The kerosene lamp was one of the most common oil lamps used and was manufactured until the 1980s. This particular lamp has the design of the early kerosene lamps. Its gimbal bracket and counterweight heavy base allow it to swing with a vessel's movement and still stay horizontal. The lamp is significant for its design which is an example of a 19th and early 20th-century kerosene lamp with a wall-mounted gimbal bracket and counterweight base. These features were important to vessels at sea, allowing the lamp to swing with the vessel's movement and stay vertical on rough seas.Kerosene lamp; round electroplated metal top and base, both shaped inward to join together. The base is a solid counterweight to work with the gimbal wall attachment bracket. There is no glass cover.shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, warrnambool, flagstaff hill, kerosene lamp, lighting, marine lamp, kerosene lantern, lamp, lantern, marine equipment, wall gimbal, wall mounted lamp, ship lamp

Bendigo Advertiser "The way we were" from Tuesday, July 13, 2004. In uniform: the H.Q.Section soldiers line up for a photo, date unknown. Back row from left: Spr Tredinnick, Spr Williams, Spr Hedger,, Cpl Henderson, Spr Wolman, L. Cpl Hunt. Third row: Spr Sea, Spr Burridge, Spr Esposito, Spr McKenzie, Spr Waller, L. Cpl McKean, Sgt Nabbs. Second row: Sgt Barfoot, Spr Sanderson, Spr Lane, Cpl Simonds, Spr McPherson, Spr Duffield, Spr Walls, Cpl Skinner. Front row: Cpl Mumford, Sgt Knight, WO Taylor, Lieut Garwand, Sgt Chisholm, Cpl Guard.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

The original photo is part of an album taken by W.Walls, the front page of which is inscribed "The Hill/Sunbury/April 1897". Whilst most of the photos relate to the environs of the asylum, there are others taken around Sunbury and elsewhere. The original album is held as part of the Mental health Collection. During 2000 this was transferred from Mont Park to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.There are two large two storey buildings with return verandahs built on a clifftop overlooking the sea. Two smaller houses are on the right hand side of the pictire. Unmounted black and whitewalls, w., walls album, george evans collection

Pair of commemorative lead light stained glass windows fitted into the wall of the Memorial Hall. Each titled 1939 & 1945 respectively both with the text "AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS 1945-1995" at bottom edge. The scene which extends across the both windows shows five people representing each of the forces standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. A small boy wearing a hat and shirts stands separate from the group. He stands on a far cliff holding an Australian flag.

The steamer S.S.CASINO was much loved by the whole Port Fairy community- with the possible exception of some of the fishermen whose boats she ran down! Transport of the large quantities of wool, potatoes, onions, grain, sheep, cattle and other produce grown on the rich lands of the Western District Belfast was served by a plethora of shipping, both sail and steam, but only one of the steamers then in the regular trade (S.S. DAWN) would ever be able to get up the river and reap the cost savings of loading against a wharf. It was not unusual for four steamers to be anchored in the bay at once and for seven or eight different steamers to call during a week. A number of inter-colonial steamers also called to pick up produce for delivery to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Production in the Western District was increasing and virtually all of that production had to go through one of the western ports in order to reach markets. By 1882 a meeting 15ft. March, 1882, in the office of auctioneer, J.B. HoIden in Cox Street took action and it was unanimously resolved - that the Belfast & Koroit Steamship Company be formed with a capital of £20,000 in 10,000 shares of £2 each". A number of steamers were offered by letter to the fledgling company, including the new and almost sister ships, CASINO and HELEN NICHOLL. The CASINO was on her delivery voyage from England was due to arrive in Warrnambool to load potatoes for Sydney and, initially, arrangements were made for her to call into Port Fairy for inspection by the BKNS Co directors. She eventually proceeded direct to Warrnambool and the Directors inspected her there. Without hesitation they purchased her even though they had to raise a large bank loan to do so. The CASINO arrived in Port Fairy on Saturday, 29th. July, 1882, steaming triumphantly up the Moyne River, and was greeted by crowds, many of whom had driven in from the surrounding countryside, which gave her “loud ringing English cheers". By 1884 the CASINO could not carry all the cargoes available to her and in December of that year the company purchased the new steamer BELLINGER to provide additional capacity. She helped to open up the intermediate ports of Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, but the BELLINGER was not really suitable for the trade and she was sold in 1887, leaving the CASINO to operate alone -as she was to do for almost all of the next 45 years. The opening of the railway in 1890 decreased the cargo available to the steamers and the economic depression of the early 1890's worsened the situation. The weak soon began to fall by the wayside and when the Portland & Belfast SN Co. decided to go into liquidation in April 1895, the Belfast & Koroit Company bought the Portland Company's steamer DAWN on advantageous terms, a substantial part of the payment being in BKSN Co shares. The BKNS Co and the Howard Smith Line came into direct head to head competition and nearly forced the BKNS Co out of existence. Cargo dropped to such an extent that in 1899, they reached agreement that only one ship would run and that the ship which ran would pay a weekly amount to the competitor to stay out of the trade. This controlled service ceased in1909, and competition intensified when Howard Smith placed the newly built, larger steamer EUMERALLA on the run. The BKNS Co survived this competition and even prospered during it partly by extending on a more regular basis, the CASINO'S voyages to South Australian ports Port Macdonnell, Kingston, Beachport, Robe and, on occasions Adelaide. There were setbacks when, on 20 October 1924, CASINO went ashore at the Kennett River, near Apollo Bay, and again, in February l929, when she struck a submerged object at Warrnambool and had to be beached. The railways placed great competitive pressure on the small steamship company and this pressure was intensified when the Great Depression slashed the market for Western District produce, BKNS Co struggled on, paying dividends in most years, and the company planned a big celebration for the CASINO'S fiftieth anniversary in the trade on 29th July, 1932. Disaster struck soon after 9 o'clock on the morning of Sunday I0 July, 1932 when the CASINO was lost at Apollo Bay together with the lives of 10 crew members. black and white panaramic photograph mounted on cardboardMoyne River & East Beach Port Fairy- s.s.Casino-A.C.Aberline-Canterburyship, boat, sea, river, training walls, wharf, moyne river, s.s.casino, steamer

This photograph was taken from the end of Battery Lane which was a favourite place for families to bring their children. There are gentle waves, lots of shells, and no deep water close in. The photo was taken to sell as a postcard.Black & White seascape of Port fairy East Beach taken from the training wall end of the beachEastern Beach, Port Fairy V15beach, sea, seascape, battery hill

East Beach Groyne wallseast beach, groyne, dune, sea, ocean

The two wooden oars were formerly painted white. They were used on lightstation boats and are now displayed on the wall of Room 2 which is located next to the light tower. Numerous images of the lightstation show rowing boats either on stand‐by on land or in the sea performing duties in the surrounding sea and at the East Landing. The wooden boat rudder with brass and other metal fittings was also formerly painted white and is possibly from the same boat that used the oars. Meets second level threshold.Two long wooden oars, Residue of white paint. Possibly made of Australian hardwood. They were used on lightstation boats.

In architecture a corbel serves a decorative as well as structural function as a solid piece of stone, wood or metal that is built into a wall and juts out like a bracket to carry a weight. The smoothly shaped corbel was formerly built into the external wall of the lighthouse facing the sea. It consists of two cupped, rounded forms, one bigger than the other, which are attached to a damaged flat base. Made of cast concrete, it is the same fabric as the lighthouse and shows evidence of white paint on its surface. An early architectural drawing of the tower shows the corbel as a projecting, decorative moulding underpinning the balcony floor associated with the auxiliary light. It indicates the original corbel was a much larger architectural feature which started as a solid rectangular block and terminated with a smaller block and then two tapering, rounded forms. Prepared in mid-1888, the architectural drawings for the lighthouse by Victorian Public Works Department architect, Frederick Hynes, were amended in 1888-89 to provide for an auxiliary light, which comprised an arched opening and door in the tower wall below the lantern room and small balcony. In the late nineteenth century all of Victoria’s lightstations installed a red auxiliary light to serve as a danger warning to mariners sailing too close to shoare. Existing lightstations, like Cape Otway, built a pavilion below their lighthouse facing out to sea, but newly constructed towers like Point Hicks and Split Point incorporated them into their designs. The efficacy of auxiliary lights became a controversial issue and all were discontinued on 1 January 1913. The Point Hicks balcony was removed from the face of the tower in 1971 after it was found to be badly rusted. This resulted in the complete removal of the corbel, from which the rounded moulding and part of the base survives. The auxiliary light and door were subsequently removed in 1975 and glass blocks now fill the opening. Cape Schanck Lightstation retains four cast iron brackets from its auxiliary light balcony which are currently stored in the lighthouse on the ground floor. No other architectural fabric associated with the auxiliary light has been identified at Point Hicks Lightstation. The fragment of corbel has first level contributory significance for its historic and architectural values as a relic of the auxiliary light and as an original moulding from the fabric of Victoria’s first concrete lighthouse.A masonary corbel.

Links to another image in the collection previously unidentified now known as at 2018 to be the children of a seafaring family of Captain and Mrs Aviss. In 1918 the family was re-united with Mrs Aviss' parents after a dangerous journey by sea the first time that the children met their grandparents, Captain and Mrs Frampton also seafarers . Mrs Aviss gave birth to her third child in August 1918 on board the ship. She contracted the "Spanish flu" probably in St John, New Brunswick and died, at the age of 28, on the 3 November 1918 after a week in hospital, leaving her husband with two toddlers and a 3 month old baby. The story demonstrates the respect and support of the Mission for two remarkable families of seafarers and the dangers of the influenza epidemic post WW1.An example of lives and tribulations of a seafarer family who survived the Great War but who also had to deal with the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919.Large engraved brass plaque mounted onto brick wall commemorating wife of sea captain. To the Glory of God / and in memory of Catherine Florence/ the beloved wife of Captain Herbert Aviss/ (Barque Inverneill) who died at St John. N.B./ Nov 3rd 1918.brass, plaque, great war, memorial, commemorate, catherine florence aviss, florence catherine nee frampton, wwi, first world war, barque, inverneill, herbert aviss, st peter the mariner chapel, mission to seafarers, flinders street, 1919, st john, new brunswick, influenza, spanish flu, pandemic, 1918

Acquired by Portland Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) as a winner of its annual Art Price in 1964; later presented by CEMA to Portland Town Council.View of the interior of a cave. In foreground is a triangular pool of dark blue water with lighter highlights. The walls of the cave curve up both sides of the water, meeting at the back of the cave. At back of cave is a ledge with 7 seals on it. One seal is diving into the water. The walls are painted in brown and dark blue, the seals in pale blue with highlights in white.Front: Malseed (lower right, red paint) Back: Nancy Malseed "Seal Cave" Portland Art Gallery Trust, c/c C. Woolcock (upper and mid left, black felt tip pen).sea, seals, coastal, seascape

Admiralty Arch is a landmark building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria and designed by Aston Webb is now a Grade I listed building. In the past, it served as residence of the First Sea Lord and was used by the Admiralty. Until 2011, the building housed government offices, but in 2012 the government sold a 125-year lease over the building to a property developer (Prime Investors Capital, run by Rafael Serrano) for redevelopment into a luxury hotel, restaurant and apartments. (Wikipedia) On the inside wall of the northernmost arch is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. It was placed there by artist Rick Buckley in 1997 as part of a campaign against the "Big Brother" society. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and sits at waist height for anyone riding through the arch on a horse. Prior to Buckley being unmasked in 2011 by the London Evening Standard, an urban myth grew that the nose is there in honour of the Duke of Wellington, who was known for having a particularly large nose.(wikipedia)admiralty arch, london, nose

The artefact is the lower portion of a rectangular shanked ‘planking nail’ with a straight-edged ‘flat point’. The distinctive ‘point’ of a planking/skirting nail was designed to be driven into timber across the grain in order to prevent the wood from splitting. This relic is from the shipwreck of the SCHOMBERG, which ran aground near Peterborough in 1855. It was retrieved in 1875 from a large section of the ship’s bow which had been carried by ocean currents to the western coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The nail is still fixed in a fragment of the original timber that it secured in the SCHOMBERG. The top portion, or ‘head’ of the nail, has corroded away but the pronounced rectangular shank and its flat point indicate its likely purpose and position on the vessel. Most fastenings used in sailing ship construction were either wooden treenails or copper bolts, which were relatively resistant to seawater corrosion. In addition, the preferred hull-frame timber of British Oak has a high content of gallic acid which rapidly corrodes unprotected iron work. The ferrous composition of this planking nail suggests it came from an internal and upper portion of the ship’s bow (protected from exposure to the sea or oak). According to an 1855 edition of the Aberdeen Journal, the five outer layers, or ‘skins’, of the SCHOMBERG’s pine hull were “combined by means of patent screw treenails”. However the “beams of her two upper decks” were of “malleable iron”, and “part of the forecastle” was “fitted for the accommodation of the crew”. It is therefore possible that iron nails of this description were used by the ship’s builders to secure floor and wall planks in enclosed areas of the crew’s quarters. (The same reasoning would apply to officer and passenger accommodation amidships and at the stern of the vessel, but it was the bow that floated to New.Zealand.) The SCHOMBERG was a 2,000 ton clipper ship, specifically designed for the Australian immigration trade (back-loading wool for Britain’s mills), and constructed in Hall’s shipyard in Aberdeen, Scotland. She was owned by the Black Ball Line and launched in 1855. Alexander Hall & Son were renowned builders of sleek and fast 1,000 ton clippers for the China trade (opium in, tea out) and were keen to show they could also outclass the big North American ships built by Donald Mackay. Consequently the SCHOMBERG was ‘overbuilt’. Her hull featured five ‘skins’ of Scotch Larch and Pitch Pine overlaying each other in a diagonal pattern against a stout frame of British Oak. Oak has been favoured by builders of wooden ships for centuries. Its close, dense grain made it harder to work, but also gave it great strength and durability. In addition, the lateral spread of its branches supplied a natural curvature for the ribs of a vessel’s hull, as well as providing the small corner or curved pieces (‘knees’ and ‘elbows’) that fit them together. At the launch the SCHOMBERG’s 34 year old master, Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, had promised Melbourne in 60 days, "with or without the help of God." James Nicol Forbes was born in Aberdeen in 1821 and rose to fame with his record-breaking voyages on the famous Black Ball Line ships; MARCO POLO and LIGHTNING. In 1852 in the MARCO POLO he made the record passage from London to Melbourne in 68 days. There were 53 deaths on the voyage but the great news was of the record passage by the master. In 1954 Captain Forbes took the clipper LIGHTNING to Melbourne in 76 days and back in 63 days, this was never beaten by a sailing ship. He often drove his crew and ship to breaking point to beat his own records. He cared little for the comfort of the passengers. On this, the SCHOMBERG’s maiden voyage, he was going to break records. SCHOMBERG departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage on 6 October 1855 flying the sign “Sixty Days to Melbourne”. She departed with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including 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, 90,000 gallons of water for washing and drinking. It also carried 17,000 letters and 31,800 newspapers. The ship and cargo was insured for $300,000, a fortune for the time. The winds were poor as she sailed across the equator, slowing SCHOMBERG’s journey considerably. Land was first sighted on Christmas Day, at Cape Bridgewater near Portland, and Captain Forbes followed the coastline towards Melbourne. Forbes was said to be playing cards when called by the Third Mate Henry Keen, who reported land about 3 miles off, Due in large part to the captain's regarding a card game as more important than his ship, it eventually ran aground on a sand spit near Curdie's Inlet (about 56 km west of Cape Otway) on 26 December 1855, 78 days after leaving Liverpool. The sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to SCHOMBERG and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS QUEEN at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS QUEEN approached the stranded vessel and all of SCHOMBERG’s passengers and crew were able to disembark safely. The SCHOMBERG was lost and with her, Forbes’ reputation. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the SCHOMBERG. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Later one plunderer found a case of Wellington boots, but alas, all were for the left foot! Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. In 1864 after two of the men drowned when they tried to reach SCHOMBERG, salvage efforts were abandoned. Parts of the SCHOMBERG were washed ashore on the south island of New Zealand in 1870, nearly 15 years after the wreck. The wreck now lies in almost 9 metres of water. Although the woodwork is mostly disintegrated the shape of the ship can still be seen due to the remaining railway irons, girders and the ship’s frame. A variety of goods and materials can be seen scattered about nearby. Flagstaff Hill holds many items salvaged from the SCHOMBERG including a ciborium (in which a diamond ring was concealed), communion set, ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the SCHOMBERG. One of the SCHOMBERG bells is in the Warrnambool Library. This nail is a registered artefact from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG, Artefact Reg No S/35 and is significant because of its association with the SCHOMBERG. The SCHOMBERG collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level, listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S612. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the SCHOMBERG is significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck. The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the SCHOMBERG. The SCHOMBERG collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger ship. The shipwreck collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day. The SCHOMBERG collection meets the following criteria for assessment: Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. The object is the bottom end of a slightly curved iron planking nail with remnant of timber still attached, recovered from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG (1855). The shank of the nail is rectangular and it narrows to a flat (chisel like) ‘point’. The ‘head’ is missing although there is a quantity of dark red corrosion within the top of the surrounding wood, suggesting where it might have been. The artefact is from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG (1855) and was retrieved from part of the ship’s bow which was carried by sea currents to the South Island of New Zealand. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, schomberg, planking nail, rectangular ship’s nail, cast iron nail

The striking fabric of this wall hanging was recovered from the sinking Schomberg. It was originally one of the many curtains adorning the captain’s cabin and ladies’ saloons that attracted first-class passengers to this luxury vessel, built for comfort and speed. The clipper ship was on its maiden voyage, full of passengers emigrating to Australia in 1855. Its commander was Captain James Nicol Forbes, who had been selected by James Baine & Co for his navigation skills, experience, and reputation for breaking sailing records. However, on December 26th, 1855, the vessel became stranded and sank west of Cape Otway, not quite reaching its destination of Melbourne. A reporter explored the Schomberg before its journey; the following detailed description is an excerpt of his article published in a newspaper after the disastrous voyage was announced. “ … descending by a flight of stairs, covered with carpet of a very rich pattern, we came to the saloon passengers’ cabin. This is a noble place, and all that refined taste would suggest has been done to make each berth a miniature palace. The bedding is of the very best material, and the fittings are replete with every convenience. The carpets are of various coloured velvet pile, and the curtains are of satin damask, lined with white satin … The fronts of the berths are highly decorated, and festoons of flowers are painted on the panels … No two berths are furnished with the same-coloured material … the visitor is, therefore, much pleased with the variety which he has to inspect….” (Trove: Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade, 31 Dec 1955, p. 283) The curtain material, ‘folded into a single piece and parcelled for protection’, has been passed down through generations of Captain Forbes’ relatives, starting with his half-sister Isabella Jeffrey Nicol. The curtain has remained with the family, although some transition details are incomplete. About a century later, Isabella and Blakiston Robinson’s great-grandson and his wife had the fabric professionally mounted as a wall hanging to showcase the beauty of the woven brocade. Eventually, the custodianship of the curtain was transferred to the donor, who is also a great-grandson of Isabella and Blakiston. He and his wife hung the curtain on the wall of a high-ceilinged room in their home, away from direct light, making it visible for all to appreciate its beauty and significance. In 2024, they donated the curtain for inclusion among the collection of artefacts that help tell the story of the Schomberg and those who sailed on its first and last voyage. The donor’s aunt was highly involved in the family’s history. She had collected and recorded information that dates back to pre-1341. A footnote included in a handwritten letter from a family relative, the late Arthur William Rudd, OBE, MA, LLB, dated April 20, 1959, states, “The curtains you mentioned came from the Schomberg. AWR.” CAPTAIN JAMES NICOL FORBES (1821-1874) and the donor’s family: - Captain Forbes was born in Aberdeen. In his late teens, he moved to Liverpool, a hub for international trade and an emigration port. By the age of 25, he was master of the Prince of Waterloo and later, the Wakefield. He then commanded the Cleopatra for the James Baines Co., which, two years later, transferred him to command the Maria, providing fast and lucrative passage to the gold fields in Ballarat, Australia. James Baines Co. and shipbuilder Thomas Mackay formed the Black Ball Line of clipper ships in 1852. Forbes was appointed master of the largest ship in the fleet, the marvellous Marco Polo. He broke the record time for the passage to Australia, taking only 68 days at sea, and the return journey in only 76 days, a total of 5 months and 21 days. On his second voyage to Melbourne in the Marco Polo the following year, he took 75 days, and 95 days on the return trip. His accomplishment made him famous. James Baines reported that the Marco Polo was the only ship, sail or steam, to do the round trip within 6 months, and it had done it twice. Captain Forbes then took command of the American-built clipper Lightning, one of four built for the Black Ball line. His 19-year-old half-sister, Isabella Jaffray Nicol, was also onboard when he sailed for Melbourne in 1854. During the 77-day voyage, Isabella met Blakiston Robinson, and not long after the ship arrived in Melbourne on July 31, the couple married, with James Nicol Forbes as a witness, on August 16. When Forbes returned to Liverpool, he took a record-breaking 63 days, which has never been bettered. James Baines Co. ordered a new luxury emigrant ship from Alexander Hall of Aberdeen; the Schomberg was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain. On October 6, 1855, the vessel departed Liverpool commanded by Captain Forbes, with 430 passengers on board, 54 of whom were First Class. It had almost completed its voyage to Melbourne when, on the night of December 26, it ran aground west of Cape Otway. Captain Doran, master of the steamer Queen, responded to the distress signal while on its way to Portland and, with the agreement of his passengers, rescued as many as possible from the Schomberg and returned to Melbourne with them. Captain Helpman, master of the steamer Champion, rescued most of the remaining Schomberg passengers on December 27. On Friday, 28th, Captain James Lawrence was on his way to Adelaide in the steamer Burra Burra, and called past the Schomberg. He reported that the remaining crew were all doing their duties, but the Schomberg was deteriorating on a sand spit and had about 16 feet of water in its hold. That same day, the schooner Jane Elizabeth collected 220 packages of passengers’ luggage to deliver to Melbourne on the 29th. Two steamers also arrived on the 29th with 20 men to collect passengers’ luggage and valuable ship’s cargo items. They were accompanied by water police, customs agents, company representatives and a Lloyds agent. The decision was made to abandon ship on the 30th due to rough and unsafe conditions. The officials and Captain Forbes voyaged to Melbourne, while the seamen remained behind awaiting rescue. Evacuation by sea became too risky, so on January 2, 1856, while the first Mate and Steward remained at the wreck site, the rest of the crew began the 70-mile march to Warrnambool, led by the band. They arrived on January 5th and left for Melbourne on the steamer Champion on January 10th. Parts of the Schomberg wreck ended up in New Zealand. The curtain is important for its connection to the Schomberg, which was unique for being designed and built in Aberdeen, and commanded by an Aberdonian who was the most celebrated clipper captain of the age. The ship was the largest sailing ship ever built in Britain, and reported as the largest vessel that sailed to Australia. The curtain is an example of the rich decorative furnishings available in 1855. The preservation and respect the donor and his family have shown towards the curtain over many decades reflect its important role in telling the family’s history; the journey, the romantic attachment, the family connection to the sea, and travel in gold rush times. The curtain is significant for its connection to James Nocol Forbes, a famous sailing ship commander who broke several sailing records, one of which has never been bettered. This wall hanging, also known as the Schomberg Curtain, was created from a curtain recovered from the stranded luxury ship Schomberg in December 1855. The woven satin damask fabric in blue and cream has been meticulously joined to blend the intricate pattern. The reverse features a soft cream lining. The hems at the top and bottom of the fabric hold wooden rods. The side edges feature decorative braid that has been hand-stitched in place. On the reverse, the bottom hem includes the same braid, which remains unseen from the front, and the centre of the top hem has a hand-worked, unused buttonhole. Each of the hems varies in depth. The curtain was tastefully mounted later to highlight the beauty of the original saloon curtain. A decorative twisted cord of cream silk threads, accented with gold highlights and decorative tassels, was coiled and attached to the ends of the top rod. The elegant display was completed with an ornate gold hook, chosen to complement the wall hanging.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwreck artefact, memorabilia, curtain, saloon curtain, schomberg, wall hanging, decorative object, domestic item, warrnambool, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, maritime history, shipwreck, stranding, schomberg curtain, schomberg wall hanging, luxury ship, 1855, damask, silk damask, blue and cream, captain’s cabin, ladies’ saloon, clipper ship, migrant, emigrant, liverpool to australia, captain james nicol forbes, james forbes, captain forbes, bully forbes, james baines & co, james baines, cape otway, aberdeen, prince of waterloo, wakefield, cleopatra, maria, thomas mackay, black ball line, marco polo, sailing record, lightning, isabella jaffray nocol, blakiston robinson, alexander hall, steamer queen, captain helpman, james lawrence, steamer burra burra, steamer jane elizabeth, water police, customs agents, lloyds agent, ship’s band, walk to warrnambool, march to warrnambool, steamer champion, agnes nicol robinson