The Orbost Butter and Produce Co. Ltd was registered on June 1st 1893 and was an important source of income to the Orbost district.A greenish-grey hard covered letter book used by the orbost Butter Factory. It contains hand-written letters from the secretary. One glued in typed letter is addressed to the prime minister (Billy Hughes) in Melbourne.On spine - Letter Bookorbost-butter-factory correspondence letter-book agriculture dairy

This was used by the Cameron family on their dairy farm at Orbost. The Cameron families were early farmers at Orbost and Marlo.This was used by the Cameron family on their dairy farm at Orbost. The Cameron families were early farmers at Orbost and Marlo.A rectangular shaped iron bell with a clapper inside. bell sheep-bell agriculture stock iron

This seminar was organized by a committee as part of Victoria's 150th anniversary celebrations. It was published by the Dept. of Agriculture for East Gippsland Primary Industry Committee in 1985. Victoria's 150th anniversary was celebrated in 1984-1985. A 136 pp book with a black spine and a white cover. On the cover in black print is a logo created for the sesquicentenary of Melbourne and Victoria. Underneath the logo is VICTORIA 150 and Growing Together 1984-85. The book contains the records of the seminar, "Farming in East Gippsland - Past, Present and Future". At the bottom of this page is "Bairnsdale May 1 1985. In the bottom left corner is a library sticker from Orbost Secondary College.agriculture east-gippsland victoria-150

This photograph shows members of the Orbost Agricultural Show committee about 1908 with L to R : S. Lynn; John Russell; Mat Lynch; W. Warren; John Johnson; Will Cumming & Geo. Perry. The first meeting to form an Agricultural society in Orbost was convened by the then Orbost Progress Association and held in the Mechanics Hall on Saturday, 10th October 1891. Its first show was held on 3rd March 1904...on a site alongside the Bonang Road where the present Golf Club stands. It is currently held at the Recreation Reserve at Newmerella. (Ref: In Times Gone By-Deborah Hall) This item is associated with the Orbost Agricultural Society 's Annual Show which has been a major event in Orbost for over a century. Agricultural shows are an important part of cultural life in small country towns and the Orbost Show is an integral part of Orbost 's agricultural history. A faded black / white photograph of seven men standing outside with trees in the background.on back - " Orbost Agricultural Show" and list of men in photograph.orbost-agricultural-society annual-show

This photograph shows three generations of the Russell family in Orbost. On the left is John Russell with his son Bill Russell and his wife Ede and their son Ian. John Russell Senior was a blacksmith, wheelwright, farmer and chairman of the Orbost Butter Factory, makers of Sunny South Butter (today part of Murray Goulburn Co Ltd). Bill was born at Orbost in 1893, the youngest son of John and Elizabeth Maud (nee Clarke). Upon his father’s retirement he took over the homestead part of the holding, 1,000 acres of river flats and hill land. He was involved in dairying and was also a successful beef cattle breeder and maize grower. He was elected to the Orbost Shire Council in 1929 and shortly afterwards was President for 18 months (from May 1930 to August 1931). He served a further term as President in 1934-35. He represented the South riding. He was chairman of the Bean Board and a well-known horse and show judge and a member of the Royal Agricultural Society. He was an elocutionist of some note and a member of the committee of management of the Orbost Hospital. He was also a prominent member and Past Master of the Masonic Lodge and a Justice of the Peace. He served as president of the Orbost Golf Club and assisted with the preparation and layout of the present Orbost Golf course. This item is associated with the Russell family, early settlers in the Orbost district.A black / white photograph of a family. A lady is in the middle with a man on each side and a young boy in front. They are standing outside a house in the garden.on back - "3 generations, Johnny Russell, Ede & Bill Russell & Ian Russell"russell-family-orbost

This photograph was taken at the Farmers Conference held in Port Fairy (possibly June 1916). The local men in the photograph are; Archie Rodwell; Sam Lynn; Percy Nixon; Frank Nixon; John Russell; Jacob Perry; John Johnston; Keith Lynn and John Gilbert.This item is associated with agriculture which has always been a significant part of Orbost's history. The men in the photograph are prominent early settlers of the Orbost district.A large black / white photograph on a grey buff card. The photograph shows nine men, dressed in suits and overcoats standing outside a stone / brick building.on front - " Farmers Conference at Port Fairy" with a list of namesagriculture-orbost farmers-conference-port fairy

There is no information with this item. John Tynan's Victoria Agricultural Implement Factory began making ploughs in 1857. His company is also believed to be the first to have produced drilling tools suitable for use in basalt quartz-load gold mining. Tynan was the first person to manufacture swing ploughs. His ploughs won numerous prizes, including the first gold medal ever given in Victoria for a colonially made plough.This is a photograph of an early farming tool.A black / white photograph on a discoloured cream coloured card. It is of a shiny new plough on a carpet with walls and drapes in the background.on cutting arm - Tynan Bros Prize Ploughphotograph-plough-tynan

This photograph is of Mr J.W. Lynn riding over the jumps. In the background ids the first motor car in Orbost - 19132. The first meeting to form an Agricultural society in Orbost was convened by the then Orbost Progress Association and held in the Mechanics Hall on Saturday, 10th October 1891. Its first show was held on 3rd March 1904...on a site alongside the Bonang Road where the present Golf Club stands. It is currently held at the Recreation Reserve at Newmerella. (Ref: In Times Gone By-Deborah Hall) Equestrian events have always been an integral part of the show. This item is associated with the Orbost Agricultural Society 's Annual Show which has been a major event in Orbost for over a century. Agricultural shows are an important part of cultural life in small country towns and the Orbost Show is an integral part of Orbost 's agricultural history. Horse riding as a recreational and sporting activity has always played a significant role in the social history of Orbost.A faded black /white photograph of a rider and horse jumping over a fence. People are watching. It appears to be a male rider.on front at bottom - " 1912 Orbost Show" on back - "1st motor car - G. Nixon, Orbost Show J. W. Lynn riding over jumps"equestrian orbost-show recreation

The first meeting to form an Agricultural society in Orbost was convened by the then Orbost Progress Association and held in the Mechanics Hall on Saturday, 10th October 1891. Its first show was held on 3rd March 1904...on a site alongside the Bonang Road where the present Golf Club stands. It is currently held at the Recreation Reserve at Newmerella. This item is associated with the Orbost Agricultural Society 's Annual Show which has been a major event in Orbost for over a century. Agricultural shows are an important part of cultural life in small country towns and the Orbost Show is an integral part of Orbost 's agricultural history. Horse riding as transport, a recreational and sporting activity has always played a significant role in the social history of Orbost. A small black / white photograph of several small groups of people at an agricultural show. Some are walking, others are on horseback and some are in carts / coaches. They are in an open grassed area with trees in the background.equestrian orbost-agricultural-show recreation

The pumpkin in this photograph was an award winner and was grown by Fred Mundy Snr. It weighed 194 lbs (approx. 88 kgs). Pumpkins were grown widely on Orbost farms and used to feed pigs. There was usually a competition for the heaviest or biggest pumpkin at the annual Orbost agricultural Show.This photograph is associated with the history of pumpkin growing in the Orbost district.A small black / white photograph of man with three children sitting in a hollowed out pumpkin in water. An Australian flag is on the left side of the pumpkin.on back - "Alec Cameron, Mr Fred Mundy" ; "Record pumpkin - Mr Fred Mundy 194lbs"mundy-fred pumpkins-orbost

The child in the photograph is Delia Murray (Mrs Jack Kenny). She was one of eight children of Herbert Cecil Murray and Evelyn Murray. Photographs of children families sitting in hollowed out pumpkins were common in the first half of the 20th century. This item is associated with a popular activity of the Orbost community in the first half of the 20th century. Pumpkins have been been paat of the district's agricultural history since settlement.A black / white photograph / postcardof a small girl sitting in a hollowed out pumpkin. It appears to have been taken outside on a verandah of a wooden house.on front - " H. M. S. Orbost" ; "Stanley Vogt, Bairnsdale" on back is a letter - "I got the plants......."pumpkins-orbost murray-delia

The men in this photograph are harvesting dry bean plants. They have been threshed with flails and raked. the dry straw is tossed off and the dry beans are collected to be hand sorted.This item is associated with the seed bean industry which was a major industry in the Orbost district for the first half of the 20th century.A black / white photograph / postcard of five men raking hay in a paddock with two horses and carts in the background.on back - "Orbost, M. Gilbert"agriculture-beans orbost-bean-seeds

This postcard is addressed to Tom Lloyd from Uncle Frank c/o F. Lloyd Esq, Bairnsdale.This item is a pictorial record associated with the agricultural history of Orbost. .The extensive Snowy river flood plain was swampy, but by the 1880s the river flats were being drained. The Orbost flats are very fertile and crops were planted on the rich deep soil, with maize rapidly becoming widespread.A black / white photograph of the Orbost farming flats. The sky is very cloudy. There are paddocks of crops in the foreground.on front - "Orbost Flats" on back - "How are you enjoying your holiday.......Uncle Frank"orbost-flats-farming lloyd-frank

This is a photograph of Councillor Alex Rodwell who represented Central Riding in the Orbost Shire Council. from 1905 - 1926 and from 1932 - 1937. He was president 1909-1910 and 1920-1921. A. E. Rodwell was a wholesale and retail butcher in Nicholson Street (the main street), Orbost in the early 20th century.He was involved as president of the Orbost Agricultural society.This item is associated with the Orbost Shire Council. The shire covered an area of 9,347 square kilometres and existed from 1892 until 1994 when it became part of the East Gippsland Shire Council.A black / white head and shoulders portrait photograph of a man in a suit. there is also a framed copy.rodwell-a,e, orbost-shire-council

This is a photograph of Councillor William Godfrey Robinson who represented East Riding in the Orbost Shire Council 1938 - 1947. William Godfrey Robinson was a Charter member of the Orbost Rotary Club and was the secretary of Orbost agricultural society in 1931.This item is associated with the Orbost Shire Council. The shire covered an area of 9,347 square kilometres and existed from 1892 until 1994 when it became part of the East Gippsland Shire Council.A black / white head and shoulders portrait photograph of a bespectacled man in a suit.on back - " Cr William Godfrey Robinson 1944-1945"orbost-shire-council robinson-william-godfrey

This is a photograph of a railway camp, set up to house workers and their families when building the Bairnsdale to Orbost Railway in 1916. The Bairnsdale-Orbost railway was opened in 1916 to serve the agricultural and timber industry. Because of the decline in traffic and heavy operating costs, the line was finally closed in August, 1987. Orbost Railway Station was opened on Monday 10 April 1916 as the terminus of the Orbost railway line, and closed in 1987. The station was located on the west side of the Snowy River despite the town of Orbost being on the east side of the river, in order to save on the costs of a bridge over the river, which at the time had highly variable levels.This item is associated with the history of the Orbost-Bairnsdale railway line and therefore reflects the role that the rail line played in the social and economic history of Orbost.A black / white photograph of a campsite kitchen. The kitchen is outside against a roughly constructed hut. There are three women preparing food. Two men are drinking from tin mugs. a small child is crawling on the ground and another is seated.on back - "Railway Camp"orbost-railway newmerella-railway-camp transport

This portrait is of James Cameron who was the first president of the Croajingolong Shire ( later Orbost Shire). He was also an inaugural member for East Gippsland in the Legislative Assembly from 1902 until 1920. In 1882 Cameron was the first Orbost councillor of the newly constituted Tambo Shire. In the next twenty years he served as justice of the peace, shire councillor, guardian of St James's Anglican Church, Sunday school superintendent, and president of the local agricultural society and railway league Orbost was at first included in the Bairnsdale Shire from 1882 and was later part of the Tambo Shire. Because of travelling distances the Croajingalong Shire was created in 1892 (name changed to Orbost Shire 17.2.1893 with James Cameron as the first Shire President. In 1994 it amalgamated to become part of East Gippsland Shire Council.This item is associated with James Cameron, a prominent early Orbost identity. It is also associated with Orbost Shire Council.A black / white head and shoulders portrait photograph of a moustached man in a suit.on back - "James Cameron"cameron-james orbost-shire-council governance-orbost

Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and steam shovels. This photograph records early an early type of excavator used to construct drainage channels in rural Victoria.A black / white photograph / postcard of a man digging in a very large trench, probably a drainage channel, with an earth mover in the background. The machine has the name "RUSTON" on it. In the foreground is a man, dressed in a long dark coat, watching.agricultural-machinery drainage-channels ruston

Maize,has been grown on the Orbost flats for at least 70 years. When early settlers began to arrive on the Snowy River somewhere in the 1880s, the land was mostly swamps and heavily timbered jungle on the river frontages. The swamps were drained, bit by bit, by men with short handled shovels and working in mud and water. The frontages were cleared by axe and shovel and fire. Several kinds of crops were experimented with such as hops, hemp and maize, the latter grew particularly well and became the main crop of district. The problem then was to thresh and deliver the product to the market. A small single cob machine was brought here and one man turned the handle, while the boy or Mum fed the cobs singly into the machine. A good day’s work would thresh about 50 bushels or about 12 bags (4 bushels). The task then was to cart the maize to market. For a few years this was done by horses and dray carrying about 60 bushels to Mossiface, where it was loaded onto river boats to Lakes Entrance, and then by ocean boats to Melbourne. Later it was taken to Bairnsdale by foot and loaded onto the trains to Melbourne. (more information in Newsletter October 2006) This crib, measuring seven chains, sixteen feet, contained 10,000 bags of maize cobs which were grown by Linc Timmons on Peter Irvine's farm (Fairlea?) in Orbost, East Gippsland. The growing of maize in the Orbost district contributed significantly to the economy of the township for many years, The many maize cribs once seen on the surrounding farms have now disappeared and this photograph is a pictorial record of that significance.A black / white photograph of a large maize crib full of maize in a paddock. There is a large framed copy of the original.agriculture-orbost farming-maize-orbost maize-crib-orbost

This is a book written by a local historian containing historical information pertaining to Orbost and the surrounding district. A spiral bound book of 191pp. On the front and back covers are coloured print of the Morgan Barn c 1900, an original watercolour, artist unknown. The book documents the distinctive slatted barns of the lower Snowy River, Orbost, Victoria. The book was published by the Orbost Historical Society and was written by May Leatch and Ngaere Donald. It contains B/w photographs, drawings and stories of the barns and their histories.history-agriculture-orbost barns-slatted

Herbert John Rumsey (1866-1956) started a nursery and seed business at Barbers Creek (Tallong) near Marulan in 1895. In 1901 he moved his operations to Dundas. From 1896 he regularly published seed catalogues. Some time before 1929 he set up a company, Herbert J. Rumsey & Sons Ltd, which later on (before 1937) changed its name to Rumsey Seeds Pty. Ltd.A small book with a cream cover which has colourful drawings of vegetables. The print is green and red. The book is titled "RUMSEY'S SEED CATALOGUE BEST SEEDS THAT GROW". It has 50 pp.agriculture horticulture catalogue seeds rumsey

Published by the Plant Quarantine Division, Commonwealth Department of Health, Canberra.This is a useful research article.A 4 pp copy of a brochure titled The Toll of the Fruit Fly-The Orchardists' Greatest Enemy. Teachers Guide No. 2agriculture fruit-fly education

Horses played a vital role in the agricultural history of Orbost. This item is connected to that role.A brown leather working horse saddle, a dray saddle. Probably used from 1890's -1950's. It has 4 silver metal studs. The pads underneath have been re-covered with blanket material.saddle leather equestrian rural

Horses played a vital role in the agricultural and transport history of Orbost. This item is connected to that role.A heavy brown leather saddle used for a working horse to pull a dray. Probably used 1890's -1950's. It has 4 silver metal studs in the corners.saddle equestrian transport dray

The first meeting to form an Agricultural society in Orbost was convened by the then Orbost Progress Association and held in the Mechanics Hall on Saturday, 10th October 1891. Its first show was held on 3rd March 1904...on a site alongside the Bonang Road where the present Golf Club stands. It is currently held at the Recreation Reserve at Newmerella. (Ref: In Times Gone By-Deborah Hall)Agricultural shows are an important part of cultural life in small country towns and the Orbost Show is an integral part of Orbost 's agricultural history.1944.1 is an Orbost Agricultural Society Member's Ticket No. 484. 1944.2 is an Orbost Agricultural Society Lady's Ticket no.484. Both are white cardboard edged in gold. The tickets are joined. There is a blue cord attached through a hole. The print is blue.Orbost Agricultural Society John Lynn President Member's Ticket E.H.D. White Secretary 1959 £1orbost-agricultural-society

This was probably for a light buggy. Heavy farm, and lumber wagons had wider tires. It would have been made by a blacksmith. The blacksmith fitted steel rims onto wooden wagon wheels. The red hot metal rim expands when hot, so it can be fitted to the wagon wheel. Then it contracts to create a tight fit as it cools after being dropped into a tank of water.Horse-drawn wagons are an important part of Orbost’s agricultural history. Light buggies were popular with farmers for trips into town before the common use of motorised vehicles.A large iron rim for a wagon wheel.wheel-rim wagon transport agriculture

A bit is a type of horse tack used in equestrian activities, usually made of metal or a synthetic material, and is placed in the mouth of a horse to assist a rider in communicating with the animal. It rests in the mouth where there are no teeth.Horses played a vital role in the agricultural history of Orbost. This item is connected to that role.An iron horse bit. It has a small piece of leather at one end - possibly from the bridle. It has a piece of wire attached as a hook for hanging.equestrian horse-bit transport

These were used on a horse-drawn wagons, carriages, stagecoaches, and carts. A wheelwright would use this tool to make or repair the wheels. All sizes of buggy spanners, or wagon wrenches, were needed as wagon wheels were of many different sizes. Horse-drawn wagons are an important part of Australia’s agricultural history. Light buggies were popular with farmers for trips into town before the common use of motorised vehicles.A collection of thirteen iron wheel spanners on an iron hook. One spanner has a wooden handle and is an adjustable spanner.tool wagon-wrench-spanner transport

This hook was probably used in lift sacks of corn / maize to the lofts in the barns using a pulley beam system sometimes driven by a small tractor or a horse.This item is connected to the agricultural history of the Snowy River flats of the Orbost district. Intensive farming for maize was an integral part of the history of Orbost.A double bag hook consisting of two double metal hooks on a metal ring.bag-hook rural

Scythes were used to manually mow wheat or grass. Scythes were used with a long sweeping movement which made them much less tiring for labourers to use than reaping hooks or sickles though they still involved great physical labour and considerable skill to perfect. Both hands were in use and the operator did not have to bend his back to reach down to the crop. On farms scythes were sharpened on a sandstone wheel mounted on an axle with a crank handle on one side. This was hand powered and used with water. Scythes were not used as often on farms after the mechanisation of harvesting. They were still used for cutting awkward shaped small plots and for opening a path for the tractors. This item is an example of a tool used by the early settlers of the Orbost district. An iron scythe blade, curved and tapered. There is no handle and the blade is rusted and pitted."ROSE"scythe tool agriculture rural