Hartley Street School Museum

Hartley Street School was the first official school building in Alice Springs. The oldest buildings were constructed in 1929 to cater for the increasing population arriving in this important railway terminal town. In 1945 a new kindergarten and classroom were designed by the architect B.C.G. Burnett. The wooden floors and octagonal shape of the new addition are in stark contrast to the concrete floor and simple design of the earlier construction. The buildings reflect the changing styles and requirements of school design at different periods. The unusual octagonal room is open to the public as a school museum. The School of the Air started teaching students on 20 September 1950 when the first broadcast was made from a small studio in the school. Between 1953 and 1965 students and teachers were moved to a new school at the base of Anzac Hill.