This water standpipe is believed to be the only one of its kind in working order. It was originally located in Warrnambool, on the hillside at the corner of Mickle Crescent and Banyan Street, providing water for the Chinese Market Gardens below, on the flats. It was removed from this location on May 2nd, 1979, with the intention to relocate it at the new Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum & Village. The standpipe lay in storage for years until the Warrnambool Company, Chemblast, offered to restore it for use as a working display. The display was officially opened on March 31, 2014. The water from the adjacent lake is drawn out with a hand operated water pump, and goes up into the standpipe, where flows through the canvas hose and into the top of the Furphy Farm Water Cart. The display is a visual acknowledgement of the years served by Flagstaff Hill volunteer and Friends of Flagstaff Hill Chairperson, Bob Crossman. Warrnambool’s early settlers had no water supply prior to the mid-1850s. They relied on rain water tanks, domestic wells and springs. The town experienced a huge, destructive fire in William Bateman Jnr. & Co.’s large produce store in November 1856, which highlighted the need for both a fire brigade and a good supply of water. In 1863 a volunteer fire brigade was established. In August 1880 the town celebrated the installation of its first water standpipe on the corner of Liebig and Timor streets. The water was pumped from springs at Cannon Hill through the connected pipeline to the standpipe, then distributed to households via horse and cart. Each of the licenced cart drivers were compelled by Council regulations to keep their carts full from sunset to sunrise, ready to cart water to outbreaks of fire. They received a fee for this service. In 1893 the town installed a water supply, sourced from the Merri River, stored in a reservoir basin and tower in north Liebig Street, and distributed throughout the town in a system of pipes. By late 1939 a reticulated supply was installed, with the water piped in under the Otway Scheme. Standpipes are still used in modern times in rural and remote areas for homes, farms, stock, agriculture and firefighting. Many commercial or government owned standpipes are metered, charging a fee for the quantities of water supplied. This water standpipe was made by Langlands Foundry Co. Limited, Melbourne, which was establish in 1842. It was Melbourne’s first foundry and iron shipbuilder, and one of the largest employers in Victoria at the time. Langlands was known for its high quality workmanship and wide range of goods for mining, engineering, marine, railway and other industrial uses. The company made the first cast bell, the first lamp posts in the colony, and the boiler for the first Australian train. In the 1860s it produced cast iron pipes for the Board of Works, which laid the pipes for Melbourne’s first reticulated water supply. The firm was bought by Austral Otis Co. in 1897.This water standpipe is significant historically as it is believed to be the only one of its type in working condition. The standpipe is significant for being manufactured by early colonial firm Langlands Foundry of Melbourne, which was known for high quality, cast iron products. The firm made the boiler for the first Australian train, assembled the first Australian paddle steamer and made the first Australian cast bell and lamp posts. Langlands was one of the largest employers in Victoria at the time. The standpipe is significant historically as it represents the evolution of water supply services in Australia. Standpipe; vertical cast iron water pipe, painted crimson, fixed in position, tapering inward from the round base to the rectangular joint near the finial on top. A hexagonal pipe extends at right angles from the joint, with an outlet fitting and flow-controlling wheel on the end. A length of canvas hose hangs from the outlet fitting. Inscriptions are on one face of the joint. The standpipe was made by Langlands Foundry Company of Melbourne. Embossed “LANGLANDS FOUNDRY CO. / LIMITED / ENGINEERS / MELBOURNE”warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, flagstaff hill, standpipe, stand-pipe, water standpipe, fire standpipe, firefighting equipment, water supply equipment, chinese market gardens, banyan street, liebig street, water tower, bateman’s fire, working display, water supply, town water, rural water, reticulated water, cannon hill spring, merri river, otway water, water carters, horse and cart water supply, volunteer fire brigade, langlands foundry, early melbourne, iron works, bob crossman, late 19th century water supply

An examination of the origins of over 400 names in and around the Bass Strait, including Victorian areas from Cape Otway to Lakes Entrance and the north coast of Tasmania.Maps, b&w illustrations, b&w photographsbunerong, bass strait, tasmania, place names, bassian isthmus, king island, otway coast, port phillip bay, western port bay, wilsons promontory, cape barren island, flinders island, king island

An authentic account of shipwrecks in the area, written by M. E. MacKenzie, a life long resident of Peterborough.Significant as author was a life long resident of Peterborough.Softcover 86 page bookThis is book number 49 (inscribed inside cover). shipwreck coast, m.e.mackenzie, peterborough 3270, authentic shipwreck recollections, the joanna, the schomberg, the champion, marie gabrielle, young australia, loch ard, eric the red, newfield, falls of halladale, antares

Sixteen page printed report, stapled in top left hand corner, titled "Trams, Deficits move out as private buses move in", extracted from Truck and Bus Transportation March and April 1957, about the replacement of the trams in Geelong. Written by a bus person. Part 1 - Looks at the changeover from trams to buses, background to the tram service in Geelong, political issues, publicity, bus companies and areas operate, peak hour services, buses used, standards, traffic levels, miles operated, drivers viewpoints. Part II - looks at the savings by bus operations, no fare subsidies at the time, gives a table of losses on Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong from 1931, track replacement costs, details of the three companies operating buses, Trans Otway, Benders and Corio Bus Lines and other operators in the Geelong region. Obtained by Graeme Cleak from the Internet and copy given to Gavin Young Scanned entire document and added 2/9/12. trams, tramways, geelong, buses, reports, tram bus services, closure

History of shipwrecks and strandings from Port Campbell to Anglesea, with photographs, locations and gravesites, and some mention of areas either side of the main wrecks.Wrecks around Cape Otway. Shipwrecks and strandings from Port Campbell to Anglesea. J.K. Loney. 1st ed. Apollo Bay (Vic); J.K. Loney; nd. iv, 50 p.; illus. Soft cover.cape otway; shipwrecks; strandings; port campbell; anglesea; apollo bay; lorne; j.k. loney;

An account shipwrecks from 1880 to 1958 in the Apollo Bay area.Adventures with shipwrecks. An account of wrecks in the Apollo Bay area. J.K. Loney. 1st ed. Apollo Bay (Vic); J.K. Loney; nd. 20 p.; illus, map. Soft cover.222mm x apollo bay; j.k. loney; shipwrecks;, apollo bay; j.k. loney; shipwrecks;

The Report describes and assesses the natural resources of public land in the Corangamite study area, and provides a factual basis on which members of the community may base their submissions to the Council.Report on the Corangamite study area. Land Conservation Council. Melbourne; Land Conservation Council; May 1976. x, 310 p.; illus, maps (separate). Soft cover.land conservation council; corangamite; geology; physiography; climate; water resources; soils; vegetation; fauna;

The Otways Quilt is believed to have originated with the Perkins family, landholders in the Beech Forest area. Some of the names or initials on the quilt have been tentatively identified with other farmimg families in the same district.A rectangular quilt hand embroidered in white on 20 square panels, with the names or initlals of settlers in the Otway district, and surrounded with an edging of floral embroidery. It is made of polished cotton backed with cotton sheeting.quilt, beech forest, otway, needlework, perkins

The south-west of Victoria, possessing a rich heritage of the signs of past human activity, is fertile ground for an investigation of historic places on public land. This report includes an initial inventory of almost 2000 places. The report outlines the history and the related heritage of the area, describes in some detail its biophysical attributes and introduces the natural resources and present land use. This information provides a context for understanding the origins of the historical features that are observes today.Historic places: Special investigation: South-Western Victoria: Descriptive report. Land Conservation Council. Land Conservation Council; Melbourne (Vic); January 1966. viii, 180 p.; illus.; maps. Soft cover. ISBN 0 7241 9288 3Maps in plastic sleeve.land conservation council; conservation; south-western victoria; historic places;

This is a time line of Colac, Victoria, giving a short history of the area, some early pioneers of the district, and a brief political history of the representatives of Colac.Colac. A short history from 1837. Colac and District Historical Society. Colac and District Historical Society; Colac (Vic); nd. 24 p.; illus. Soft cover. colac; time line; history; pioneers; political representatives; colac and district historical society.

William Buckley was born in 1780 at Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. After time as a bricklayer and soldier he was caught with stolen property, sentenced on 2 August 1802, and transported to Australia. Between October, 1803, and January, 1804, he escaped from Sullivan's Bay in the Port Phillip district and spent the next 32 years in the company of aborigines wandering between Port Phillip and the near western district as far as Lake Corangamite. In about 1835 he was discovered by three white men, members of John Batman's Port Phillip Association investigating the area with a view to future settlement.Wild white man. Kevin Hayden. Marine History Publications; Geelong (Vic); nd. 28 p.; illus.; map. Soft cover.william buckley; aborigines; otway ranges;

B/W. Engine G41, showing the sign "Puffing Billy Preservation Society, Beech Forest, 21-11-59", leaves the balloon loop at Beech Forest Railway Station, with guard and child hanging from the engine. A number of people are in the area, particularly two on top of a stack of timber. beech forest; railways;

The 1919 bushfire was the worst the area suffered. The fire struck on Saturday afternoon on the 15th February. It destroyed the station at Lavers Hill and Crowes, departmental residences at Lavers Hill and Weeaproinah, the overhead bridges at Beech Forest and Wimba, and damaged the track at various points along the line so that two locomotives became temporarily marooned at Beech Forest.. By the following Tuesday a daily fire relief train had begun operation. By the following Sunday a special train loaded with army tents travelled through to Lavers Hill and deposited most of its consignment there because little remained of this sizeable settlement. An outsider would have had difficulty in picking the place. The letters of the Lavers Hill station nameboard had been burnt although the metal letters survived, and one of the local wags had rearranged them to read "LIARS HELL". By the 1920s water trains were being used to help fight fires, a simple NQR open wagon loaded with the standard 1500 litre square iron water tank.B/W. Crowes station sign, the remains of a chimney, galvanised iron sheet and a water tank, and two men gazing at the camera. Note in the background the clear felling of the timber.crowes; lavers hill; beech forest; weeaproinah; wimba; railways; bushfire;

Originally known as Loves River it became Kawarren station on 16 June 1902. It consisted of a loop siding and combined office and passenger shelter. Goods loading was sawn timber (brought in on four tramways operating between 1905 and 1939), firewood, charcoal and limestone. In 1920 the limestone company built a store shed and a covered loading area at the terminus to assist operations. The company also requested the siding to be extended by three metres, which Victorian Railways did in the same year. This gave the loop a capacity of 21 trucks. Around 2,000 tonnes per year of limestone traffic kept the station busy until trade ceased in 1957. A postal motor started in October 1938, Kawarren being a point where the postal motor and trains were permitted to cross.B/W. G42 with a Down goods train at Kawarren on 14 December 1955. On No.2 Road empty NQR wagons proceeding to get filled at a covered lime loading operation. A three workmen are checking aspects of the train while a group appear to be clustered at the guard's van around an NKS motor trolley.kawarren; railways; limestone; timber; charcoal;

Lavers Hill General Store, or more usually, Hampshire's Store, was owned initially for two years by Hampshire and Hutley, and then for 17 years by Mr and Mrs P. Hampshire (senior) who serviced the area including during the Depression. On their retirement their son, Percy, went into partnership with Leo Brauer for four years, and then ran it with his wife, Nea, for a further eight years until the store burnt down. The Store was a placed where the community congregated. It was a place where people met or waited for the train or the Cream Bus or the Mail Bus. Inside it was a place where you could buy groceries, fruit and vegetables, footwear, petrol, and so on. It was a place where children could buy a big stick of licorice for a halfpenny or 3d. worth of broken biscuits. Blackwood Gully Tea Rooms now stands in its place. B/W. Laver's Hill General Store, c.1945, with petrol bowser and sedan outside, and the level crossing to the right and the level crossing sign midfield.lavers hill; general store; railways; petrol bowser; hampshire; hutley; leo brauer;

Kawarren was an early timber and limestone loading point. Timber was shipped in by Watson and Facey, Condon Brothers, and Coppock, amongst others, some of which had tramways up to 6.5 km long to the station. Bushfires roared through the area in 1939 and made the area unworkable. An outcrop of limestone existed near Kawarren but it was not until the railway was built that it became workable. 360 metres north of Kawarren station two then three kilns were erected, and later a shed and covered area over a short length of the rail siding in order to prevent rain damage to the lime while it was being loaded. Sluicing was introduced, and the tramway was extended further when the quarry ate deeper into the hillside. Limestone traffic of around 2,000 tonnes each year kept the station busy until the trade ceased in 1957.B/W. On the 14 December 1958 at Kawarren an UP goods train shunts on the siding. A man is talking to the engine driver while another man approaches the engine.kawarren; railways; timber; lime;

While the first train arrived at Beech Forest on 17 February, 1902, as a special train for a race meeting at Beech Forest Turf Club, two special trains ran for the official opening of the railway by the State Governor, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, KCMG, R.E., F.R.S., that took place on 27 February, 1902. After seeing round the area the guests attended a celebration of the opening at a banquet at Beech Forest. The menu included four impressive courses, coffee and cognac, and included a number of toasts - The King, the Governor, the Minister and the Parliament of the State, Success to the Beech Forest Railway, the Colac Shire Council and the Railway Trust, and the Railway Department, a total of 19 people speaking. The official guests then returned to Colac.B/W. Opening banquet for the Colac-Beech Forest railway line in 1902. The State Governor, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, KCMG, the Premier of Victoria, Hon. A.J. Peacock, MLA, and a number of other important people seated at the top table, with other guests seated to the left and right.beech forest; railways; banquet; colac;

The Puffing Billy Preservation Society came into existence by a popular desire to retain something of our narrow gauge railway past, leisurely in this age but a boon to the sparsely settled areas it served in the past. It served the Wangaratta-Whitefield line, the Upper Ferntree Gully-Gembrook line, the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line, and the Moe-Walhalla line, the last railway line served being the Colac-Beech Forest line. None of these railways were a paying proposition but they played an important part in the areas they served. Nowadays, the last bit of line is a portion of the Upper Ferntree Gully-Gembrook line, from Belgrave to Lakeside, run by the Society. The Engine Shed has several small NA-class locomotives with NBH excursion carriages, and at the moment the Garratt G class in pieces. Here comes Puffing Billy! Puffing Billy Preservation Society; Belgrave (Vic); nd (after Aug. 1962). 18 p.; illus., maps. Soft cover.puffing billy preservation society; railways; wangaratta; whitefield; upper frentree gully; gembrook; colac; beech forest; crowes; moe; walhalla;

The Great Ocean Road may be the only road in the world which was built as a war memorial. In 1916, much of Australia was poorly served by roads, and it was suggested that returning servicemen could be given worthwhile employment by building roads in isolated areas. The plan was taken up for the Great Ocean Road, and work was dedicated to the memory of men who had fallen in World War 1. The road itself is a great feat of engineering. It wind around some of Australia's most rugged coastline. Now it is one of the world's most scenic routes, crossing gorges, along precipitous cliffs, through dense forests, and over steeply rolling coastline country.Great Ocean Road. K.G. Stepnell. 1st ed. Rigby Limited; Adelaide (S.A.); 1972. 36 p.; illus., maps. Hard cover. ISBN 0 85179 371 1great ocean road; roads; fishing; timber; twelve apostles;

Colac was the centre of a spidery rail network over which were carted anything and everything by Victorian Railways, the common carrier throughout the area. The main line through the region was the 35 km rail route from Birregurra (and thence to Geelong) though Colac to Pirron Yallock (and thence to Warrnambool and Port Fairy) from March, 1877, to July, 1883. The first branch line ran from Irrewarra to Beeac in 1889, which then extended in stages to Cressy and on the Ballarat. The second branch line was the 31 km long Birregurra to Forrest in 1891. The cost of building railways into mountainous terrain meant the third branch line was a narrow-gauge 2 foot 6 inch line, first of all to Beech Forest in 1902, and then to Crowes in 1911, for a total of 71 km. The final rail connection was the 16 km branch from Colac to Alvie to facilitate the transport of onions, opening in 1923. Each line had its own character and peculiarities derived from its foundation, geography and economic base. As a general rule, the loadings on the branch lines had greater output tonnage than inwards, the reverse of the main line. The lines traversed agricultural and timber areas where inputs like seed, grass, fertiliser and labour were minor, compared with the output, timber, wool, cream, butter, cheese fruit, potatoes, onion, grain and livestock.Rail Centre Colac. Rail stations in the Colac Otway Shire, 1877 to 2014. Norman Houghton. 1st ed. Norman Houghton; Geelong (Vic); 2014. vi, 262 p.; illus., maps, index. Soft cover.colac; cressy; forrest; beech forest; crowes

For two years after the opening of the Colac-Beech Forest railway line trains were preceded by a ganger on a trolley to ensure no landslips or wash-a-ways created a danger to the trains. Afterwards the trains continued on their own. The line was built as cheaply as possible, "a mere skeleton of a railway" as one Victorian Railways spokesperson commented. With earthworks specified to the bare minimum landslips in the cuttings and wash-a-ways in sloping areas were always a problem, particularly in the early years before the works had time to settle. The line to Crowes was built to open in 1911 and a wash-a-way between Lavers Hill and Crowes was only to be expected. B/W. 8A locomotive, with driver and fireman, and a mounted repair gang attending a wash-a-way just past Lavers Hill in 1913.183mm x 260mm print.

From the 9th April until the 8th July 1896 the Victorian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, chaired by Mr. Cameron with members from both houses, took evidence on three narrow gauge extensions from broad gauge railway stations in the area, the Beech Forest Extension from Colac, the McDonald's Track Extension from Warragul, and the Drouin and Poowong East Extension from Drouin.Minutes of Evidence, Beech Forest Narrow-Gauge Extension. Minutes of Evidence, McDonald's Track Narrow-Gauge Extension. Minutes of Evidence, Drouin and Poowong East Narrow-Gauge Extension. Victorian Parliamentary Papers; Melbourne (Vic); April-July, 1896. 60 p. (VPARL1896-97 No 42)

The heavy cast iron, round lid was originally fastened into a large, riveted metal box, known as a ship tank. It has the name ‘John Bellamy London’ cast in capitals in a continuous circle on the outer edge of the lid face, and the words ‘Byng St Millwall’ on the inner circle. , of Millwall, London, manufactured boilers and ship tanks from the 1860s to the 1930s and came from a family of tank makers who began manufacturing tanks some time before 1856. Ship tanks were invented in 1808 by notable engineer, Richard Trevithick and his associate John Dickinson. Their patent obtained the same year described the tank’s superior cubic shape that allowed it to fit squarely as a container in vessels and thus use space efficiently, while its metal fabric preserved and secured its liquid or solid contents from damage. The containers revolutionised the movement of goods by ship and made wooden casks redundant. Research by Michael Pearson has determined that they were carried on passages to Australia from at least the 1830s conveying ships’ victuals and water storage, as well as general goods heading for the colonies. Pearson found photographic evidence of their use in the 1860s, and by the 1870s they appeared to be in common use. lids surviving from containers indicate that nearly all the tanks transported to Australia came from London manufacturers. It was usual for the brand name to also feature as a stencil on the tank but in most cases this eventually wore off. A tank without its original stencil survives at Wilsons Promontory. Tanks transporting ‘drinking water or perishable dry goods were hermetically sealed by the use of the tightly fitting lid with a rubber sealing ring ‘which was screwed tight with the aid of lugs cast into the lid and wedges cast into the rim of the loading hole’. The raised iron rod welded across the outer face of many lids such as the Bellamy example, allowed for screwing the lid tight. Once in the colonies, the ship tanks were often recycled and adapted for many resourceful uses such as packing cases, dog kennels, water tanks, oil containers and food stores and this invariably led to the separation of the lid and tank. The Bellamy lid could have been salvaged from a shipwreck but is more likely to have to have originated from a recycled tank that was brought to the lightstation for water storage purposes. Pearson writes that: Ship tanks show up at a wide range of sites, many of them isolated like lighthouses. They were, I think, usually taken there for the purposes they filled, usually water storage, as they were readily available, relatively light to transport, and probably very cheap to buy as second-hand goods containers. In rural areas they may have been scavenged for their new uses from local stores, to whom goods were delivered in them. Parks Victoria has identified five tank lids in the lightstation collections covered by this project. In addition to the Bellamy lid at Point Hicks, they include a Bow brand lid at Point Hicks and another at Cape Otway, unidentified lids at Cape Otway and Wilsons Promontory. Pearson and Miles Lewis have each recorded two versions of the Bellamy trade name on the lids; one being ‘John Bellamy Byng St. London’; the other, ‘John Bellamy Byng St. Millwall London’. The Point Hicks lid has the second version of the name, as do other examples in Victoria that Lewis has identified at Illawarra, Toorak; Warrock homestead, Casterton; Eeyeuk homestead, Terang; Ward’s Mill, Kyneton; and Boisdale homestead near Maffra, and in NSW at Ayrdale Park, Wolumla; and Bishop’s Lodge, Hay. Pearson’s list includes the same lids in NSW at Tumbarumba; the Quarantine Station, Sydney; Willandra Station; Bedervale, Braidwood; Gunnedah Museum; Walla Walla and Macquarie Island. The Point Hicks lid is currently stored in the lighthouse although it is unlikely that its use had any association with this building. The lid is in good condition and retains the central bung. Pearson notes that ‘surviving lids are far less numerous than the tanks themselves, presumably because the uses to which the tanks were put did not require the lid to be retained’.347 The Bellamy ship tank lid has first level contributory significance for its historic values. Circular cast-iron disc with raised outer ridge with inscription. It also has an inner depression with inscription. Two metal sections form handles over inner depression. Hole in middle of disc.Around perimeter of outer edge "JOHN BELLAMY LONDON" Around inner area "BYNG ST MILLWALL"

The circular cast iron object is a lid that was originally fastened into a ship tank. This particular lid is cast with the name ‘Lancaster & Co Bow London E’ in capitals in a continuous circle on the outer edge of the lid face, and has the words ‘Bow Tank Works’ on the inner circle. It is the same type of round heavy lid that was made by tank manufacturer John Bellamy although it may be a younger example. According to Pearson, the Lancaster & Co firm produced tanks between 1910 and 1930 from their works in Bow, East London. It was possibly preceded by the company, Lancaster & Bawn, which ran between the 1870s and 1890s.Pearson has collected a list of Lancaster & Co tank lids that he and others have sighted at various locations in Australia including Coolgardie, WA; Gulgong Museum, NSW; the Quarantine Station, Sydney NSW; Blundell’s Cottage, NSW; and Woolmers homestead complex, TAS. In addition, Lewis has identified lids at Ayrdale, NSW, and the shearing shed at Murndal homestead, Western Victoria. It is most likely that more than three lids survive in Victoria and more will be identified, however, as noted by Pearson, ‘surviving lids are far less numerous than the tanks themselves, presumably because the uses to which the tanks were put did not require the lid to be retained’.Parks Victoria has identified five tank lids in the lightstation collections. There is another Lancaster & Co lid at Cape Otway and possibly a second example there as well. In addition there are Bellamy lids at Point Hicks and Cape Otway and an unidentified lid at Wilsons Promontory, and a tank without a lid at Wilsons Promontory. The Lancaster & Co ship tank lid has first level contributory significance for its historic values.Circular cast-iron disc, with raised outer ridge with inscription and inner depression with inscription. One metal section forms a handle over an inner depression.Around perimeter of outer edge "BOW LONDON.E LANCASTER & CO " Around inner area "BOW ANK WORK"

The Shipwreck Board is a feature of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village/ its subject is explained briefly in the Museum's handbook, The Flagstaff Hill Navigator, published in 2008: - "Known as the ‘Eye of the Needle’ the treacherous entrance to Bass Strait is littered with the wreckage of large international vessels and smaller sail and steam craft used in coastal trade. The vessels bringing emigrants and cargo to Australia found the western entrance to Bass Strait the most dangerous part of their voyage. They had to thread their way between the southern point of Victoria (Cape Otway) and the northern point of King Island, a stretch of water less than 90 km wide. Many smaller coastal vessels were lost at Portland, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Apollo Bay which are not safe harbours in certain weather conditions. "The Shipwreck Board shows shipwrecks, strandings and collisions which occurred in this area up to the year 1940. Wrecks are identified by a yellow light and collisions/strandings by a green light. These lights also identify the decade the wreck occurred by lighting up when the relevant decade button is pushed. Interesting happenings of the decades are listed next to the buttons." The Shipwreck Board's demonstration of The Eye of the Needle is an interactive visual display that helps teach the perils and dangers faced by early settlers in Victoria. It tells of the vast number of lives lost. It lists the names of many infamous shipwrecks and significant events.The large stained and lacquered timber board is mounted in a timber, frame. It is painted with a small sketch of Australia, and an enlarged outline of the southern coast of Victoria, King Island and the North West coast of Tasmania. The interactive display highlights the shipwrecks, standings and collisions suffered by many vessels as they navigated the 'Eye of the Needle', a narrow stretch of Bass Strait. The locations of the Lighthouses are pinpointed. Lists of groups of ships are below the coastlines. A painted scroll shows eight major shipwrecks with the number of lives lost for each one. A table shows historical facts associated with the decades from pre-1830 to 1940. A system of coloured lights compares the decades with the vessels that suffered damage. The board was created by artist and signwriter, Alex O'Flynn Computer Signs.flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck coast, eye of the needle, shipwreck locations, bass strait, basses strait, king island, north west tasmania, south coast of victoria, cape otway, victorian lighthouse, king island lighthouse, strandings, coastal tracers, emigrant ships, sea trade, 1930s-1940s, shipwreck board, the eye of the needle, collosions, alex o'flynn, alex o’flynn computer signs, shipwrecks of western victoria

This is a book of 144 pages. The cover is buff-coloured with an embossed title. The dust cover has a black and white photograph and a map with white, yellow and black printing. The pages contain printed text and black and white and colour photographs amd mapsnon-fiction A book containing Great Ocean Road Photographsgreat ocean road, rodney hyett photographer

The wooden door was salvaged from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red, which was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. Eric the Red was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871, having had a 1,580 tons register. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. On 4th September 1880 the Eric the Red approached Cape Otway with a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. He ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats. The mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod and samples of wood. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Door from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. The wooden singular rectangular door includes three insert panel sections. The top section is square shaped and is missing its panel or glass. The centre timber panel is about a third of the height of the top panel and the bottom timber panel is approximately equal in height to the total height of the two upper panels. The door fastenings include both a metal door latch and traditional door bolt. They are both attached to the front right hand side of the door. The bolt is just below the top panel, and the door latch is in approximately the centre of that side. The door latch has a round mark where a handle could have been attached. The wood of the door has scraping marks in a semi-circle around the door latch where the latch has swung around on its one remaining fastening and grazed the surface. There is a metal hinge at the top section of the door on the opposite side to the latch. The painted surface has been scraped back to expose the wood. The door is shorter than the average height of a person. On the reverse of the door there are lines on the panels, just inside their edges, is what appears to be pencil. The door is not aligned straight but is skew to centre.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, jaques allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition 1880, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, bass strait, eric-the-red, door