Original souvenir postcard featuring the U.S.S. Connecticut the Flag Ship of the “Great White Fleet”. The visit of the US Navy Battleships stopped in Melbourne in September 1908. The Auto Club ferried about 100 officers to the Yarra Valley/Black Spur via Eltham, Research and Kangaroo Ground. Digital file only - scanned by EDHS from item on loan american fleet, great white fleet, lew howard collection, battleship, postcard

Typed below one copy, "Ringwood Post Office in 1909. Maroondah Highway - Opposite present Holeproof site". Other copy of same photograph reads, "Ringwood original Post Office opposite Guyatts new store - 1908". Backing sheet states, "Ringwood P.O. Weekly Times 4 July 1908".

First recorded Waterboard Rate book for Wycheproof which was then under the St.Arnaud Shire. Early in 1893 the burning question in the north-central area was the possibility of severance from the St.Arnaud Shire On April 27,1894 the Shire of Wycheproof was constituted. Earliest Rate records for early Wycheproof residents 1893 - 1908 and property owners. Nine councillors elected to represent the new Shire of Wycheproof.Rate book -St.Arnaud Waterboard records Wycheproof Rate payers for Urban area 1893 - 1908. It comprises Surnames, Christian Names, Trade, Postal Address, Owner, Description and Situation of Rateable Property, Rates per Annum in the Pound and other details.water-rates, register, st.arnaud - shire, urban-wycheproof

The iron-hulled, four-masted barque, the Falls of Halladale, was a bulk carrier of general cargo. She left New York in August 1908 on her way to Melbourne and Sydney. In her hold, along with 56,763 tiles of unusual beautiful green American slates (roofing tiles), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6500 gallons of oil, 14400 gallons of benzene, and many other manufactured items, were 117 cases of crockery and glassware. Three months later and close to her destination, a navigational error caused the Falls of Halladale to be wrecked on a reef off the Peterborough headland at 3 am on the morning of the 15th of November, 1908. The captain and 29 crew members all survived, but her valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. ABOUT THE ‘FALLS OF HALLADALE’ (1886 - 1908) Built: in1886 by Russell & Co., Greenock shipyards, River Clyde, Scotland, UK. The company was founded in 1870 (or 1873) as a partnership between Joseph Russell (1834-1917), Anderson Rodger and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co., they standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships over that time. In 1886 they introduced a 3000 ton class of sailing vessel with auxiliary engines and brace halyard winches. In 1890 they broke the world output record. Owner: Falls Line, Wright, Breakenridge & Co, 111 Union Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Configuration: Four masted sailing ship; iron-hulled barque; iron masts, wire rigging, fore & aft lifting bridges. Size: Length 83.87m x Breadth 12.6m x Depth 7.23m, Gross tonnage 2085 ton Wrecked: the night of 14th November 1908, Curdies Inlet, Peterborough south west Victoria Crew: 29 The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted sailing ship built-in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland, for the long-distance cargo trade and was mostly used for Pacific grain trade. She was owned by Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow and was one of several Falls Line ships, all of which were named after waterfalls in Scotland. The lines flag was of red, blue and white vertical stripes. The Falls of Halladale had a sturdy construction built to carry maximum cargo and able to maintain full sail in heavy gales, one of the last of the ‘windjammers’ that sailed the Trade Route. She and her sister ship, the Falls of Garry, were the first ships in the world to include fore and aft lifting bridges. Previous to this, heavily loaded vessels could have heavy seas break along the full length of the deck, causing serious injury or even death to those on deck. The new, raised catwalk-type decking allowed the crew to move above the deck stormy conditions. This idea is still used today on the most modern tankers and cargo vessels and has proved to be an important step forward in the safety of men at sea. On 4th August 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo, the Falls of Halladale left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. The cargo on board was valued at £35,000 and included 56,763 tiles of American slate roofing tiles (roof slates), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene, plumbing iron, 117 cases of crockery and glassware and many other manufactured items. The Falls of Halladale had been at sail for 102 days when, at 3am on the night of 14th November 1908, under full sail in calm seas with a six knots breeze behind and misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a submerged reef near Peterborough on south-west Victoria’s coast. The ship was jammed on the rocks and began filling with water. The crew launched the two lifeboats and all 29 crew landed safely on the beach over 4 miles away at the Bay of Islands. The postmistress at Peterborough, who kept a watch for vessels in distress, saw the stranding and sent out an alert to the local people. A rescue party went to the aid of the sailors and the Port Campbell rocket crew was dispatched, but the crew had all managed to reach shore safely by the time help arrived. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. Further salvage operations were made from 1974-1986, during which time 22,000 slate tiles were recovered with the help of 14 oil drums to float them, plus personal artefacts, ship fittings, reams of paper and other items. The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson’s navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m offshore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (No. S255). She was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. She is one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. She is an example of the remains of an International Cargo Ship and also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976).Cribbage board, with inscription "Falls of Halladale Wrecked Peterborough Nov. 1908" Falls of Halladale Wrecked Peterborough Nov. 1908flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, cribbage board, falls of halladale, russell & co.

Black and white photograph - 2 copiesTyped below photograph, "Train derailment at Wantirna Road subway, 11/2/1908". This date has also appeared as 1902 on other locations and photographs.

Old newspaper clippingNewspaper clipping from Ringwood Mail of 25/07/1957 of photograph taken at railway crossing with railway lines leading to Ringwood Railway Station in 1908.

The French Collection was donated to the Society in 2022. This collection includes documents, artworks, books, costumes and artefacts belonging to two families. A number belonged to, or were made by the grandparents of the donor: Vera May Wing and her husband Hubert Charles McDonald. [Other items belonging to Vera and Hubert are in the collections of the Australian Performing Arts Museum and Museum Victoria.] A second significant group of objects were gifts made to the donor's family by Lucy (Jean) Hornby of Queen Street, Kew whose family had been early settlers in the district.Souvenir metal hat pin, commemorating the visit of the 'Great White Fleet' to Australia in 1908. Text with British and American flags"1908 / Australian Souvenir"great white fleet, souvenir hat pins

Stawell Ladies Cricket Team 1908 From Article Published Weekly Times, Sat 20 June 1908, P25Group portrait of ten ladies in matching white blowers with neck ribbon and older lady in darker dress seated at centre holding what appears to be a trophy. Two men at back.STAWELL LADIES CRICKET CLUB : PREMIERS OF THE WIMMERA DISTRICT FRONT ROW from left to right - M. Ross, M. Llewellyn SECOND ROW - J. Hawes, E. Heal (capt), Mrs Bush (pres.), Mrs Proctor, Mrs Neilson THIRD ROW - A. Lugar, E. Llewellyn, H. Hartley, H. Llewellyn, R. Heal MESSRS C. Proctor (scorer) W. Maddocks (umpire)stawell sport

Mokepilly Bridge 1908 Postcardstawell

Photograph with labels attached to front identifying buildings. View of the Kalorama Gap from main Road (now Ridge Road), looking across Walker's raspberry patch with Mountjoy coaching stables on the LHS and Mountjoy Guest House in centre. Price's house and shop on the RHS. This photograph has a detailed inscription on the back handwritten by John Lundy-Clarke in 1974.1908 View of the Kalorama Gap from main Road – now Ridge Road above Lot 2 of the Village Settlement. Looking across Walker’s raspberry patch with “Mountjoy” coaching stables on left. “Mountjoy” in centre. Prices house and shop on right with Hands “Beulah Tearooms” above Prices roof. On hillside beyond Hand’s is the slope now taken up by Kalorama Terrace. Walker’s well, then newly dug is in lower right hand corner below the tree fern head. Mt Kalorama is the hill top right. Track leaving Main Road left is Walker’s entrance drive.kalorama, kalorama gap, walker, beulah tea rooms, price, hand, mountjoy, mt kalorama

502 State School - Class Group 1908stawell education students

Group of Men (Stawell Bowling Club) 1908stawell

Portrait of Three Hall Children (Example of Costume) 1908stawell

Entertainment Irene May Berndt 1908 later Mrs N Maloneystawell entertainment

Portrait of young girl(Example of Costume) 1908 (Margaret May Frawley)stawell

Portrait of Child Jack Stanley Abbott. born 9-8-1908stawell

Portrait - Mary Blackman nee Cox (Died 1908) Oval Framestawell