The Watertower

"The Watertower" (ISBN 1566562333) is a 1994 children's picture book by the author Gary Crew and illustrated by Steven Woolman. It takes place in Preston Beach, Western Australia.

The book tells the story of Spike and Bubba, two teenagers who explore the town's mysterious watertower: an egg-shaped tank with iron-rusted legs, standing on Shooter's Hill and casting an immense shadow over the valley and Preston Beach. Its origins and purpose are not made clear in the book. The narrative weaves an intriguing mystery which is left unresolved and ambiguous at the end of the story.

The book follows the codes and conventions of a subgenre of science fiction, known as gothic science fiction. It involves a 'pleasing sort of terror' related to gothic tradition but it also has references to technology corrupting life. This is represented through the illustrations of satellites on several pages.DEEP BENEATH, THE WATER EDDIED AND SWIRLED