The two-storey house at 104 Peel Street, known locally as The Mousehouse, was built in 1890 of stucco-rendered handmade bricks. The ground floor façade suggests that the front door originally opened directly onto the street. Prior to 1915, the house was numbered 184, but the street number changed to 104 in that year. Early residents included Henry Martin, Mrs Henrietta Blythe and A. R. Chaffer, the two latter being shopkeepers. The eminent dentist Samuel E. Wills, who had rooms in Collins Street, moved to the house in 1897 and lived there for six years. He was reputed to have conducted a dental practice in the cellar. Wills proposed the establishment of a Dental College in Melbourne and helped to frame Victoria’s dental rules and by-laws. Enlarged photograph mounted on board, donated to the Kew Historical Society by the City of Kew on 10 April 1991. houses - kew (vic), peel street - kew (vic)

Kew achieved independence from the Boroondara Roads Board in 1860. As a new municipality, its first three leaders were designated as chairmen. On becoming a borough in 1863, its leaders were identified as mayors. The earliest photographs date from ca.1906, when the Town of Kew commissioned the noted local photographer Josiah E Barnes to produce standardised portraits of former mayors to be displayed in the Mayoral Chamber of the Town Hall. The collection also includes photographs by other well-known photographic studios such as Burlington Studios, Melba – Melbourne, Stuart Tompkins, Spencer Shier and Talma & Co. The majority of mounts identify the photographer. Eighty photographs are housed in their original frames.This portrait is one of a series of mounted and framed photographic portraits of mayors and town clerks of the former Borough, Town and City of Kew. The portraits were transferred by the City of Kew to the Kew Historical Society in March 1989. A Significance Assessment in 2018, funded by the National Library of Australia confirmed the historic, and often artistic significance of the series.Framed portrait of Cr. Arthur Wills, Mayor of Kew 1896-7. The mounting and framing of the photograph follows a typical layout or style in that each is framed in dark wood, glazed, and laid down on an inscribed board. The inscription identifies the name of the mayor and the year/s that he/she served.Arthur Wills, Mayor [of Kew] 1896-7cr. arthur wills, photographers - kew (vic) - josiah earl barnes, mayors of kew (vic), wills family, arthur wills, kew (vic.) — municipal collection

The pulley block illustrates a moment in Harcourt history. According to the reminiscences of William Sanders the granite block for the Burke and Wills monument was of such weight that, in hauling it from the quarry, the weight split the yokes and snapped the chains of the bullock team employed in the task. "So Mr Blight got ropes and tackle, as, as there were plenty of trees along the route, they served as anchors to attach the ropes" Thus, with pulleys such as this, Joseph Blight moved the monolith, at snail's pace, to the Harcourt railway station in 1864.The object is significant for its connection with the explorers Burke & Wills and the foundation of the granite industry on Mount AlexanderA wooden pulley block designed for two ropes. Used for lifting heavy objects. A rope slung around the pulley block fixed the device to the rafters of the shed. Ropes were threaded over the pulley and used to lift heavy weights. Use of a pulley halves the effort required to lift or move an object. Possibly of nautical origin but applied to workshop use in later years.

non-fictionStories and information about former towns in and around Victoria's Alpine Region. Towns include Boggy Creek, Brandy Creek, Brocket, Brookville, Buckland, Buckland Upper, Bulgoback, Bulltown, Hogtown, Bullumwaal, Canvastown, Cassilis, Cobbannah, Copenhagen, Dargo High Plains, Dartmouth, Deptford, Gibbo River, Gladstone, Glen Dart, Glen Valley, Glen Wills, Good Luck Creek, Granite Flat, Grant, Hinnomunjie, Howittville, Jeff Davis, Lightning Creek, Louisville, Mayford, Merrijig Creek, Mitchelldale, Mount Elmo, Nugong, Sassafras, Saltpetre, Staleyville, Stirling, Store Creek, Summer Hill, Sunnyside, Tabberabbera, Talbotville, Thiel Town, Tongio West, Waterford, Wentworth River, Winchester, Wombat, Wongungarra, Zulu Creek.ghost towns, high country victoria, pioneers, history victoria

BHS CollectionBlack and white photograph mounted on rectangular grey board. House, Victorian style pointed brick double fronted large window on left with arched centre, sash windows, 2 narrow window ones either side, decorative tile work columns, galvanised iron roof with chimney. Marlo Wills Street written on back.Frank A. Jeffree Photo Bendigoplace, building, residential, stamped on back in rectangle ''t.c. watts and son/auctioneer/estate agents/253 mitchell street/bendigo'' stamped on back in circle ''royal historical society of victoria, bendigo branch''