Showing 81 items
matching storage case
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Myrtleford and District Historical Society
Inclinometer, Early 20th Century
... . Leather case for safe storage. Semi circular graduated dial... Myrtleford high-country Provenance not clear. Leather case has 'MMBW ...Provenance not clear. Leather case has 'MMBW' inscribed in black pen, indicating an association with Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works. Item has been in the possession of Terry McCormack since 1972Hand held brass pocket inclonometer level, circa 1920. Leather case for safe storage. Semi circular graduated dial with 90 degree vernier scale with a small (20mm) magnifying glass to aid reading the vernier scale. Above the body, mounted at the rear of the graduated dial, is a spirit level tube which is tilted by finger movement to the milled hand wheel. The height to be determined is sighted through the instrument eyepiece and the bubble tube is tilted until the bubble, viewed in the mirror inside the sighting tube, is brought level with the graticule sighted at the top of the subject object. An angle is thus obtained and by measuring the distance on the ground to the object, trigonometry can be applied to determine the height of the object.Herga & Co. BRISBANE. Made in England -
Dutch Australian Heritage Centre Victoria
Porcelain storage containers for "Koffie" "Thee" "Suiker" "Peper" and "Zout"
According to Dutch tradition this type of sets have normally 3 large containers (coffee, tea and sugar) and sometimes 2 small containers (salt and pepper). During manufacturing of this set, the labels on salt (Zout) and tea (Thee) container were interchanged, crating a A-Typical set with large salt container and a small tea container. Likely ordered from Dutch East Indies and manufactured in China.A rare example of an imperfect product surviving to create an historic record.Set of 5 hexonal shaped porcelain storage containers, each with lid, for the storage and home use of (1,2) "Koffie", (3,4) "Thee", (5,6) "Suiker", (7,8) "Peper" and (9,10) "Zout".When the glass side of the display case disintegrated and all shelves and items fell down. two lids broke. They are repaired (but the cracks are visible)koffie thee suiker peper zout manufacturing error dutch container -
Dutch Australian Heritage Centre Victoria
Pencil Case/Tekendoos
An example of the type of pencil storage used by Dutch children in the first half of the 20th century.A rectangular wooden box with hinged lid for the storage of drawing implements. -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Archive, Girl Guide Memorabilia
Photos, Financial Records, Administration Records, Books, Awards, Certificates, Tape & VHS Tapes, Banners & Memorabilia Gumnuts Guides- Rangers Guides, See Individual Storage A-E For Contents List Donated by Stawells Last Girl Guide Commissioner Retrieved from Guide Hall while being Demolished Frances Croft 2 Brown Cases and three Archive Boxes.clubs -
Rutherglen Historical Society
Photograph - Image, 1970s
Located within the heart of the winery, the atrium style Cellar Door was designed by legendary Australian architect; Robyn Boyd and constructed in 1972. Offering views of the century old storage casks and famous dirt floors, the Cellar Door offers an up close experience to the making of our world famous wines.Black and white photograph of the interior of a wine cellar with stacks of wine casks of various sizes. A substantial number of people are in a glassed-in area at the back of the room. Glassed-in area ( cellar door sales area) designed by Robyn Boyd. 1972On back of photo: "S/S [upper case H in a circle] Morris"wineries, north east victoria, wine industry, morris winery, robyn boyd, rutherglen australia, winery, cellar door -
Rutherglen Historical Society
Image, 1970s
Established in 1921 by Reginald Langdon Buller, the ‘Calliope Vineyard’ was named after the only surviving ship from the Great Hurricane at Samoa - 1889. A.B. (Banjo) Patterson’s Ballad Of The Calliope tells the tale in stirring fashion. Reginald’s vision of his new enterprise successfully sailing through the tempests of business and agricultural life proved prophetic. Coincidently, Calliope is also the Greek Goddess of Poetry. Today Buller Wines remains a local family business. Purchased by the Judd Family in 2013, Buller Wines has had a strong focus on the investment of cellar, storage, operations and most importantly, the vineyards which is reflective in the quality of wines produced by Winemaker Dave Whyte.Black and white photograph of the front of Bullers WineryOn back of photo: "145% [upper case D in small circle] Bullers Calliope"wineries, north east victoria, wine industry, bullers winery, bullers calliope, reginald buller -
Numurkah & District Historical Society
Memorabilia - Petrol Ration Ticket (in Frame)
Petrol rationing was introduced in 1940 as Australia, which produced no oil of its own and had inadequate storage facilities, had only three months’ supply at the start of the War and depended on the procurement of stocks from overseas and their safe arrival. Rationing was introduced to ensure fair access by everyone to scarce goods. Ration books containing coupons were distributed and in the case of petrol entitled the owner to a monthly ration.Paper ticket printed in blue "Commonwealth of Australia / Motor Spirit Ration Ticket / 2 Gallons / Valid only until 31st July 1947 / This ticket must be endorsed in ink by consumer with name, licence and vehicle registration number"wwii, war, rationing, coupon, transport -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Document - Instruction Book, Westinghouse Brake Company of Australasia Limited and The Westinghouse Brake & Saxby Signal Co. Ltd. of 82 York Road and Kings Cross London, "Westinghouse Railway Operating Data", 2000
Photocopy of 54 data sheets published by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company of East Pittsburgh Pa, USA c1920. Consists of plastic cover, header page with Westinghouse logo, contents sheets (2 pages), forward, 67 pages (single side photocopy) and heavy rear card cover bound with a green comb binder. Original material lent by Craig Tooke of the Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association at Haddon. Photocopied by Warren Doubleday March 2000. List of contents produced 30/6/2000 and then bound. Contains data sheets regarding motors, commutators, brushes, armatures, bearings, field coils, pinions, lubrication, air piping, axle collars, resistance grids, gear cases and other technical information. Westinghouse Railway Operating Data 30/6/2000 List of Contents Page No. Care and repair of commutators 1 Undercutting commutators 2 Railway Motor carbon brushes 3 Brush holders 4 Flashing of railway motors 5 Soldering railway armatures 6 Armature Winding 7 Banding armatures 8 Railway Motor Bearings 9 Lubrication of railway motor bearings 10 How to babbitt motor bearings 11 Oil, grease and waster for motors and gears 12 Saturation of motor bearing waste 13 Testing Polarity of Field Coils 14 Charging of storage batteries on Interurban & street rail cars 15 Precautions to be taken with blower installations on motor cars 16 Putting on Railway Motor Pinions 17 How to take armatures out of box frame motors 18 Dipping and Baking of Railway Motors 19 War time dipping and baking outfits 20 Dipping and baking railway motors will decrease troubles 21 Protection of Motor Bearings from Dust 25 Winter Operation of Railway Motor equipments 26 Installation of Air piping to prevent freezing 27 Maintenance of Traction Brake Equipment 28 Maintenance of controller fingers and contacts 29 Hand operated circuit breakers 30 Railway Motor Testing I 31 Railway Motor Testing II 33 Railway Motor Testing III 35 Railway Motor Testing IV 36 Railway Motor Testing V 37 Removing and replacing railway motor armature shaft 39 Mounting and Maintenance of car resistors 40 Lubrication of control apparatus 41 Maintenance of fuse boxes for railway service 42 Does it pay to dip and bake armatures 43 Dipping and Baking as a financial asset 44 Shop Organisation 45 Tinning Malleable Iron Bearing shells 46 Life of armature bearings or railway motors 47 The assembly of complete sets of commutator segments 48 Electric welding as a factor in reclamation 50 Metal to Metal press, shrink and clamping fit allowances 52 Life of railway motor carbon brushes 54 General information of grid resistance design for the operating man 56 Stopping a car by braking with the motors 57 Railway Motor shafts and their maintenance 58 Axle collars 59 Gear cases 60 Ventilated railway motors 62 Revamping Loose armature bearings 64 Life of axle bearings of railway motors 65 Heat-treated bolts for railway service 66 Document imaged over 7 parts 7-9-2016 - see hi res files. trams, tramways, westinghouse, motors, data sheets, technical information -
Ballarat Diocesan Historical Commission
Travelling Altar, Travelling/Field Altar, 1914
Accesssioned from Catholic church at Patchewollock in 2013 where it had been since the1950s before which it was used for Sunday Mass in the local hall. Tradition has it to have been a field altar used by Rev O' Sullivan Goidenach, MM at Gallipoli and on the Western Front 1915 - 1918. Associated correspondence in archive includes a letter of gratitude from General Birdwood to Monsignor Goidenach.A rare surviving example of a Roman Catholic Mass Travelling/ Field altar from the WWI era, used in Western Victorian venues before churches were built.Wooden cased travelling altar with altar stone, brass candle sconces, brass crucifix and storage for vestments, and Mass requirements. travelling altar, field altar, world war i, rev o'sullivan goidenach, patchewollock, birdwood. -
Parks Victoria - Wilsons Promontory Lightstation
Tank lid
Lid for ship's tanks used for early domestic water storage (1860's) at the lightstation The water tank and lid are probably from the same unit that was used for transporting drinking water or perishable dry goods on ships. The unit comprised a large, riveted metal tank which was fitted with a heavy cast iron round lid to form a hermetically sealed container. It had a rubber sealing ring ‘which was screwed tight with the aid of lugs cast into the lid and wedges cast into the rim of the loading hole’. A raised iron rod welded across the outer face of many lids allowed for screwing the lid tight. Ship tanks were invented in1808 by notable engineer, Richard Trevithick and his associate John Dickinson. Their patent obtained the same year described the tank’s superior cubic shape that allowed it to fit squarely as a container in ships and thus use space efficiently, while its metal fabric preserved and secured its contents, whether liquid or solid, from damage. The containers revolutionised the movement of goods by ship and made wooden casks redundant. Research by Michael Pearson has determined that they were carried on passages to Australia from at least the 1830s, conveying ships’ victuals and water storage as well as general goods heading for the colonies, and by the 1870s they were in common use. Once in the colonies, the tanks were often recycled and adapted for many resourceful uses such as water tanks, packing cases, dog kennels, oil containers and food stores and this invariably led to the separation of the lid and tank. Raised lettering on the lids indicates that nearly all of the ship tanks transported to Australia came from London manufacturers, and it was usual also for the brand name to feature as a stencil on the associated square tank but in most cases this eventually wore off. It is not known if the Wilsons Promontory tank retains its stencil, and the heavy lid will need to be turned over to reveal its manufacturer’s name. How it came to the lightstation is also not known, but it was either brought to the site as a recycled tank or salvaged from a shipwreck. Pearson writes that Ship tanks show up at a wide range of sites, many of them isolated like lighthouses. They were, I think, usually taken there for the purposes they filled, usually water storage, as they were readily available, relatively light to transport, and probably very cheap to buy as second‐hand goods containers. In rural areas they may have been scavenged for their new uses from local stores, to whom goods were delivered in them. Recycled to serve as a water tank, the Wilsons Promontory tank is the last surviving example of several that were used at the site to hold water for domestic consumption. The tank has had its lid removed and a tap fitted to the one of the sides. It stands on concrete blocks next to a building to receive water running off the roof via a metal pipe. Wilsons Promontory is the only lightstation managed by Parks Victoria with a tank container, although Cape Otway and Point Hicks have lids. Parks Victoria has identified four other lids which include two at Point Hicks, one manufactured by Lancaster and Co. the other by Bellamy. Cape Otway also has two, one unidentified and the other by the Bow Tank Works, East London, which produced tanks between 1910 and 1930. Pearson notes that ‘surviving lids are far less numerous than the tanks themselves, presumably because the uses to which the tanks were put did not require the lid to be retained’. The tank and lid, which are possibly part of the same unit, have first level contributory significance for their historic values and rarity. Round ship's tanks lid, iron. -
Parks Victoria - Point Hicks Lightstation
Lid, ship tank
The heavy cast iron, round lid was originally fastened into a large, riveted metal box, known as a ship tank. It has the name ‘John Bellamy London’ cast in capitals in a continuous circle on the outer edge of the lid face, and the words ‘Byng St Millwall’ on the inner circle. , of Millwall, London, manufactured boilers and ship tanks from the 1860s to the 1930s and came from a family of tank makers who began manufacturing tanks some time before 1856. Ship tanks were invented in 1808 by notable engineer, Richard Trevithick and his associate John Dickinson. Their patent obtained the same year described the tank’s superior cubic shape that allowed it to fit squarely as a container in vessels and thus use space efficiently, while its metal fabric preserved and secured its liquid or solid contents from damage. The containers revolutionised the movement of goods by ship and made wooden casks redundant. Research by Michael Pearson has determined that they were carried on passages to Australia from at least the 1830s conveying ships’ victuals and water storage, as well as general goods heading for the colonies. Pearson found photographic evidence of their use in the 1860s, and by the 1870s they appeared to be in common use. lids surviving from containers indicate that nearly all the tanks transported to Australia came from London manufacturers. It was usual for the brand name to also feature as a stencil on the tank but in most cases this eventually wore off. A tank without its original stencil survives at Wilsons Promontory. Tanks transporting ‘drinking water or perishable dry goods were hermetically sealed by the use of the tightly fitting lid with a rubber sealing ring ‘which was screwed tight with the aid of lugs cast into the lid and wedges cast into the rim of the loading hole’. The raised iron rod welded across the outer face of many lids such as the Bellamy example, allowed for screwing the lid tight. Once in the colonies, the ship tanks were often recycled and adapted for many resourceful uses such as packing cases, dog kennels, water tanks, oil containers and food stores and this invariably led to the separation of the lid and tank. The Bellamy lid could have been salvaged from a shipwreck but is more likely to have to have originated from a recycled tank that was brought to the lightstation for water storage purposes. Pearson writes that: Ship tanks show up at a wide range of sites, many of them isolated like lighthouses. They were, I think, usually taken there for the purposes they filled, usually water storage, as they were readily available, relatively light to transport, and probably very cheap to buy as second-hand goods containers. In rural areas they may have been scavenged for their new uses from local stores, to whom goods were delivered in them. Parks Victoria has identified five tank lids in the lightstation collections covered by this project. In addition to the Bellamy lid at Point Hicks, they include a Bow brand lid at Point Hicks and another at Cape Otway, unidentified lids at Cape Otway and Wilsons Promontory. Pearson and Miles Lewis have each recorded two versions of the Bellamy trade name on the lids; one being ‘John Bellamy Byng St. London’; the other, ‘John Bellamy Byng St. Millwall London’. The Point Hicks lid has the second version of the name, as do other examples in Victoria that Lewis has identified at Illawarra, Toorak; Warrock homestead, Casterton; Eeyeuk homestead, Terang; Ward’s Mill, Kyneton; and Boisdale homestead near Maffra, and in NSW at Ayrdale Park, Wolumla; and Bishop’s Lodge, Hay. Pearson’s list includes the same lids in NSW at Tumbarumba; the Quarantine Station, Sydney; Willandra Station; Bedervale, Braidwood; Gunnedah Museum; Walla Walla and Macquarie Island. The Point Hicks lid is currently stored in the lighthouse although it is unlikely that its use had any association with this building. The lid is in good condition and retains the central bung. Pearson notes that ‘surviving lids are far less numerous than the tanks themselves, presumably because the uses to which the tanks were put did not require the lid to be retained’.347 The Bellamy ship tank lid has first level contributory significance for its historic values. Circular cast-iron disc with raised outer ridge with inscription. It also has an inner depression with inscription. Two metal sections form handles over inner depression. Hole in middle of disc.Around perimeter of outer edge "JOHN BELLAMY LONDON" Around inner area "BYNG ST MILLWALL" -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Bolex Paillard M 8 Projector, Bolex Paillard, 1949
The firm of Bolex Paillard Ltd is world-famous for its accomplishments in the field of amateur cinematography. Paillard Bolex cine cameras and projectors are designed and manufactured in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, which was also the centre of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Originally Bol, the company was founded by Charles Haccius and Jacques Bogopolsky in 1925. The M8 line of projectors were first manufactured in 1949. Its relatively light weight, affordability and portability made this model popular with home movie and amateur film makers.This projector is representative of several types of home projectors popular in the second half of the 20th Century.A small projector and carrying case. It is made of cast aluminum and steel, painted with a Grey Silver finish. The upper reel arm folds downward and locks for storage and also serves as a carrying handle. The lens assembly pivots outward for easy film loading and unloading. The front legs can be adjusted individually for height. An AC outlet is position at the rear of the projector. The carrying case includes slots to hold film reels and the power cord.On one side: " Bolex Paillard/ Fabrication Suisse/ Made in Switzerland" M 8bolex paillard, cimematography, home entertainment -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Portable UHF Radio - Sawtron / Kyodo, c 1980s
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the War, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. Rapid improvements in technology led to various models of bulky handheld portables with heavy batteries that always seemed to go flat. In fact, batteries were a constant impediment at bushfires. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 4G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s.Portable UHF Radio with leather carrying case and strap. Charging station. Kyodo Model KC-1109 MOYHU Whitfieldbushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Field telephone in leather carry case
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. Field telephone in leather carrying case and strap. Unknown origin or datebushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Maroondah Aqueduct Siphon Bridge over the Plenty River, 26 January 2008
Opened in 1891, the bridge formed part of the Maroondah Aqueduct carrying water from Watts River near Healesville to the reservoir at Preston where it joined Melbourne's metropolitan water system. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p99 Built to supply thirsty Melbourne in the late 19th century, the siphon bridge spanning the Plenty River off Leischa Court, Greensborough, was part of an engineering masterpiece. Opened in 1891, the bridge formed part of the Maroondah Aqueduct carrying water from the Watts River near Healesville to the reservoir at Preston where it joined the metropolitan distribution system. A major link in Melbourne’s water supply, it also had a huge impact on communities, which mushroomed along its route. Named after the Aboriginal word for the area around the Maroondah Reservoir, the Maroondah Aqueduct was fully operational until the 1970s. Since the 1980s the land along parts of the aqueduct have been used for walking and bicycle riding, shaded in places by Monterey Pine trees planted to stabilise the surrounding ground. From 1857 the Yan Yean Reservoir supplied Melbourne’s water but the growing city needed additional catchments.1 In 1886 work began on a weir on the Watts River to enable the aqueduct to carry most of the river water 41 miles (66km) to Melbourne. The aqueduct, built by the Board of Works, is the oldest remaining aqueduct near Melbourne and was probably the first built with concrete.2 Although the aqueduct is now only used between the Maroondah and Sugarloaf Reservoirs, it can still be traced across the Shire. It extends from the Maroondah Reservoir through Christmas Hills, Kangaroo Ground, Research, Eltham, St Helena and then previously wound west through Greensborough to Reservoir.3 Built by horse and manpower the aqueduct gravity fed 25 million gallons (113.6ML) of water a day to Melbourne along a gradient of one foot to the mile. It included 25 miles (41km) of open concrete and brick channel, six miles (10km) of tunnels, and nine miles (15km) of 14 inverted siphons of riveted wrought-iron across creeks. Bricks for the aqueduct were made from clay found near the sites and remains of several kilns can still be found between Kangaroo Ground and Christmas Hills. Building the aqueduct transformed local communities. An abattoir was established at Christmas Hills. Grog shanties and labourers’ camps sprang up and local courts dealt with cases of ‘petty pilfering and boisterous behaviour’.4 The Kangaroo Ground school population jumped to 91, crammed into a room with one teacher. Miners who built the tunnels camped just north of Churinga in Greensborough – then called Tunnel Hill Camp – and adjacent to the Evelyn Arms Hotel. The miners’ high spirits were sometimes quenched in horse troughs or by a ‘welt under the ear and kick on the behind’ as the local constable calmed them down rather than lock them up.5 But the growing city of Melbourne needed more water, so the O’Shannassy catchment, east of Warburton, was added to the system in 1914. In 1920 work began on the present concrete Maroondah Dam one mile (1.6km) from the weir on the Watts River. The aqueduct capacity was thus doubled to 50 million gallons (227ML) a day.6 Intense land development threatened to pollute the open water supply, so channel sections were replaced with large pipes. In the late 1960s a large water main was built from the tunnel outlet at Research and extended through St Helena and Greensborough, so this section of the aqueduct was taken out of use. Long sections of the unused open channels in Greensborough and Bundoora were destroyed, but the old channel in Research and Eltham North remained largely intact. In the 1970s, the Sugarloaf Reservoir was constructed, inundating 445 hectares of land in Christmas Hills. Sugarloaf was officially opened in 1980 and serves as a water storage and treatment plant supplying Melbourne. In the early 1980s pipes replaced the section from Sugarloaf Reservoir to the tunnel entrance at Kangaroo Ground. The Research-Kangaroo Ground tunnel operates as part of the pipeline system.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, maroondah aqueduct, pipe bridge, siphon bridge -
Mont De Lancey
Functional object - Glove box, post W.W.II
The box was used for storing long gloves post W.W.II. The box was possibly later used as a pencil case. A long rectangular pale yellow plastic glove box with faux wood grain and a piano hinge. Engraved on the top in navy blue cursive script is the word 'Gloves', with extensive flourishes. 'Gloves'glove boxes, gloves, boxes, clothing storage containers -
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Tait Radio T196
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. Mobile Radio with handset in case Similar to item A/012Tait 1163FM on metal box plus serial number Tait T499 miniphone on radio unit plus serial number bushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Displan STTO emergency radio (c 1976)
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. State Disaster Plan (DISPLAN) radio in metal carry casebushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Weston portable 7 channel radio (AKA Yellow Peril)
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. Portable radio with handset Includes battery pack in vinyl carry case and carry strap With socket to attach external aerialModel Ebushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Tait portable mini phone
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the war, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. Portable mini phone in leather casebushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Weapon - Historic Rifles, Royal Small Arms Factory, 1877-1900
Martini-Henry Artillery Carbin rifles were made by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, Britain, from 1877 until 1900. Many were distributed to the British Colonies, including this pair, which was allocated to the Woodford Police, Victoria Police District of Warrnambool, Southwest Victoria. The Carbine model rifles were shorter than the standard rifles and more suited to mounted police and troopers. It is likely that in the early 20th century, Victoria Police replaced the two carbines with more modern firearms, and the outdated guns were stored in the stables. The rifles were left there and likely forgotten about due to changes in police staff. In 1915, police authorities announced that they would be replacing patrol horses with bicycles and would also close some smaller police stations. This affected Woodford Police Station, which closed in 1917. The forgotten firearms remained in the stables and were noticed by schoolboy Robert Jellie in 1940 and seen again in 1946. In 1995, the property was sold by the Education Department to a private owner. The Woodford Community donated the pair of Martini-Henry Carbines to Victoria Police Museum in the late 1990s for mounting and display, which was funded by the Victoria Police Historical Society Inc. The decorative wood and glass display case and frame were designed to preserve the significant history of the guns. On November 1st 1999, the display was presented to Warrnambool Police and the local community due to the historical significance of the Woodford Police Station. On March 10th, 2025, the display was transferred to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, where the historical story of the Martini-Henry Carbines could continue to be preserved and accessed by local families, the community, visitors to the area, and online visitors. WOODFORD POLICE: - The small settlement at Woodford was established in the 1840s around the Merri River where there was a ford across the water and, from 1848-1851, a bridge. The area was settled very early in Victoria’s history and the river crossing provided travellers with access to the early route between Port Fairy (name Belfast at that time), Warrnambool and Melbourne. Occasionally a Warrnambool police trooper would ride through Woodford and district. In December 1854, Woodford Police barracks and stables were built on the hill by the Merri River on Bridge Road east where Jubilee Park now stands. A local mounted trooper kept law and order in the area. In 1856, a lock-up was installed, and the first Woodford Police Station was in action in 1857. By 1871, the police station had been moved from the hill to land across the Merri River bridge, on the southern side of Bridge Road west, near Mill Street. In 1890, the police residence there was replaced by a stone Edwardian-style building with the stables and lock-up behind it and the old police station at the rear. The police continued to have a presence in Woodford until it was closed by the Police Commissioner in July 1917 for economic reasons. The residence was used for government housing until 1923, when it was taken over by the Education Department for the school teacher’s home. In 1995, it became privately owned. THE MARTINI-HENRY ARTILLERY CARBINE: - The Martini-Henry rifles were made in Britain from 1871 at the Royal Small Arms factory at Enfield and were stamped with the symbol of the Royal Cipher (Crown over VR) over ENFIELD to identify their origin. They were named after two of several people who helped design this method: Swiss Friederich von Martini and Scotsman Alexander Henry. The design was breach-loaded, and the inner barrel was rifled. A thumb rest was incorporated into the top right of the bullet receiver’s chamber. The small teardrop lever on the right side of the rifle showed whether the rifle was ready to be shot. In 1877, the shorter, lighter weight Carbine version of the firearm was produced for mounted troops and artillery. Its official name was “Carbine, B.L., Rifled, Martini Hanry.” The bullets were slightly lighter in weight than those used for the longer rifle. The sight position was adjusted for the shorter gun, and wings were added to the sight on the tip, making it easier to slide the rifle back into a saddle bag. Some of the later Carbines also had leather sight covers screwed to the stock to prevent them from catching on the saddle bags. The Carbines had accessories available, such as barrel extensions with bayonets and swivels for adding slings. The Martini-Henry Carbine designs were later modified to fire the British .303 ammunition. Eventually, by 1900, the Martini-Henry Carbines were replaced by the Lee Enfield gun design. The pair of Martini-Henry Carbine firearms represents policing in the early pre-1900 days of colonial settlement; Woodford was one of the first townships settled in Victoria, and it had a police presence from 1854 until 1917. The rifles and display provide a historic connection between the location of Woodford and relatives and associates. The carbine rifles show a stage in the evolution of weapon design, adapted to suit mounted troops, and adding features to streamline use and storage. The ammunition was also improved during this progression. The carbines are important for their connection to policing law and order in a remote area. They are significant for their association with the township of Woodford, which was important to travel in the southwest Victoria district, providing access across a river for a road between Port Fairy and Melbourne, and later Warrnambool, and supplying food, goods and accommodation for the travellers. A pair of mounted rifles is mounted behind glass in a timer case, accompanied by a framed display of two photographs and an account of the rifles’ history. The case and display each have a horizontal board with a gently curved edge and carved decorations added. The identical firearms are British-made Martini Henry Carbine breach-loaded rifled guns, supplied by Britain to its Colonial troops from around 1877. The rifles are lever-action, single-shot .500 calibre weapons. They have a teardrop lever on their right side. They were used by Victoria Police mounted troops at the Woodford Police Station, Victoria. The black and white photographs were taken in 1946. The left photograph has a circled area; the right photograph is an enlarged view of the circled area, showing the Woodford Police Station in detail. The printed text is on textured paper with the Victoria Police watermark. It gives a summary of the rifle’s history. There is an inscription on the left photograph. Left photograph, handwritten in white pen: “WOODFORD” Document’s print: “During the late 1840s the small town of Woodford grew around the crossing of the Merri River on the Melbourne/Port Fairy Rad. Woodford was proclaimed a township in 1854 and a police quarters was established there in 1857. The police station remained until 1917 when it was closed and police service from then on was provided from Warrnambool. The building was then used as a school residence and is now privately owned. In !940 Robert JELLIE, then a schoolboy, observed two rifles mounted on the wall of the disused stable at the rear of the old police building. Following the devastating flood of 1946 (see photograph above) the rifles were again seen in the room next to the stable but were not seen again until the building was sold by the Education Department many years later. It was a recognition of the historical value of the rifles which led to their donation to the Warrnambool Police Complex. The rifles have been authenticated by the Victoria Police Armoury as being Victoria Police issue some time before 1900. The rifles are an identical pair of the famous British-made Martini Henry, a .500 inch calibre military weapon widely used by British Colonial troops. Victoria Police and the wider community of Warrnambool are indebted to the members of the Woodford community for their fine gesture in donating the rifles for mounting so that their historical importance can be preserved and they can be displayed for generations to come. This display was funded by the Victoria Police Historical Society Incorporated, and presented on the first day of November, 1999.”flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, martini henry, victoria police, woodford police station, rifle, carbine, display case, british, martini henry carbine, breech-loaded, rifled, colonial, single-shot, .500 calibre, weapon, gun, 1877, troops, mounted troops, merri river, victoria police woodford, victoria police warrnambool, victoria police melbourne, police quarters, robert jellie, school residence, stable, 1946 flood, victoria police armoury, identical pair, british colonial troops, victoria police historical society incorporated, woodford, bicycles, found by a schoolboy, edwardian-style building