CLUNES LIBRARY WAS IN USE IN TEMPLETON STREET UNTIL MIDDLE OF TWENTY CENTURY. LIBRARY BOOK AND LIBRARIAN WERE MOVED TO A SMALL ROOM IN TOWN HALL. LATER AGAIN LIBRARY WAS OPENED IN FRASER STREET IN MR. BOB GALLOWAYS SHOP WHERE IT OPERATES NOW.BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH OF OLD CLUNES LIBRARY IN TEMPLETON STREET. A SOLID BRICK BUILDING - FRONT AREA CEMENT FINISH. VOLKSWAGEN CAR AT FRONT [LATER KNOWN AS FORMER FREE LENDING LIBRARY]FREE LIBRARY ESTABLISHED 1874local history, photography, photographs, free library

The belt was gifted to Mr. Doug Paxton, of Neale Street, Bendigo c.1951. The donor was a "soldier": who billeted with the Paxton family. Correct date and soldier's name unknown.This is a leather belt, tan coloured. It is 42mm wide and has a brass buckle with one claw. The belt tongue has six holes. At the rear of the belt are two more holes. A larger section of leather is mounted behind the brass buckle.Belt - Printed on belt is an oval and inside the oval is stamped "Genuine Bridie Cowhide". On the left side of the oval are the numbers “217G”. On the right side of the oval are the numbers “36”. On the rear of the buckle, "Solid Brass" is stamped.uniform, leather belt and buckle, soldiers billet

Carnival glass is an inexpensive pressed glass, made as both functional and ornamental objects. Most carnival glass was made between 1907 and 1925, with production tapering off by the end 1931 during the great depression. the name "carnival glass" came about because when the demand for the glass tapered off it was often given away as prizes at carnivals.Large amber coloured glass bowl. It has four short legs moulded to the base. It is very ornate and solid. On the base is a pattern of fruit and flowers. The rim is fluted and the bowl is oval shaped. It is carnival glass.

This butter ram appears to have been made locally and was probably hand-made at a local factory. It was used to ram or mould butter into 56 pound butter boxes for bulk supply or for later cutting up into smaller quantities. Warrnambool was, and is still today, the centre of an important dairying industry with several large milk, cheese and butter factories in the area. The Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory at Allansford is the oldest operating factory of this type in Victoria and was established in 1888. The production of butter in the area was greatly accelerated by the invention of refrigeration in the early 1880s, enabling butter to be transported overseas. Warrnambool had two butter box factories which both closed in the 1920s. Up to the mid 1950s the production of butter was largely a hand process.This butter ram is of considerable interest as an example of the early tools used in the local butter industry.This is a heavy solid wooden block in a rectangular shape with the top shaped in the form of a pyramidal base. The edges of the base are worn from constant pounding. A long round wooden handle or rod is inserted into the top of the block. dairying industry in western victoria

Limestone carving of human figure standing on solid base, knees slightly bent, hands resting on hips. Narrow torso with protruding genitals. Facial features clearly defined. Mouth Wide and lips pouted.

This toy cat was part of the cargo from the Fiji and amongst the articles salvaged from the wreck. The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The ship’s manifest shows that she was loaded with a cargo of 260 cases of dynamite, pig iron, steel goods, spirits (whisky, schnapps, gin, brandy), sailcloth, tobacco, coiled fencing wire, concrete, 400 German pianos (Sweet Hapsburg), concertinas and other musical instruments, artists supplies including brushes, porcelain, furniture, china, and general cargo including candles. There were also toys in anticipation for Christmas, including wooden rocking horses, miniature ships, dolls with china limbs and rubber balls. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers’ calculation of his position. At about 2:30am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17 year old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut lose with his sheath-knife when it become tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the steep cliffs in search of help. At about 10am on the Sunday morning a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stansmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. Gebauhr was lying in the scrub in a poor state, bleeding and dressed only in singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife, ready for all emergencies. At first they were concerned about his wild and shaggy looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after he threw his knife away and realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. (Peter Carmody was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield.) Arthur Wilkinson, a 29 year old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken. Plunken was attempting to swim from the Fiji to the shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck. A line was thrown to them and they were both hauled aboard. It was thought that Wilkinson struck his head on the anchor before s they were brought up. He remained unconscious. The carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson later died and his body was washed up the next day. It was 26 year old Bill Robe who hauled out the last man, the captain, who had become tangled in the kelp. The wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it settled in about 6m of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach and their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji. They were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were warmed by fires on the beach then taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by local communities soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was ‘detained’ for 14 days. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck “Fiji tobacco” was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a steep cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894 some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. (The pocket watch came with 2 winding keys, one to wind it and one to change the hands.) Years later Bill passed the watch to his brother-in-law Gib (Gilbert) Hulands as payment of a debt and it has been passed down the family to Gilbert Hulands’ grandson, John Hulands. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the 200m high cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach, west of Moonlight Head, paying tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Amongst the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji are bisque (or china) toys, (including miniature animals, limbs from small bisque dolls), rubber balls, a slate pencil, a glass bottle, sample of rope from the distress rocket and a candlestick holder. These items are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, along with Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife.This toy cat is classified as Fiji 10 on the SWR Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents 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 Fiji 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. China toy cat salvaged from the wreck of the Fiji. The cat is in a resting pose. This solid, moulded toy is made of bisque (sometimes described as bisque or porcelain) and the material is tan in colour with a slightly pitted surface.1891, china, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwrecked artefact, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, porcelain, moonlight head, wreck bay, cargo, bisque, toys, miniature animals, cat

When glass disc spins the line visible through the front slit shows the movement of waves - sound , lightWooden frame - solid front with window slit. Open back with wooden cross bar. Spinning glass disc with a continuous black circular line - varying widths. One red line in one section. Metal plate on front " MADE SPECIALLY FOR H.B.SILBERBERG & CO MELBOURNE"optics, nipkow disc, glass disc, wave movement, scientific instrument

Document. Solid cardboard cheque book. Part used. Cheque numbers 809521 - 809641 used & the remaining cheques as pre-signed by the manager J. Michelsen. 58 stamped in the top right corner on the front.McColl, Rankin & Stanistreetorganization, business, nell gwynne reef mine, mccoll, rankin & stanistreet, nell gwynne reef, gold mining, j. michelson, cheque book

A wooden tennis racquet, with solid convcave throat, oval head, and string whipping around shoulders. Octagonal handle with leather end wrap. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, String, Leathertennis

A Wright and Ditson tennis racquet, with: solid, convex throat; and, fine-grooved, slender octagonal handle. Inscription along throat on obverse: BOSTON/WRIGHT & DITSON. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Painttennis

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The circle and diamond pattern are ancient symbols used by Wadawurrung people dating pre-colonisation on possum skin and kangaroo skin cloaks, other artefacts like spear heads (carved), wooden shields, stone tools and caves were painted with blood, ochre and bound with grass tree sap, black wattle tree sap and kangaroo fats. The diamond pattern was a strong design used by men on shields and women on baskets and adornments. Shields were taken from the tree in the colder months when the tree was cold as the wood came off cleaner. Ochre colours of red, white, yellow and charcoal were often used to colour in and decorate the skin side of possum skin cloaks, wooden shields, spear heads, baskets and some coolamon bowls.The design for this cloak has been simplified from the original artefact design.Cloak with black and white diamond and circle design on outer cloak and coral and white line pattern within lining. Trimming is solid black. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung, first nations, cloak

Date made June 2003Colour photograph showing site that was the Club Hotel. Cleared site in readiness for construction of the Esplanade Waterfront Resort. Pile driving equipment behind the security fence in search of solid foundations. Lakes Entrance Victoriabuilding industry, construction, fences, machinery

Origin of building unknownColour photograph of rustic building with verandah appears to be clad in hand sawn weather boards, verandah corner posts are solid logs sign above door Fire Station. Taken at Cabbage Tree Victoriapublic works, social history

The date of the photograph is unknown however it can be suggested it was probably during world war one, 1914-18, as one member in the group is in solider's uniform. The photographs are showing the Cheltenham Methodists Youth Group.These two small photos depicting a group photo of the Cheltenham Methodists Youth Group. The first photo shows the group sitting on the grass having a picnic. The second photograph depicts five members standing and two people sitting in front of them to the right of the photograph.back of photographs : C Whiteheadcheltenham, cheltenham methodists youth group, youth group, 1914-18, moorabbin shire, market gardeners, world war 1 1914 - 1918, soldiers, australian infantry force,

Owner Keith Bryce? Let as holiday accommodation.|Also one other colour photograph similar view, taken from street shows house behind solid fence, tall trees at side.Colour photograph of a timber dwelling at 40 Roadknight Street, with corrugated iron hipped roof. Three entries from front veranda, one to enclosed side veranda, a main entry, and third into extension beside main entry. Mix of door and window styles reflects DIY additions. Lakes Entrance Victoriahouses, heritage study

Certificate awarded to John A Caird, Section 1B. Passed in 10 Subjects with HONORS in Modelling (and) Solid Geometry. Signed by: Section Master J Hanrahan; Head Master C F Jeffery Date: Dec 1948

Clour Ladscape Group Portrait: taken in Assembly Hall 4 rows mixed mal and Female. Burgundy card Cover.On Cover: My Class. Solid Line, Drawing of three Children in class room. Below Line ARTHUR REED PHOTOS A text and Drawing in Gold Inside: ARP ARTHUR REED PHOTOS SPECIALSITS IN SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY

'The Japanese company Ito En has been working solidly for the last five years to establish a green tea industry in this area .' The article includes assistance from the Alpine Shire, the cost and benefits of the schemeThis is of historic and social significance regarding industries in Mt Beauty and the Kiewa Valley especially as some no longer grow green tea as the affect of bush fires (smoke) made the industry not viable.Article with Title "Green Tea - The Facts" published on Page Seven from local publication "This Week" Falls Creek. Bogong. Mt. Beauty Summer Edition 21 Friday January 23rd 2004. Refers to properties of which there are 50% in the Kiewa Valley including Mt Beauty.green tea in mt beauty, japanese company ito en

A last is the solid form around which a shoe is moulded. The fit of a shoe depends on the design, shape, and volume of the last. Used by boot makers and shoe makers to construct a pair of boots or shoes or to mend them.Used by residents of the Kiewa ValleyCast iron with three foot sizes on each and each facing different directions.boot last, shoe last, bootmaker

An unusual item believed to have been made by carving from a solid piece of sandstone for domestic use no history or manufacturing provenance currently available item could have been made as a one off.The subject item at this time cannot be associated with an historical event, person or place, provenance is unknown, item assessed as a collection asset as it is believed to have been produced before 1950.Sandstone cooler round barrel shape. 2 equal sections. Top section has small wooden knob for lifting.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, cooler, kitchen ware, sandstone cooler, kitchen item, ice bucket

The flag was captured by R. Thompson VX62115, 42nd Aust Landing Craft Coy. 2 AIF. Rectangular silk flag grey in colour with a solid red circle in the centre which is 40cm in diameter. The red circle is surrounded by Japanese writing in black ink. A large black ink stain is along one edge. Japanese writing - handwritten in black ink.flags, imperial japanese army, world war 2

This is one of four bottles in our Collection that were recovered by a local diver from the quarantine area just inside the Port Phillip Heads. Ships were required to pull into this area to check for diseases etc before they could head up to Melbourne. Quite often they would drink and throw the bottles overboard. Handmade glass bottle, manufactured in 1850's - 1900's. Glass bottles and glass jars are in many households around the world. The first glass bottles were produced in south-east Asia around 100 B.C. and the Roman Empire around 1 AD. America's glass bottle and glass jar industry were born in the early 1600s when settlers in Jamestown built the first glass-melting furnace. The invention of the automatic glass bottle blowing machine in 1880 industrialized the process of making bottles. In 2019, plans were made to re-introduce milk glass bottle deliveries to Auckland in early 2020. The earliest bottles or vessels were made by ancient man. Ingredients were melted to make glass and then clay forms were dipped into the molten liquid. When the glass cooled off, the clay was chipped out of the inside leaving just the hollow glass vessel. This glass was very thin as the fire was not as hot as modern-day furnaces. The blowpipe was invented around 1 B.C. This allowed molten glass to be gathered at the end of the blowpipe and blown into the other end to create a hollow vessel. Eventually, the use of moulding was introduced, followed by the invention of the semi-automatic machine called the Press and Blow. In 1904 Michael Owens invented the automatic bottle machine. Before this time most glass bottles in England were hand blown. This is one of four bottles in our Collection that were recovered by a local diver from the quarantine area just inside the Port Phillip Heads. Ships were required to pull into this area to check for diseases etc before they could head up to Melbourne. Quite often they would drink and throw the bottles overboard. Handmade glass bottle, manufactured in the 1850s-1900s. The bottle gives a snapshot into history and a social life that occurred during the early days of Melbourne's development and the sea trade that visited the port in those days. Bottle, solid colour brown glass,concave base, tapering slightly wider towards shoulder then inwards towards neck; ring of glass just below opening. Base is blown glass; pontil mark on base. Label "c.1850's STUBBY ALE", "ENGLISH HAND MADE, CORK & WIRE SEAL", "PONTIL MARK ON BASE $6" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, brown glass bottle, handmade glass bottle, handmade beer bottle, handmade late 19th century bottle

This is size one of three sizes (Mrs Potts) irons available in the late 1800s and early 1900s which were used for (press) ironing clothes etc. using wood or coal based heaters. The majority of these irons would have been placed on top of wood or coal fuelled stoves. They survived longer in isolated outback regions where electricity had not been connected. The weight of these irons was intentionally heavy so as to press the clothes etc. neatly. These irons were used in an era where stiff collars and creases in particular types of clothing was essentially a social requirementHistorically these irons fulfilled a particular function that was the norm in isolated or semi isolated country locations. Cities and larger towns had professional laundry and pressing shops. In smaller towns and homesteads, wives and relatives would use these heavy irons and required strong arms. In middle and higher levels of society these irons would be used by maids or nannies. Their use was a necessity to conform to the social requirements of acceptable appearances that all clothing worn had been "pressed" clean. In the Kiewa Valley the majority of these irons would have been used by mothers or relatives. Men would hardly have used these irons as society labelled this type of activity as "women's work"This double pointed, heavy and solid cast iron, is a Mrs Potts No. 1 type. It does not have a handle. It was used to iron clothes. Open cavity on top for handle (not included) see KVHS 0369 for No. 3 ironMrs Potts No. 1house hold, ironing, domestic, pressing, clothes appliance

This toy gorilla was part of the cargo from the Fiji and amongst the articles salvaged from the wreck. The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The ship’s manifest shows that she was loaded with a cargo of 260 cases of dynamite, pig iron, steel goods, spirits (whisky, schnapps, gin, brandy), sailcloth, tobacco, coiled fencing wire, concrete, 400 German pianos (Sweet Hapsburg), concertinas and other musical instruments, artists supplies including brushes, porcelain, furniture, china, and general cargo including candles. There were also toys in anticipation for Christmas, including wooden rocking horses, miniature ships, dolls with china limbs and rubber balls. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers’ calculation of his position. At about 2:30am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17 year old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut lose with his sheath-knife when it become tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the steep cliffs in search of help. At about 10am on the Sunday morning a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stansmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. Gebauhr was lying in the scrub in a poor state, bleeding and dressed only in singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife, ready for all emergencies. At first they were concerned about his wild and shaggy looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after he threw his knife away and realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. (Peter Carmody was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield.) Arthur Wilkinson, a 29 year old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken. Plunken was attempting to swim from the Fiji to the shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck. A line was thrown to them and they were both hauled aboard. It was thought that Wilkinson struck his head on the anchor before s they were brought up. He remained unconscious. The carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson later died and his body was washed up the next day. It was 26 year old Bill Robe who hauled out the last man, the captain, who had become tangled in the kelp. The wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it settled in about 6m of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach and their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji. They were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were warmed by fires on the beach then taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by local communities soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was ‘detained’ for 14 days. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck “Fiji tobacco” was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a steep cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894 some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. (The pocket watch came with 2 winding keys, one to wind it and one to change the hands.) Years later Bill passed the watch to his brother-in-law Gib (Gilbert) Hulands as payment of a debt and it has been passed down the family to Gilbert Hulands’ grandson, John Hulands. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the 200m high cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach, west of Moonlight Head, paying tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Amongst the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji are bisque (or china) toys, (including miniature animals, limbs from small bisque dolls), rubber balls, a slate pencil, a glass bottle, sample of rope from the distress rocket and a candlestick holder. These items are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, along with Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife This toy gorilla is classified as Fiji 7 on the SWR Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents 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 Fiji 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. China toy gorilla salvaged from the wreck of the Fiji. The gorilla is in a standing pose. This solid, moulded toy is made of bisque (sometimes described as bisque or porcelain) and the material is pale creamy colour with a slightly pitted surface.1891, china, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwrecked artefact, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, porcelain, moonlight head, wreck bay, cargo, bisque, toys, miniature animals, gorilla

Bendigo Advertiser "The way we were" from Wednesday, August 11, 2004. Solid work: Ray Tingay and Ted Oliver pictured by CSIRO Melbourne Working at the Star Granite Quarry near Harcourt in 1965.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were