Showing 3921 items matching tools-and-equipment
Container (1185) Equipment (1811) Functional object (3921) Instrument (397) Machine (331) Tool (1418) Vehicle (146) Weapon (457)-
Bialik College
Functional object - Espn silverware coasters
Espn silverware coaster set -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Haeusler Collection Havelock Tobacco c. Early-Mid Twentieth Century, W.D. Wills (Aust.) LTD
The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s. This tobacco is one of the many objects in the Haeusler Collection that provides insight into life in early to mid-twentieth century Wodonga, and Australia more broadly. Smoking in the first half of the twentieth century was incredibly common in Australia and other western countries. In 1945, more than three out of every four men and one in every four women were regular smokers. While rates of smoking decreased over the next two decades due to observations and research regarding the links between smoking and illness, an increase in tobacco use was documented after the advent of television as people were bombarded with advertisements for cigarettes.This item has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history and social history. Lump of tobacco with Havelock Tobacco makers mark on tin insert, with manufacture details on paper"HAVELOCK/TOBACCO" and "J D & (unintelligible) WILLS (AUST.) LTD./Made in Australia/D10114".tobacco, smoking, social history, wodonga, haeusler, haeusler collection -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Button, Ca. 1855
The metal button was part of the cargo of the Schomberg vessel. Buttons are used for fastening two pieces of fabric together such as trousers, shirts, dresses and other similar items. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG (October 6 to December 27, 1855)- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Baine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her for their fleet of passenger liners. The Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the clippers designed the three-masted wooden clipper ship to be fast. The timber used for the diagonal planking was British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury emigrant vessel was designed for superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first-class passengers. The master for Schomberg’s maiden voyage was Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes. He drunkenly predicted at her launch that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The poor winds slowed Schomberg’s sail across the equator. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted the coastal steamer SS Queen at dawn and sent a signal. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers safely disembarked. In 1975, 120 years after the Schomberg was wrecked, divers from Flagstaff Hill found an ornate communion set at the wreck site along with many other artefacts. In 1978 a diamond ring was discovered under the concretion in the lid of the communion set, which is currently on display. Former Director of Flagstaff Hill, Peter Ronald, had salvaged most of the artefacts from the wreck. This button s significant as an example of an item in common use in the mid-19th century and the items carried on ships as cargo. The Schomberg collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of prime significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes. Button; round metal concave button with four holes. The outer edge and the holes each have a raised rim. The button was recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, schomberg, fastener, button, clothing accessory, clothing fastener, haberdashery -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Functional Object - Printer Photograph Plate Block, Australian Electric Traction Association, 1969
Photo used in the block is showing No. 21 decorated for the 1969 Begonia Festival. Most likely taken at the tram depot.Demonstrates how printing was undertaken c1969 by the use of printers zinc sheet blocks and the illustration of a decorated Ballarat Tram Printer photograph plate block - wood block with a zinc metal place used for printing in a magazine or block. See Reg Item 3749 for a similar photograph.trams, tramways, decorated trams, begonia festival -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Functional Object - Trolley Wire Sample
Piece of partly worn trolley wire taken from North bound wire between poles 9 and 17 (Loop & St Aidans Drive) on 4/3/97, during replacement operations. Is slightly curved, and only partly worn, both grooves are still good. Has been cut from other wire. See sketch on original worksheet for colours of wire. Images added 3-12-2016ballarat, overhead, fittings, trolley wire -
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Functional object - Sounding Lead and bottle
Collected by person in the 1960s before amnesty. Recovered from the wreck of the William SalthouseWilliam Salthouse was the first merchant vessel to sail with a cargo of merchandise from the British Dominion of Canada to British Colonies of Australia. The ship was lost on 28 November 1841 while attempting to enter Port Phillip Heads en-route to Melbourne Harbour. The wreck of William Salthouse has been the site of several maritime archaeological investigations as well as experimental in situ conservation efforts.Large sounding lead and handmade bottle recovered from the wreck of the William Salthouse [lost on 28 November 1841]'No.2' on bottleshipwrecks, salvaged items, william salthouse, sounding lead, hand made bottle -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Functional object - Fare Token, Electric Supply Co. Vic (ESCo), 1913
Demonstrates aspects of the Ballarat Tramways fare system at the time of the one man trams, tokens which could be pre purchased by travellers and save time when boarding trams. See notes on file re these eg Reg Item 1801.Fare token- 2d - 21mm diameter - green celluloid - with "B.E.T." in large capitals on front centre of token and words "Ballarat Electric Tramways 1913" on circumference. On reverse in large font "2" and a small font "D" at top of the two - indicating token had a value of two pence. Extract from A. Bradley "The Golden City and its Tramways" about tokens and why. "The ESCo worked out its procedures from its own experience. A "pay as you enter" system was used on city-bound cars, and a "pay as you leave" system on outward-bound cars. On Sundays during busy periods this was reversed on the Gardens lines, but conductors were still required on this line to cope with the heavy summer holiday traffic. Trams 1 to 18 were altered by altering the end seating, placing gates on doorways and "pay as you enter" and "pay as you leave" signs. Once on board, passengers paid their coins into a farebox mounted behind the driver, which was fitted with glass windows and mirrors to enable the driver to see the coins slide into the box - a form of "moral check on passengers". Regular passengers could buy pink or green celluloid tokens at a discount price, to save the motorman having to issue tickets and give change." Stopped being in use in 1921, see Reg Item 1801.1 and 1802. Place of manufacture not known. For other 2d token see Reg. Item 1943 and 2488 page 31. See Reg. Item 2514 for H.P. James notes on the token system. 1794.1 - added 18/4/2009 - donation of Lyall Denning Related documents provides some information on the value of the items. eBay sale 15/10/2006 $20 - eBay slip with worksheet - see related items.trams, tramways, tickets, tokens, esco, one man trams -
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Functional object - Anchor, Kedge
Kedge anchoranchor, kedge anchor -
Clunes Museum
Functional object - SCHOOL - BAG
SCHOOL BAG WORN BY K. Mc LENNAN.BROWN LEATHER SCHOOL BAG WITH STRAPS, AND METAL BUCKLES , AND METAL HANDLE.K. Mc LENNAN - JULY. 6TH 1907local history, school, equipments, crick - shrigley, mc lennan, lazarus -
8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regimental Collection
Functional object - tankard Fyffe
VX 42774 Captain H G (Bob) Fyffe, a grazier from Tocumwal, NSW, served with the Tocumwal troop of the 20th Light Horse prior to WWII (1939-46). He enlisted at the outbreak of war and served with the 9th Division Cavalry Regiment in North Africa. During the attack on Trig 22 on 17 July 1942 Captain Fyffe commanding a composite squadron manoeuvred his tanks to knock out machine guns and anti-tank guns enabling 2/32 Battalion to capture the objective. Captain Fyffe was awarded the Military Cross for his leadership and courage in the action. This was 9th Division Cavalry's first tank action of the war. The 20th Light Horse (Victorian Mounted Rifles) was raised in 1920 as part of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Citizen Military Forces, with Headquarters at Seymour and depots along the Goulburn Valley from Mansfield to Tocumwal in southern NSW. In December 1941, 20th Light Horse (Victorian Mounted Rifles) converted from horse to mechanised, as 20th Motor Regiment. In 1943 the regiment was deployed to Merauke, Dutch New Guinea. Upon return to Australia in 1945 it was redesignated 20th Pioneer Battalion and disbanded at the end of the war. 20th Light Horse was the only light horse unit to serve overseas in WWII.Silver plated tankard with engraving on side.20th LH / Officers Mess / Presented by Lieutenant H G Fyffe fyffe, 20th, light horse -
Working Heritage Crown Land Collection
Functional object - Nail, Nail - medium with circular flattened head
Corroded nail with a rounded shaft consistent in diameter to a pointed tip.archaeology, historic building, former royal mint -
University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus Archives
Functional object - Horseshoe
Horseshoe from one of the draughthorses. Probably souvenired by a student who mailed it back to the Archives in c.1991. Horseshoe from one of the draughthorses. horseshoe, burnley -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Functional object - Tools, Equipment, companion portable, single gas burner
Portable single gas burners were used by Moorabbin residents c 1960 when camping, travelling, picnicking or other leisure activities Portable gas burners are an example of the modern equipment that became available in Moorabbin c1960 The Companion Single Burner is designed with portability in mind featuring easy grip carry handle.city of moorabbin, post world war 11 settlements, housing estates cheltenham, moorabbin industries c1950, camping equipment, primus stoves, portable gas burners -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Functional object - Kitchen Equipment, Coolgardie Safe, c1900
The invention of the Coolgardie Safe is credited to Arthur Patrick McCormick, a contractor in Coolgardie, and later the Mayor of Narrogin. Coolgardie is in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. Gold was first discovered there in 1892; the townsite became a municipality in 1894, and by 1898 its population of 15,000 made it the third largest town in Western Australia after Perth and Fremantle. In the last decade of the 19th century, Coolgardie was the capital of the West Australian goldfields. Being 180 kilometres from the nearest civilisation, food supplies were initially scarce and expensive. As fresh food was a valuable commodity there was incentive to preserve it, and keep it out of reach of scavengers such as birds, dingos, dogs, ants, and flies. It was in an effort to do this, in the extreme heat of the Australian Interior, that McCormick came up with his design for the Coolgardie Safe. McCormick noticed that a wet bag placed over a bottle cooled its contents. He further noted that if this bottle was placed in a breeze, the bag would dry out more quickly, but the bottle would get colder. What McCormick had discovered was the principle of evaporation: ‘to change any liquid into a gaseous state requires energy. This energy is taken in the form of heat from its surroundings.’ Employing this principle, McCormick made a box for his provisions which he covered with a wet hessian bag. He then placed a tray on top, into which he poured water twice daily. He hung strips of flannel from the tray so that water would drip down onto the hessian bag, keeping it damp. As the water evaporated, the heat dissipated, keeping the food stored inside cool and fresh. The success of McCormick’s invention would not have worked without a steady supply of water. Fresh water was scarce in the eastern goldfields at this time but the demand for water from a steadily growing population encouraged innovation. The solution was to condense salt water. Heating salt water in tanks produced steam that was condensed in tall cylinders, cooled and then collected in catchment trays. By 1898 there were six companies supplying condensed water to the goldfields, the largest company producing 100,000 gallons of water a day. In the early 20th century, Coolgardie Safes were also manufactured commercially. These safes incorporated shelving and a door, had metal or wooden frames and hessian bodies. The feet of the safe were usually placed in a tray of water to keep ants away. (MAV website) The early settlers of Moorabbin Shire depended on this type of Food Safe to protect their food from flies and vermin as they established market gardens in the fertile area around the notorious Elster Creek A metal framed, 4 sided structure standing on 4 legs with 2 hinged doors on one side, a metal tray at base of food safe and a metal cover over top. Ridges on which to rest trays carrying food are inside safe. The Safe is enclosed by fly-wire mesh.'...IN.....GEELONG' A manufacturer's oval metal plate is embossed on one side of Safe but it is illegible.elster creek, moorabbin, brighton, dendy's special survey 1841, market gardens, infant mortality, disease, cemeteries, fruit, vegetables, pioneers, coolgardie safe, mccormick arthur patrick, dendy henry, vaccination, jones martha, jones ethel may -
Clunes Museum
Functional object - FEEDING CUP
USED IN FORMER CLUNES HOSPITALSTAINLESS STEEL FEEDING CUP WITH HANDLE AND SPOUTPARAMOUNT STAINLESS STEEL K. C LUKE MELBOURNE V.H.A.local history, medical, equipment -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Functional Object - Cigarette Lighter
Silver lighter with an Indian's head on a shield with the letters, WTFRW.WTFRW & an Indian's head with "WTFRW"/C Coy 9 RAR, Vietnam, 1968-69.zippo lighter, c coy, 9 rar -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Functional object, Miso container, c. 1900s
‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981These are containers for miso. The wooden box, a product of Osaka, is lacquered in black on the outside and in bright red on the inside. The binding of split bamboo, in natural colour, gives it a sturdy look. - Professor Hideyuki Oka, curator.japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Functional object - Run Number Plate, Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB), Malvern M65, c1960s
Pressed metal plate with corners trimmed, top section partly folded with two slotted holes, sides folded to give strengthening to the plate, painted with a yellow background and the letter "M" and numbers "65"painted in black, to give a Run Number Plate for Malvern Depot No. 65. Painted with the same detail on either side of the plate. Used by Malvern Depot until they were phased out and replaced with the Automatic Vehicle Monitoring system c1990. Used to identify the depot and "run number" or timetable that the tram was running on, two in each tram, to enable monitoring by inspectors and crews.trams, tramways, mmtb, malvern depot, timetables -
Trafalgar Holden Museum
Functional object - Chamois leather
Used for the polishing of glass or other high gloss surfacesImported and sold by GMHFolded white chamois cloth contained in plastic envelopeNilchamois, polishing, leather -
8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regimental Collection
Functional object - German gas mask, 1916 circa
German gas mask brought back from Western Front as a souvenir by a member of 13th Battery AFA (Albury Battery) and included in a collection of memorabilia donated to the 8/13th VMR as the local citizen soldier force.Representative of a souvenir of the Great War brought home by a soldier from the Albury area. It is complete and in very good condition.Cylindrical metal canister with hinged lid and light fabric carry strap containing Gas Mask type GM15. Inside hinged lid are printed instructions for use of mask.gas, albury battery, german -
Trafalgar Holden Museum
Functional object - Saddle cart/ van tree, Circa 1900
used circa 1900 in agriculture and on draught horsesAs manufactured and sold by Holden and FrostShaped to fit on horses back with two straps that fit around horses belly two metal rings for reins two brackets for strapping and a metal buckle on the end of the belly bandPattern etched on backsaddle cart, equine, agriculture -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Bottle, c1940's
Turban Coffee Essence Brown glass Bottle stawell -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Functional object - Brass coin holder - 3d and 6d
Used by tramway revenue clerks, most likely the MMTB, including the Ballarat Tramway Museum to count coins, as only so many 3d or 6d would fit into each container. Each has a hole in the base to enable it to be checked that it was empty prior to use or after being used. One of the 3d containers have a loose "washer" which shows the nature of the construction. Has been secured with a piece of wrapping tape. One of the 6d tubes has a label advising that it would hold "$30 of $2 coins"Demonstrates the methodologies used to count coins and stack them in a revenue office. Provides a sample of each coin that would have been used. Brass coin holder - for use in counting 3d and 6d coins. Made from brass tube with a brass washer rolled or fixed to one end. In storage bag is are 2 x 3d and a 2 x 6d and 1x5c coins. 5 No. x 6d and 6 No. x 3d holders held in the collection.tramways, tickes, cash, cash handling, depots, coins, revenue clerks -
8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Regimental Collection
Functional object - Map case, 1942
Fine example of officer's accessory to hold map securely and protected from weather.Fine example of officer's accessorily to hold map securely and protected from weather.Hard fibre board panel with metal clips securing clear Perspex sheet covering map; canvas flap attached to one edge of board folding over and secured to other side of board with two metal press studs. Underside of flap has pockets for chinagraph marking pencils. Map is RACV road map of area southwest of Eildon Victoria probably a training area for 13th Motor Regiment. Also has two buckles to allow attachment to user's webbing.Stamped on cover flap "CG Hartley & Co 1942"map, motor, 13th, gippsland -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Functional object - Pocket Watch, C.1853
Although the exact creation of this pocket watch is unknown, the pocket watch was first invented in 1510, in Nuremberg, Germany. The inception of this invention can be attributed to Peter Henlein, a master locksmith who continued producing timepieces until the 16th century when their manufacturing expanded to other parts of Europe. During the 15th century, pocket watches served as a means of distinguishing between the lower classes and the affluent members of society since only the wealthy could afford them. In this era, an early version of the pocket watch was typically worn around the neck, as opposed to being attached to a pocket watch chain like the Albert T Bar chain. Furthermore, the increasing use of the railways during the latter part of the 1800s significantly accelerated the popularity of pocket watches.This pocket watch is significant as they relate to the social history within the Burke Museum's collection playing a vital role in narrating the history of Beechworth, demonstrating the past of the town through insights into its social, cultural, and economic dimensions.A silver pocketwatch with a leather strap attached at the clasp.A01153clock, pocketwatch, timepiece, burke museum -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Functional object, Sekku no Iwaimono, c. 1900s
‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving -
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Functional object - Gudgeons for a rudder
Large gudgeons from an unknow wreck near Pope's EyeTwo cast iron gudgeon fittings suitable for a rudder from an unknown wreck salvaged close to Pope's Eye in Port Phillipship wrecks, salvage, gudgeons -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Beehive Smoker c. early 1900s
Beehive smokers douse bees with smoke to calm them and make them less likely to sting while honey is extracted from beehives. They were invented in the mid nineteenth century, prior to which bees were killed in order to extract their honey. The invention of the bee smoker was an important innovation in the history of apiary. The Wodonga Historical Society beehive smoker appears to be of the same design as the patented Woodman’s Bingham Bee Smoker, produced from 1878 by T. F. Binghan of Albronia, Michigan. The Wodonga Historical Society beehive smoker is an important artefact connected to local history, and the history of apiary in Wodonga. Beekeeping was a popular pastime in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and apiaries were subject to regulation by the Wodonga Shire Council. At a 1914 meeting of the council, for instance, a by-law governing beekeeping in Wodonga was enacted after Mrs Smyth complained that Mr Bassett’s bees were swarming the watering holes in her paddocks and preventing livestock from drinking. There were areas within the Wodonga township where apiaries were prohibited, and Mr Bassett’s bees had fallen foul of the law. A canvas, wood and metal beesmoker from the early twentieth century. apiary, bees, beekeeping, honey, apiarists, wodonga, council, wodonga council, wodonga shire council, rural, livestock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Watch Chains, ca 1855
The concretion of silver watch chains was recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg over one hundred years later. Schomberg was a large three-masted full-ship rigged wooden ship built in 1855 by Alexander Hall and Co in Aberdeen, Scotland for James Baines' famous Black Ball Line at £43,103. The vessel was 288 feet (88 meters) in length, with a beam of 45 feet (14 meters), a depth of 29.5 feet (8.99 meters) of 2,284 tons. The mainmast was 210 feet (64 meters) high and she carried 3.3 acres of sail. The vessel was constructed with three skins. One planked fore and aft, and two diagonally planked, fastened together with screw-threaded trunnels (wooden rails). The Schomberg is one of only three clipper wrecks in Victorian waters that operated the England -to- Australia run. While the other two, Empress of the Sea and Lightning, were built by the famous American shipbuilder, Donald Mac Kay. Schomberg was an attempt to build a faster ship than Mac Kay and a vessel fast enough to break the sailing record to Australia. The Schomberg sailed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool on 6 October 1855, under the command of Captain James Forbes, on its maiden voyage to Australia with general cargo, jewellery, spirits, machinery, and 2,000 tons of iron rails and equipment intended to build the Melbourne to Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. She also carried a cow for fresh milk, pens for fowls and pigs, plus 90,000 gallons of water for washing and drinking. She also carried 17,000 letters and 31,800 newspapers. There were approximately 473 passengers and a crew of 105. It was hoped that Schomberg would make Melbourne in sixty days, setting a record for the voyage, but light winds at the equator dashed those expectations. The ship sighted Moonlight Head in southwest Victoria on Christmas Day but through a deadly combination of wind, currents and unmarked sand spits, the vessel gently ran aground on 26 December 1855 on a spit that juts into Newfield Bay, just east of Curdies Inlet, and the present town of Peterborough. Fortunately, the SS Queen was nearby and managed to save all passengers and crew. The steamers Keera and Maitland were dispatched to salvage the passenger's baggage and the more valuable cargo. Other salvage attempts were made, but deteriorating weather made the work impossible, and within two weeks the Schomberg's hull was broken up and the vessel abandoned. The wrecking of the Schomberg caused quite a public stir, particularly in light of the fact the vessel was supposed to be, the most perfect clipper ship ever built. Captain Forbes was charged in the Supreme Court under suspicion that he was playing cards with two female passengers below decks when his ship ran aground. Despite a protest meeting, two inquiries and the court proceedings, he was found not guilty and cleared of all charges. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum that also displays ship fittings and equipment, and personal effects. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill.The Schomberg has historical significance as one of the first luxurious ships built to bring emigrants to Australia to cash in on the gold rush era. And is included on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612). The collection of Schomberg artefacts held at Flagstaff Hill Museum is primarily significant because of the relationship between these recovered items having a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg and its foundering during a storm. The shipwreck is of additional historically significance for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the first passenger ship, which was designed not only to be the fastest and most luxurious of its day but foundered on its maiden voyage to Australia.Conglomerated cluster of silver watch chains, encased in concretion at both ends (1 chain is separated). They were recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, schomberg, shipwrecked-artefact, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, watch chain -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Fire fender, Late 19th to early 20th century
A fender is part of the hardware used in open fireplaces to prevent the fire from spilling out of the fireplace. Wood fires were the main source of domestic heating in the 19th century.This fender is significant for its association with domestic heating in the 19th and early 20th century.Fire fender, cast iron, painted black, sides bolted onto front as is base plateflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, fire fender, fire guard, domestic heating, fender