wingham. And the Manning River was one of the main routes for traders in those days. Nearby the Manmade Waterfall is a memorial Drinking Fountain that commemorates the supply of drinking water to the area (from the Manning River, at Abbotts Falls).
The original Waterfall/Fountain was built by the local APEX club in 1972, but within a decade the water had stopped flowing. I remember when coming originally to the area in 1997 that it was then a rubbishy eyesore. In 2015 the local community group decided to upgrade it.
Article on the controversial design of the Waterfall: (
visit link)
I had heard about the peculiar design, but never stopped by, until invited to a birthday party in Central Park. From the side view it does look like a half-dozen bedpans have been used to make a cascading waterfall. While a front-on view shows that they aren't bedpans, the similarity is NOT lost on this practicing Registered Nurse - as I have assisted hundreds of patients to use one!
The nearby plaque explains:
"The APEX Club of Wingham built the original waterfall, pond and garden here in 1972. By 1981 the waterfall had stopped flowing and the site became a rock garden until 2015 when Wingham Advancement Group (WAG) initiated reconstruction of the site to symbolise all water flowing into the Manning Valley.
"This waterfall celebrates the rhythm and flow of water and recognises how essential water is to life, culture and the economy of Wingham.
"The WAG-APEX waterfall was officially opened on 30 November 2017 in the presence of former APEXians, community organisations and citizens of Wingham."
[Allen Valentine, President, Wingham Advancement Group]
Visited: 1007-9, Sunday, 23 May, 2021