This photograph shows a piece of gold mining equipment identified as a mine winch, possibly an air winch cylinder of 1870s RG Ford's Patent design. Throughout the history of mining for gold and other precious materials, the windlass or winch (pictured) was used to bring up buckets full of soil from the bottom of a mine. This soil was then searched for gold/metals before being relocated to a different area. Due to the size and complexity of this particular piece of equipment, this winch may have been used to raise and lower mine carts to the entrance of the mine (often used in coal mining) and could have been used in raising cages up and down (acting as elevators) containing miners if the mine was particularly deep. The actual use of this particular item in the Beechworth locality is undocumented but these are some possibilities based on the use of these pieces of equipment in other mining locations. Mining can have a largely detrimental impact to the environment and therefore, the study of machinery like the one depicted in this photograph can help researches to reconstruct the methods and technologies used in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This particular item appears to have been removed from it's original site where it would have been used to assist with mining. It is possible that this photograph has been taken for recording purposes or as part of a machinery exhibition. Prior documentation records that this piece of equipment had connections to the Rocky Mountains Mining Company. Today, the Rocky Mountains Gold Mining company is famous in Beechworth for having been instrumental in the creation of the Rocky Mountain tunnel. Construction for this tunnel began in 1859 when a group of 12 men blasted a 400ft long tailrace though the rock beneath the town of Beechworth. Today, the 800ft tunnel, completed in 1871, is a popular tourist attraction but during the decades of gold mining, the purpose of this tunnel was to divert water away from the main sluicing operations so miners could better access gold and precious materials. The tunnel was used for this purpose for many years, later becoming useful for the Zwar Brother's tannery and currently as an outfall drain for Lake Sambell. This area continued to be mined until the early 1900s. The period when this item was in use is unclear but it is estimated to have been in the 1870s based on the design and appearance of the image. The gold works at the Rocky Mountain Tunnel closed in the early 1920s but the impact of mining remains in Beechworth today and therefore the study of photographs like this one which contain mining equipment can further understanding of mining in this region.This photograph has historic and research potential for study on the gold mining of the Beechworth region and types of equipment used to locate gold after the initial gold rush of 1853-1854 which resulted in the discovery of the surface gold and required miners to dig deeper to access precious metals. The clarity of the photo, and its good preserved condition, means it can continue to be used for research. This photo is part of a collection of six photos all within the Burke Museum Collection which depict mining equipment.Square black and white photograph on card.7793.1beechworth, mining, goldmining, goldmining equipment, beechworth burke museum

Rodd's was established by George & Ernest Rodd in Melbourne in 1919.They were manufacturers and wholesalers of precious metal jewellery. Later they began to manufacture high quality silver plated cutlery under the brand name “Rodd”. They then expanded into holloware when they took over Platers Pty. Ltd. who produced a very high quality range of silver plated Sheffield Reproduction Silverware, under the brand name “Hecworth”. Rodd’s established a large factory at 150 Barkly St., St. Kilda, Melbourne. During WW2 with a staff some 200, the factory produced ordnance components to help with the war effort. Rodd’s established sales offices in the main city centres of all States. The company prospered. In December, 1960, Rodd [Australia] Ltd. was merged with Mytton’s Ltd., Melbourne, and became part of the newly formed company Mytton Rodd [Australia] Ltd. Mytton’s were also producers of silver plated cutlery under the brand name “Grosvenor” and were strong competitors to the Rodd brand of cutlery Australia wide. It was a friendly take over and the Directors of Rodd [Aust.] Ltd. were appointed to the board of Mytton Rodd [Aust.] Ltd., and some to the Holding Company Mytton’s Ltd. Mytton’s were heavy manufacturing engineers producing a large range of stainless steel products including: kitchen sinks of various design, beer barrels [9 and 18 gallon kegs] for the breweries, milk vats for cooling and storing milk on dairy farms, a large range of dairy and industrial vessels, road transport tanks, LPG tanks, low pressure pre-mix vessels for the soft drink industry. They also produced a range of domestic bathes, steel railway sleepers, using their 3000 ton hydraulic presses. Mytton’s also had their own non ferrous foundry and rolling mill which produced nickel silver sheet used in the manufacturer of their silver plated cutlery. They also produced copper sheet for their own and industrial use. Mytton’s had factories in York St., South Melbourne and Port Melbourne. Rodd [Aust.] Ltd. set up a manufacturing, distribution plant in Auckland, New Zealand, circa 1960. This company began producing precious metal jewellery in a rented space in the premises of Matthey Garret Ltd., Bullion Merchants, in Drake St., Auckland. Later they moved into their own building in Sale St., Auckland. The company prospered and purchased land and built a factory at 121 Apirana Ave. Glen Innes, Auckland, circa 1964. ( B. McCulloch Rodd Pty Ltd)A butter knife with stainless steel blade and bone handle c1930on blade; RODD / STAINLESScutlery, stainless steel, cheltenham, moorabbin, bentleigh, early settlers, rodd aust ltd, mytton rodd pty ltd, aukland, port melbourne

This beautiful hand-cut crystal vase was made in Poland by Violetta Crystal Glassworks. Its design is decorative and functional. It reflects vases produced in the late 19th and early 20th century when hand-cut lead Crystalware was popular in England. The lead content in the glass makes the glass softer and easier to hand-cut. The crystal clear glass sparkles in the light. Crystalware was kept for special occasions such as weddings and religious events. The Violetta Crystal Glassworks was founded in 1864 by Franz Losky, at the district of in Stronie Śląskie. Its original name was Oransko-Nassawska Glassworks, then later named Oranienhütte. The Glassworks came under Poland's rule after World War II. In 1950 it was subject to the Central Board of the Glass Industry and Precious Ceramics, with its seat in Sosnowiec, and the Glassworks was called United Glassworks of the Lower Silesia Region – State Crystal Glassworks in Stronie Śląskie.In 1953 it began exporting its products. In 1970 the name was changed to Violetta Crystal Glassworks in the Polish district of Stronie Śląskie. The firm became the major exporter of Polish glass. From 1992, structural changes in the company resulted in the loss of production, which stopped altogether in May, 2008. Minex CEI SA bought the plant in 2011 and operated it until the end of 2018.This hand-cut lead crystal vase design reflects that of vases produced in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. It is representative of decorative domestic items used during that era, particularly for important and special occasions such as weddings and religious events. Crystalware was cherished for its beauty. The vase is also significant for its association with the renowned Violetta Crystal Glassworks established in 1864 by Franz Losky, which was at one time the greatest exporter of hand-cut crystal made in Poland.Vase; clear hand-cut glass, 24 per cent lead crystal. The vase is wide at the top with a scalloped edge. It tapers inwards to a round foot. A clear rectangular label with gold text is attached. It is branded Violetta hand-cut crystal, made in Poland. On the label: "MADE IN POLAND" "Violetta" "Hand cut 24 % lead crystal" "(R)" within a circleflagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill museum and village, domestic object, decorative object, functional object, vase, crystal vase, cut glass vase, hand-cut glass, violetta, violetta glassworks, polish glassworks, made in poland, vase with scalloped edge, crystal glassworks, franz losky, oransko-nassawska glassworks, oranienhütte, stronie śląskie, hand-cut crystal, crystalware

Plaque at Locarno Springs, Hepburn Mineral SpringsHEPBURN SPRINGS Where reverent gum trees gray-leaved aroming stems Enshrine the greem 'tween walls of slanting slate, Run waters, sihones from some buried grate, In drops more precious than deep mined gems. The elements are liquid in that stream and bursting bubbles charge the atmosphere The breath of nature moves the grasses here, and all is tranquil as a midday dream. The alchemist did set a mighty task, to list an learn the components of life, To change and find some radiant power new from atoms boiled in baking tube ad flask, and now we fear colossal human strife with things the caldrons of the Earth Eschew W.H.S. 1962hepburn springs, whs, mineral springs reserve, locarno spring

Michael and Wendy Wilson have been living in Eltham for fifty years. Recently Michael decided to write what is an engaging and entertaining journey through Michael and Wendy’s life. He recounts his love of Wendy, his family, friends, and his many acquaintances, as well as his love of Eltham and district. Kate Palmer AM, wrote the forward for this book saying, “…it is a window into the world of a true craftsman, an award winning master goldsmith - an artisan who can transform precious metals, wood and gold into exquisite sculptures, jewellery and works of art”. Kate also says “This book is a tribute to Michael Wilson. A man who is fascinated by the world around him and who is inspired by his experiences in that world. Every piece tells a story – about emotion, about a man and his dreams and his fascination for all things engineering.” Michael also recounts his extensive love affair with things with four wheels, from billy carts as a boy, to the various cars he has enjoyed, particularly his favourite Lotus 7, which he states is “a sophisticated billy cart”. He also shares many memorable experiences with others pursuing automotive escapades. It is well written, informative, and just an amazing life story, a very personal record of a life well explored and well lived. - EDHS Newsletter Feb 2024."For the Eltham District Historical Society, Best Wishes, Michael"autobiography, eltham, goldsmith, jeweller, michael wilson. biography, artists, memoir

A baleen whale has hard bristly baleen that hangs from its upper jaw inside its mouth instead of teeth. Baleen is made from a protein called keratin, just like human hair and fingernails, and its colour can vary between species, from black to yellow or white. The whale uses the tough, flexible baleen like a sieve to catch its food, filtering the small sea creatures out of the sea water it releases from its mouth. In the19th Century, whales were hunted for the products that could be made from their bodies, such as oil for lubricating machinery, soap making, lamps, heaters and fuel for the lighthouse lights. The flexible baleen was used for whip handles, carriage springs and umbrella ribs. It was also used for the skirt hoops, hat ribs, and rigid ‘stays’ in tightly fitting bodices to enhance their figures. The Southern Right Whales, as well as Blue Whales and Humpback Whales, are baleen whales. The Southern Rights annually visit the ocean off the southwest coast during the breeding season. In the early 1800s whalers hunted along this coastline in their dangerous pursuit of money for the precious cargoes of whale oil and bones. The population of these large animals dwindled quickly and by the late 1840s the whaling industry dwindled. Whaling recommenced from the 1940s to the 1980s when the whale products were used to make margarine and dog food. The baleen sample has been used to educate people about whaling and about the properties of baleen. The baleen sample is significant for its association with 19th century women's fashion. It helps to understand how garments were supported to shape a woman's figure. The baleen sample represents a period when whales were hunted and killed to provide income and products for for the local settlers and for the export industry.Baleen sample from a whale's jaw. Its black shiny hard yet flexible surface is slightly rippled and textured. One end is fringed and the other and a smooth cut edge. The colour varies in places, with stripy brown colouring. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, baleen, whalebone, baleen whale, keratin, 19th century, whaling industry, women's fashion, stays, bodice, women's figures, fashion, clothing, whale oil, baleen colour, whale hunting, whale products, southern right whale, blue whale, humpback whale, southwest victoria, whalers, whale bones

Sugarloaf Reservoir is situated on former farmland. This large water storage was completed in 1982 and serves Melbourne's northern suburbs. Within the visitor areas are two picnic grounds and other recreational facilities. Below its massive rock embankment is located the Winnecke Treatment Plan designed to purify its water before being piped into Melbourne. The dam partly inundated the old firing ranges of the former Christmas Hills Rifle Club. Source: Christmas Hills Now and then: Yarra Glen & District Historical Society, 2004. Born DigitalMelbourne Water Sugarload reservoir Melboure Water is owned by the Victorian Government. We manage Melbourne's water supply catchments, remove and treat most of Melbourne's sewrage, and manage waterways and major drainage systems. Most of Melbourne's water comes from uninhabited, forested catchments. Melbourne is one of the few cities in the world that has protecyed water supply catchments. Melbourne Water manages these catchments to protect our drinking water. Our water is safe and pleasant to drink, and undergoes minimal treatment - it is better to start witht he highest quality source. A key part of Melbourne Water's responsibility is to encourage the sustainable use of this precious resource. For more inforamtio on our water supply and on how you can conserve water, call 131 722 or visit www.melbournewater.com.auchristmas hills, sugarloaf reservoir, sign, melbourne water

Agate occurs when amygdales (gas pockets) form in the upper levels of basaltic lava flows. If these pockets or bubbles are iniltrated by water bearing silica in solution, the fluid dries and hardens in layers, forming round or egg shaped nodules or geodes within the rocky matrix. Agate is formed of a silica mineral chalcedony similar to quartz. Although relatively common and semi-precious, agate has been prized since at least 1450 BC - an intricately carved agate seal was found in the 2015 excavation of a grave belonging to a Mycenaeum priest or warrior near Pylos in Greece. Agate is also used in jewellery and other decorative or ritual purposes due to its often striking appearance. Quartz is found all over Australia, including Beechworth in Victoria. It is formed in deep-seated igneous rocks and crystallized through hot aqueous solutions. It can have two forms; Microcrystalline quartz or Crystalline quartz. Microcrystalline quartz is a fine grain quartz where crystalline quartz is often a large crystal. The colour of quartz can vary. These specimens were collected in Victoria in the vicinity of the Burke Museum. Victoria and other regions of Australia were surveyed for sites of potential mineral wealth throughout the 19th Century. The identification of sites containing valuable commodities such as gold, iron ore and gemstones in a locality had the potential to shape the development and history of communities and industries in the area. The discovery of gold in Victoria, for instance, had a significant influence on the development of the area now known as 'the goldfields', including Beechworth; the city of Melbourne and Victoria as a whole.The specimens are significant as examples of surveying activity undertaken to assess and direct the development of the mineral resource industries in Victoria and Australia, as well as the movement to expand human knowledge of earth sciences such as mineralogy and geology in the nineteenth century.Geological specimens of Agate and Quartz respectively; the fist-sized piece of Agate has peach/coral colouring with grey concentric patterning and the smaller piece of quartz is a uniform yellow/orange shade. Existing label: Local pebbles / (agate and / quartz / (yellowish) / egg-shaped). / BB geological specimen, geology, geology collection, burke museum, beechworth, agate, quartz, north-east victoria, indigo shire, geological surveys

The teaspoon is a European invention. Small spoons were common in Europe since at least the 13th century; the special spoons were introduced almost simultaneously with tea and coffee. (Pettigrew points to its use in the mid-17th century.) Originally the teaspoons were exotic items, precious and small, resembling the demitasse spoons of later times. Also used for coffee, these spoons were usually made of gilt silver, and were available with a variety of handle shapes: plain, twisted, or decorated with knobs, also known as knops, hence the knop-top name for such spoons. Widespread use and the modern size dates back to the Georgian era. The teaspoon is first mentioned in an advertisement in a 1686 edition of the London Gazette. Teaspoons, probably of English origin, are present in the 1700 Dutch painting by Nicholas Verkolje, "A Tea Party". An 1825 cartoon makes fun of a Frenchman unfamiliar with the British etiquette. The guest did not place his spoon into the cup and is thus being offered his thirteenth cup of tea! A special dish for resting the teaspoons, a "spoon boat", was a part of the tea set in the 18th century. At that time, the spoons played an important role in tea drinking etiquette: a spoon laid "across" the teacup indicated that the guest did not need any more tea, otherwise, the hostess was obligated to offer a fresh cup of tea, and it was considered impolite to refuse the offering. Pettigrew reports that sometimes the spoons were numbered to make it easier to match the cups with the guests after a refill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaspoon#:~:text=Teaspoon%20is%20a%20European%20invention,the%20mid%2D17th%20century).A history of the teaspoon.Metal teaspoon, badly corrodedNoneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

This photograph was captured at an undisclosed location and at an unidentified time but likely dates to approximately 1870. The photographer's details are not recorded and the identities of the men in the image are also not known. This image depicts a group of 10 men in typical miners fashion. Four of them are sat on a large log with one holding a small dog. Six miners stand behind those sitting. All these men are wearing a white button-up shirt and tan coloured work trousers. They wear heavy boots and seven have included a dark vest over their shirt. The man holding the dog has a pipe in his mouth. Two of these men are clean shaven with the remainder sporting a moustache and two with a beard. The ages of these men vary from late 20s to middle age. This group of men are located in a mining location with what appears to be an open cut mine in the background of the image. The ground is muddy and has elements which can help identify it as a mining location based on the condition of the landscape. The bottom of the men's trousers are muddy which provides the assurance that these men were working in this location when their photograph was captured. In the background there is one structure, possibly a dwelling, and bush which identifies the location as Australia. Open cut sluicing is a method used to extract gold and other precious metals from beneath the surface of the earth. This technique involved the use of high-powered hoses which broke down the soil enabling miners to come along and search this soil for gold. After the gold rush of the early 1850s, diggers had to enlist the assistance of heavy machinery and techniques like hydraulic sluicing in order to reach gold because the surface alluvial gold had already been discovered and removed. This heavy machinery was not used until after 1853. The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. Images, like this one, of Australian gold rush history can reveal important information about the social and environmental impact of this period. This image depicts diggers standing in a mining location and therefore, this image has the capacity to reveal or support significant information for researchers studying the fashion and social status of diggers in Australia in approximately 1870. It can also provide information on the landscape of Australia in this period and the impact of mining for gold on both society and the Australian landscape. The Burke Museum is home to a substantial collection of Australian mining photographs which can be used to gain a deeper understanding into life on the gold fields, technology used in mining, the miners themselves and the impact of the gold digging on the environment.Sepia toned rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper mounted on board.Reverse: 1997.2518mining, goldfields, beechworth, 1870, australia, australian goldfields, diggers, victoria, sluicing, gold mining, miners, diggers victoria

This photograph depicts a large group of men in their work clothing situated in front of a large bank of earth. They are identified as miners working in an unidentified location in Australia. This photograph was taken by photographer Walter Thwaites sometime during the period of 1865-1908, likely c.1870. It is unsure where this image was taken since Thwaites travelled a lot over his photography career and the photograph is not annotated with this information. In addition, the identities of the men in the photograph are also unknown. These men are photographed in front of a large bank of earth where they had presumably been mining for gold or other precious metals. The men, with the exception of four, are wearing wide brimmed hats to protect their faces from the sun. They are also wearing loose fitting white shirts which are often worn beneath a darker coloured vest. They wear pale coloured work pants and boots. The men are mostly clean shaven with the exception of the moustache and a couple of beards. Two of the men have pipes in their mouth. Their clothing is basic and much less dramatic than the outfits worn by the gold diggers of the 1852 gold rush. These men, by wearing similar outfits, are expressing a sense of comradery or equality between them. It is likely that they are from the same, or similar, social status. They have an air of independence and share social equality in their stance and clothing. Walter William McLean Thwaites (1840-1908) was a professional photographer born in Sydney, Australia. He learnt the craft in his father's Hobart studio, but later embarked on his own solo career and toured every existing Australian colony between 1860 to 1888. The Thwaites family were a long line of photographers and artists with Thwaites' father Walter WIlliam Thwaites Sr working as an artist and photographer in Australia after moving from England in 1834. Walter Thwaites Sr's father, also named Walter Thwaites, was a British miniature portrait artist.Images, like this one, of Australian gold rush history can reveal important information about the social and environmental impact of this period. This image depicts over 30 diggers standing in front of a bank of earth and therefore, this image has the capacity to reveal or support significant information for researchers studying the fashion and social status of diggers in Australia in approximately 1870. It can also provide information on the landscape of Australia in this period and the impact of mining for gold on both society and the Australian landscape. The Burke Museum is home to a substantial collection of Australian mining photographs which can be used to gain a deeper understanding into life on the gold fields, technology used in mining, the miners themselves and the impact of the gold digging on the environment.Sepia toned rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper and mounted on board.Reverse: 1997.208 / MINERS. / W. Thwaites / Photography /australia, australian photography, photography, miners, gold rush, australian landscape, diggers, walter thwaites, thwaites photography, w. thwaites photography, social history

This dress belonged to Ethel Nina Blundell (1876-1949), having been first made for her mother Jane Blundell (nee Burkitt, 1845-1878). Born in Dublin, Jane married James John Blundell Jr at the Black Street Congregational Church in Brighton on 16 March 1874. The Blundells were a socially prominent Brighton family who played an important role in the development of the area. James' father, publisher and bookseller James John Blundell Sr, served as a Brighton Borough Councillor between 1862 and 1867 when the local government was still in its formative years, including holding the position of Mayor in 1864. He was involved in the foundation of the Brighton Volunteer Rifle Corps and was also a strong supporter of the Brighton Ladies Benevolent Society. The Blundell family were active members of the Brighton Congregational Church and supported the construction of the Black Street church, where James Jr served as a deacon for sixty years, in addition to his work in the Crown Land and Survey Department. The dress is believed to have been made for Jane in 1875 or 1876 during her early pregnancy, likely by a local dressmaker. Jane died in 1878 when Ethel was very young, and Ethel was then raised by her father and paternal grandmother. As she never married, Ethel remained living in the family home of 'Eumana', 164 Church Street, and as an adult she assumed the role of hostess whenever she or her father had guests. On these occasions, she reportedly wore her mother's dress. The family home was sold on James Jr’s death in 1924 and Ethel was living at 52 Black Street Brighton when she died in 1949. In the 1930s, Ethel gifted the dress to a close family friend, Dr Jean Kelly. She told Jean that the garment held precious memories, perhaps due to the connection it provided to the mother she had never known. Jean donated the dress to the Merimbula Old School Museum in NSW in 1987, where it was on display for many years. The Museum donated the dress to Brighton Historical Society in 2023.This is a good example of a late nineteenth century day dress, made from two different patterns of russet brown silk brocade and featuring a lobster tail style bustle. The lack of boning combined with waist and hip measurements indicates it may have been made as a maternity dress. It is lined with beige leaf pattern cotton fabric. The princess line fitted bodice of herringbone pattern brocade has a high round neck with small 'mandarin' style collar and buttons down the front to below the waist where it forms an overskirt which is bordered with a band of coffee bean patterned brocade. The overskirt drops down to hem length at the back but from the centre front it is draped up to the back to a point below the waist level. Here it is sewn to the edge of the lobster tail style bustle which is also bordered by the coffee bean fabric. There is a concealed pocket with the opening under the right edge of the bustle. The buttons on the front of the dress have a decorative circlet of small blue flowers around a russet silk covered dome. The long sleeves are set in and slightly full with a contrasting three pleat band of coffee bean fabric with an ornamental turn back from the pleats sewn just above the wrist. The skirt section of the dress is in four 20 cm bands of alternate fabric patterns with the top and third band of coffee bean pattern slightly gathered and the second and fourth bands of herringbone forming pleated ruffles.1870s, ethel nina blundell, jane blundell, jane burkitt, eumana

George Milford, a long term staff member of Thompsons Foundry Castlemaine, remembers discussing Alexander Sinclair with this son, Alex Sinclair Jnr. "When Alex Jnr was a boy, his father, a senior design engineer, was sent to Malaya to oversee the erection on site of a suction cutter dredge for Thompsons. This was an adaptation of the idea of a bucket-dredge, where gold is won from alluvial gravels. In the 1915-1920 era, the Thompsons Engineering Department designed a suction-cutter dredge, by which hydraulic suction with a revolving cutter at the end of a long proboscis would collect the alluvial soil and deliver it into the dredge for recovery of the precious metals. Export marketing was then ‘all the go’, and the tin dredges were ordered from Thompsons, using the new cutter design. The dredges were, of course, shipped to Malaya in pieces, ready to be assembled on site. A number of Thompsons employees were selected to travel to Malaya to assemble the dredges. There were fourteen men in the gang. These men sailed on 1st July 1925, their number including Delmenico, McKay and Charles Albert Hauser, an engine driver. C A Hauser died of malaria in Malaya shortly after arrival. Components for a further three of these dredges were in transit or on site when the first suction-cutter dredge was assembled and tested. The designers had failed to take into account the fact that, in the jungle floor in Malaya, many trees grow up, and fall down, in tropical conditions, and become submerged still waterlogged in the floor of the jungle, and in the tin-bearing gravels. The suction-cutter dredge was found to be inefficient in these circumstances, the price of tin had fallen and the Malayan client reneged on the contract. Faced with an outlay of over £4,000 on which no money would be received, the company went bankrupt on 25th August 1925. Alex Sinclair Snr was at that stage in Malaya, and received the news of the bankruptcy by telegram. Upon telegraphing his employers for funds to return home, he received the reply that there were no such funds available. Alex Sinclair Jnr told the story of how his father worked as a labourer in Malaya for two years, while his mother took in washing and ironing during the same period, until together they had assembled enough money to pay for his father’s return Anyone who talks about “the good old days” is talking nonsense!"Large blue printed paper plan outlining the conditions of contract for the making of a steel boiler. The Blueprint includes design drawings and written contract specifying materials, time frame and costs. Signed on front 'Alec Sinclair Consulting Engineer, 31 Queen Street, Melbourne'. Stamped on verso 'Printed by Paterson & Co, Colonial Mutual Chambers, Collins St, Melbourne'. blueprint, designs and plans, yarrawee suction dredge, conditions of contract, thompsons foundry castlemaine, george milford

Nicholas Caire was born on Guernsey in the Channel Islands in 1837. He arrived in Adelaide with his parents in about 1860. In 1867, following photographic journeys in Gippsland, he opened a studio in Adelaide. From 1870 to 1876 he lived and worked in Talbot in Central Victoria. In 1876 he purchased T. F. Chuck's studios in the Royal Arcade Melbourne. In 1885, following the introduction of dry plate photography, he began a series of landscape series, which were commercially successful. As a photographer, he travelled extensively through Victoria, photographing places few of his contemporaries had previously seen. He died in 1918. Reference: Jack Cato, 'Caire, Nicholas John (1837–1918)', Australian Dictionary of Biography.An original, rare photograph from the series 'Views of Victoria: General Series' by the photographer, Nicholas Caire (1837-1918). The series of 60 photographs that comprise the series was issued c. 1876 and reinforced a neo-Romantic view of the Australian landscape to which a growing nationalist movement would respond. Nicholas Caire was active as a photographer in Australia from 1858 until his death in 1918. His vision of the Australian bush and pioneer life had a counterpart in the works of Henry Lawson and other nationalist poets, authors and painters.albumen silver photograph on boardprinted in ink on support l.c.: VIEW ON THE RIVER MURRAY, NEAR ECHUCA, SHOWING THE RAILWAY WHARF WITH STEAMERS UNLOADING. / COPYRIGHT REGISTERED. printed in ink on support reverse c.: VIEWS OF VICTORIA. / (GENERAL SERIES.) / No. 7. / VIEW ON THE RIVER MURRAY, NEAR ECHUCA, SHOWING THE RAILWAY WHARF WITH STEAMERS UNLOADING. / The rapidly increasing traffic on the River Murray, with wool, timber, and other colonial produce, has called / into requisition no less than 400 steamers and over 1000 barges. To meet this growing emergency the Victorian / Government has expended several thousand pounds in the erection of a Railway Wharf which during the wool- / season presents a very busy scene, the crowded steamers laden with precious clip taxing to the utmost the / powers of the Railway Department in the process of unloading. The River here is about a quarter of a mile wide, / and is from 60 to 70 feet deep. printed in ink on support reverse l.c.l.: J.W. FORBES, Agent, printed in ink on support reverse l.c.: ANGLO-AUSTRALASIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY, MELBOURNE. printed in ink on support reverse l.c.r.: 10 Temple Court, Collins Street West.nicholas caire (1837-1918), landscape photography, river murray, echuca

The photo from 1907-8 is a sepia print, depicting a small valley with building at base. There are flumes visible above areas of water, trees on hills and a few small cottages on the hillside. Cock's Pioneer Gold & Tin Sluicing Co NZ No 2 Site. The photo was taken of Matthews Gully looking west. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount) The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangle photograph printed on gloss photographic paper Reverse: 1997. 2613/ A02613/ No2 site/ Matthews Gully/ Cocks Pioneer G&T. ?? Co NZ/ No2 Site looking West/ 1907-8/ (7)sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, 1907, 1908, mining, cock's pioneer gold & tin sluicing co nz, nz, site no 2, matthews gully, west, valley, building, cottages, hillside, trees, water, gold and tin mine

The original Shire of Eltham was founded in 1871. Prior to its founding, the district was managed by the Eltham District Road Board, which was established in 1856. The initial rate assessment commenced in 1857 for the year ending October 14, 1858. The honour of being recorded with the first assessment went to a farm of 110 cultivated acres at Lower Plenty, owned by John Porter and occupied by Albert Baines. It was assessed at 6d/acre providing for a rate income of £2 15s. In July 2017, officers at Nillumbik Shire Council discovered some early Eltham Road District Assessment books and donated them to the Eltham District Historical Society. The seven volumes were the district’s first six years of rate assessments. This was a unique and significant record of early settlers in the pre-Shire of Eltham. They immediately became one of the oldest and most valuable items in our collection. An article on page 5 in the Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser, Friday, 21 November, 1941 titled: ‘District’s Early History‘ states: “The first rate book which is still in existence at the Shire Office is for the year ending October 14, 1858 and is probably the best record possible to indicate the development of the district. At the time properties were rated as follows: Cultivated land. 6d. per acre; pasture land, 1d. per acre: estimated annual value of buildings, etc., 6d in the (pound). The total amount of rate recorded for the year was £153/14/8. Properties were described as being situated at Lower Plenty, Yarra Yarra, Eltham, Lower Eltham, Kangaroo Ground, Yarra Flats, Diamond Creek and the Yarra.” Given the precious nature of this collection, priority was given to digitise the rate books and place them in suitable archival storage to minimise further handling. Subsequent discussion amongst our Collections team arrived at the conclusion that the most appropriate home for this valuable record was the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), the archive of the State Government of Victoria and who are charged with archiving and caring for all Government related records. An approach was made to PROV who confirmed these records would complete their collection of rate assessment books for Eltham. At a small ceremony held Friday, April 20 at the Local History Centre, Eltham, members of the Society and our Collections team, along with Ms. Vicki Ward, MP for Eltham, presented the seven volumes for 1858-1863 along with the complete set of digital files to Mr. David Taylor, Community Archives Manager and Mr. Charlie Farrugia, Senior Collection Advisor, Public Record Office Victoria.Born Digitalassessment ledger, donation, eltham courthouse, eltham road district, local history centre, public records office victoria (prov), rate books, eltham district road board

The peck has been in use since the early 14th century when it was introduced as a measure for flour. The term referred to varying quantities until the modern units of measurement were defined in the 19th century. Cities in England used to have official standard weights and measures for that city or area. These containers were marked with the city's name and emblem, merchant’s weights and measures would then be checked against this to make sure they weren't trying to cheat their customers. The item in the collection is a standard measure approved by Bristol City and used by that City’s grocers to measure dry goods such as peas, beans, sugar, flour, meal etc., and its metal banding ensures that the measure cannot be reduced in size to cheat customers. Additional Information: The British Imperial System evolved from the thousands of Roman, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and customary local units employed in the middle Ages. Traditional names such as pound, foot, and gallon were widely used, but the values so designated varied with time, place, trade, product specifications, and dozens of other requirements. Early royal standards were established to enforce uniformity took the name Winchester, after the ancient tenth century capital of Britain. King Henry VII reaffirmed the customary Winchester standards for capacity and length and distributed royal standards throughout the realm. This process was repeated about a century later in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In the 16th century, the rod (5.5 yards, or 16.5 feet) was defined (once again as a learning device and not as a standard) defined by the length of the left feet of 16 men lined up heel to toe as they emerged from the church. By the 17th century usage and legal statute had established the acre, rod, and furlong at their present values together with other historic units such as the peck. Establishment of the System: The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 and the Act of 1878 established the British Imperial System based on precise definitions of selected existing units. The 1824 act sanctioned a single imperial gallon to replace the wine, ale, and corn (wheat) gallons that were in general use. The new gallon was defined as equal in volume to 10 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water weighed at 62°F with the barometer at 30 inches, or 277.274 cubic inches (later corrected to 277.421 cubic inches). The two new basic standard units were the imperial standard yard and the troy pound, which was later restricted to weighing drugs, precious metals, and jewels. In 1963 an act of parliament abolished archaic measures as the rod and chaldron and a metric system was adopted. An early example of a dry measuring container giving a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures developed in England to evolve the British measurement system into the metric arrangement that most countries have adopted today including Australia. It has social significance as an item that was in everyday use by grocers and other merchants to measure dry goods in the late 18th to early 19th centuries and used specifically in the Bristol region of England as an officially recognised measurement.Wooden measurement container with iron banding and hand made rivets container is a Quarter Peck official measurement container. Inscriptions are impressed into the sides of the wooden body. The container has the official crown and emblem of the City of Bristol, indicating this item was the Bristol City standard quarter peck measurement.Impressed into the timber on the front, a crown emblem over "C B G / CITY OF BRISTOL / QUARTER", on one side "HALF" , another side "PECK". Handwritten in white chalk on the base is "1458"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, weights and measures, quarter peck, measurement container, dry grocery measure, bristol city measurement standard, city of bristol, british weights and measures, 18th and 19th centure standard measures

The clock parts were discovered in 1980 by Julie Wilkins, a Victorian scuba diver who had already experienced more than 500 dives in Australia and overseas. She was holidaying in Peterborough, Victoria, and looking forward to discovering more about the famous Loch Ard ship, wrecked in June 1878 at Mutton Bird Island. The fast Glasgow-built clipper ship was only five years old when the tragedy occurred. There were 54 people on board the vessel and only two survived Julie's holiday photograph of Boat Bay reminds her of her most memorable dive. Submerged in the calm, flat sea, she was carefully scanning around the remains of the old wreck when, to her amazement, a gold coin and a small gold cross suddenly came up towards her. She excitedly cupped them in her hands and then stowed the treasures safely in her wetsuit and continued her dive. She soon discovered a group of brass carriage clock parts and some bottles of champagne. It was a day full of surprises. The items were easily recognisable, without any build-up of encrustations or concretion. Julie secretly enjoyed her treasures for twenty-four years then packed them up for the early morning train trip to Warrnambool. After a short walk to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, her photograph was taken as she handed over her precious find. She told her story to a local newspaper reporter, lunched a café in town then took the late afternoon train home. Her generous donation is now part of a vast collection of Loch Ard shipwreck artefacts, including the gold watch and the Minton Majolica model peacock. This group of brass clockwork parts is incomplete. The pieces were in the ocean for over 100 years before Julie recovered them from the Loch Ard wreck. Their size would suit the works of a carriage clock, with a mainspring and weight to power the clock movement, a pendulum to measure the clock's speed, arbours, posts, pillars and at least one other plate. They would have been mounted inside a protective case with a small door to easily access the clock face for setting the time and accessing the key's winding hole. The clock cases were usually made from decorative gilt brass with a glass front and a carrying handle. The parts include a weighted second hand with a decorative four-pronged finish at one end, a rounded weight at the other, and a hole for attaching it to the clock face. The gear teeth profiles are ‘cycloidal’, an arch shape with vertical sides, which is common for antique clocks. Modern clockworks have ‘involute’ teeth with sloping sides and a squared-off top. The brass carriage clock parts are an example of a mechanical clock produced in the 1870s. The clock's design is a part of the chain of technological improvements in methods for timekeeping. Its cycloidal gear teeth were the forerunner of the more modern involute gears. The group of clock parts includes a weighted hand or arm for signifying the seconds. This feature was uncommon in portable Victorian-era clocks. The clock parts are also significant for their association with the ill-fated sailing ship Loch Ard, wrecked in 1878. The travelling clock or officer’s clock may have been part of the cargo destined for the 1880 Melbourne Exhibition, or the personal possession of one of the people on board the vessel. Brass clockwork parts from a mechanical clock, sixteen pieces. Parts comprise a plate, large gears or wheels, small pinions or wheels with fine teeth, wheels with cogs, and a weighted second hand. The parts were from a carriage clock ca. 1878. They were recovered from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, loch ard, wreck of the loch ard, 1878, mutton bird island, peterborough, scuba diver, 1980s, shipwreck artefact, relic, clock, mechanical, clock parts, time, timekeeper, horology, chronometry, cogs, time keeping device, scientific instrument, chronometer, john harrison, longitude, carriage clock, coach clock, portable clock, travelling clock, travel clock, traveller’s clock, officer’s clock, weighted second hand, victorian era, cycloidal gear teeth, brass clock, julie wilkins

This photograph was taken in approximately 1870 and depicts four male miners standing in mining sluice at the Three Mile Goldfields. These men are wearing typical attire for 1870s gold miners. They wear white shirts, tan coloured pants with water proof shoes and most of the men are wearing an apron to prevent their clothing from becoming too dirty from the mud. Each man is wearing a wide brim hat and hold large wooden tools used for sorting through the sluice. Three of the four men have full beards. The photograph was donated to the Burke Museum by R. Ziegenbein before 2001 but the photographer and the individuals captured in the photo are unknown. The image depicts the landscape of the Three Mile Goldfields during a period when open cut sluicing was undertaken to reach gold. Open cut sluicing is a method used to extract gold and other precious metals from beneath the surface of the earth. This technique involved the use of high-powered hoses which broke down the soil enabling miners to come along and search this soil for gold. After the gold rush of the early 1850s, diggers had to enlist the assistance of heavy machinery and techniques like hydraulic sluicing in order to reach gold because the surface alluvial gold had already been discovered and removed. This heavy machinery was not used until after 1853. The Three Mile Goldfields was a site of rich alluvial gold deposits located about 5 km south of Beechworth in Victoria. Today, the location of this gold deposit is called Baarmutha. It was a popular area for gold mining in the 1850s but became largely abandoned by the following decade. In 1865, a man named John Pund recognized that the area could be potentially rich if a better water supply could be obtained. He secured a 15 year license with three other miners. Within the next five years, these men had constructed 19 km of water race going from Upper Nine Mile Creek to Three Mile Creek. By 1881, these four men had delivered 950,000 gallons to the Three Mile Sluicing area which is depicted in this photograph. Pund was later go into partnership with John Alston Wallace who would become owner of the Star Hotel in Beechworth. The Three Mile sluicing location continued to be operational until 1950. Sluice box workers were a vital part of gold mining regardless of how inefficient they were in the recovery of gold. After using hydraulic sluicing to cut away the earth, miners would use the big wooden boxes depicted in the image to catch the earth which would then be sifted for gold. However, accidents would occur often which would result in the gold washing away and unable to be recovered. It was not a very efficient system because the gold, which was alluvial and thus very fine, would often pass through the sluice box undetected.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. Images, like this one, of Australian gold rush history can reveal important information about the social and environmental impact of this period. This image depicts diggers standing in a mining location and therefore, this image has the capacity to reveal or support significant information for researchers studying the fashion and social status of diggers in Australia in approximately 1870. It can also provide information on the landscape of Australia in this period and the impact of mining for gold on both society and the Australian landscape. The Burke Museum is home to a substantial collection of Australian mining photographs which can be used to gain a deeper understanding into life on the gold fields, technology used in mining, the miners themselves and the impact of the gold digging on the environment.Sepia toned rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper and mounted on board.[illegible] about 1870 / 97 2514.1 / 2594 30three mile goldfields, goldfields, 1870, 1870 gold, australia, australian landscape, miners, gold miners, diggers, gold diggers, beechworth, victoria, sluice box workers, sluicing, sluice, mining

This photograph depicts Cock's Pioneer G & T Sluicing site No. 4 in El Dorado. Looking eastwards, the photo captures a wooden and tin building with various mining equipment strewn in the foreground. Underneath the verandah, figures can be seen. These are believed to be a Mr. Hollister (left), Mrs. Breustedt (4th from left), children Min and Chris Breustedt, and Kate Timmons holding a girl's hand. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open-cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914, four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large-scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. The Cocks Pioneer was an extremely successful mining company during the 20th century. In the Annual Report of the Secretary for Mines for the year 1915, the Cocks Pioneer was the largest producer of gold and tin collecting 5,535 ozs. of gold and £7,500 of tin. Twenty years later in 1935, Cocks Pioneer was still one of the most profitable mines in Victoria, ranking as the second-highest dividend paying mine. The company produced a total of 3,650 kg of gold. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional northeast. John Cock was the son of a Cornish miner who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open-cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado in 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.A black and white copy of a sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper mounted on boardObverse: COCKS PIONEER G + T SL CO, N.L. / 1910 - 11 / NO 4 SITE LOOKING EAST / 4 Reverse: 1997.2508 / AUG 29 1909cocks pioneer gold and tin sluicing company, el dorado, mining, sluicing, hydraulic mining, hollister, breustedt, timmons, gold, tin, gold rush, victoria

This photograph dating to 1910 depicts an open cut sluicing site located in El Dorado captured looking east up the open cut from the number 3 Barge site. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount). It portrays open cut rocks with a crevice in the center of the image where the sluicing was being undertaken. There is a small timber structure on the right of the image which could be an entrance to a mine or supports made of wood to prevent a cave in at the open cut site and above the cut rock there is bush. The timber structure has rail tracks on top of the bridge which could suggest the identification of this structure as a mine entrance. The rail tracks were used for little carts which hauled soil from the mine. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on board.Obverse: COCKS PIONEER Q + T SL CO, N.L. / 1910 / LOOKING EAST UP OPEN CUT / FROM NO3 BARGE SITE / Reverse: 1997 . 2611 / A02611el dorado, north east gold, sluicing, gold sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, 1910, gold and tin mine, open cut mining, mining, gold mining, north-east victoria, beechworth, burke museum

The gold cross was discovered by Victorian scuba diver Julie Wilkins, who had already experienced more than 500 dives in Australia and overseas. She was holidaying in Peterborough, Victoria, and looking forward to discovering more about the famous Loch Ard ship, wrecked in June 1878 at Mutton Bird Island. The fast Glasgow-built clipper ship was only five years old when the tragedy occurred. There were 54 people on board the vessel and only two survived Julie's holiday photograph of Boat Bay reminds her of her most memorable dive. Submerged in the calm, flat sea, she was carefully scanning around the remains of the old wreck when, to her amazement, a gold coin and a small gold cross suddenly came up towards her. She excitedly cupped them in her hands, then stowed the treasures safely in her wetsuit and continued her dive. She soon discovered a group of brass carriage clock parts and some bottles of champagne. It was a day full of surprises. The items were easily recognisable, without any build-up of encrustations or concretion. Julie secretly enjoyed her treasures for twenty-four years then packed them up for the early morning train trip to Warrnambool. After a short walk to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, her photograph was taken as she handed over her precious find. She told her story to a local newspaper reporter, lunched a café in town then took the late afternoon train home. Her generous donation is now part of a vast collection of Loch Ard shipwreck artefacts, including the gold watch and the Minton Majolica model peacock. The small decorative cross dates back to on or before 1878, when the Loch Ard had set sail. The loop and ring have been added, perhaps as a pendant, pocket watch accessory or similar purpose. It may have been worn for ‘good luck’ or a ‘blessing’ on the long journey to Australia, where ships had to carefully navigate the treacherous Bass’s Strait before arriving at their destination of Melbourne. Sadly, many met their fate on that short stretch of ocean aptly named the Shipwreck Coast. The cross is very recognisable even though it was exposed to the wrecking of the ship, its consequent movement, and the sea's turbulence. Its scratched, pitted and worn condition, and the damage near the loop, is part of its story. The red-brown-black discolouration is similar to that found on other gold coins, sometimes called the ‘corrosion phenomena’. Studies suggest the possible cause is contaminants in the minting process reacting to the coins’ environment. Three edges of the cross have slightly raised narrow ridges of gold which could have been cause by the gold being cast liquid gold into a mould.This gold cross pendant is significant as a symbol of Christianity, a sign of hope and safety, and a sample of the religious following on board the Loch Ard, although not everyone wears a cross for this reason. This cross is a sample of jewellery owned by people migrating to Australia in the late 19th century. The cross and the guinea recovered together from the wreck of the Loch Ard are made of gold and help interpret the financial status of some of those on board.Gold cross; yellow gold with decorative hand engraved foliage design on the front, fitted loop and ring on top. The simple Latin or Roman variation of the cross, with an elongated vertical arm, has no figure on it and the reverse has no decoration. The right, left and base edges have sections of narrow, long slightly raised ridges. The top edge has remnants of red-black colour. Victorian era cross, ca. 1878. The cross was recovered from the wreck of the ship Loch Ard.Engraved foliage design. Slightly raised long ridges on sides and base edges. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, gold cross, religious cross, religious trinket, religious jewellery, engraved cross, cross pendant, cross with ring, victorian era, 1878, antique cross, crucifix, religious symbol, christian symbol, christian jewellery, contamination phenomena, gold corrosion, good luck, lucky charm, blessing, pendant, loch ard, wreck of the loch ard, mutton bird island, peterborough, scuba diver, 1980s, shipwreck artefact, relic, latin cross, roman cross, pectoral cross, julie wilkins

HOSKING AND HUNKIN COLLECTION: Small Bible inside envelope. On Binder: New Testament Inside front cover: This Book Belongs to Ellen Nancarrow November 8th 1857 Redruth Coomb Inside second page: This is a present given to Emily Hoskong by her Aunt Helen a a token of Love November 1860. Bible Details: The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ translated out of the original Greek and with the former translations diligently compared and revised, by his Majestiy's special Command appointed to be read in Churches. Oxford prineted at the Univerity Press for the British and Froreign Bible Society, instituted in London in the year 1804; and sold to Subscribers at the Society house Earl Street, Blackfriers, London. Diamond's 48's 1856. Cum Privilegio Note inside BibleBible given to Emily Hosking (m. Emmanuel Hunkin) from her aunt Ellen (Nancarrow) Redruth Coomb. 8 Nov 1860 prior to sailing to Victoria. Nancarrow = Valley of the Stags. On front of envelope: Her New Testament a precious possesion. Bible given to Emily Hosking (b. 12-2-1854 d. 22-5-1905) by her mother's sister Ellen Nancarrow (b 17 Mar 1827 husband Wm Hosking m. 1853 Rev. John Cornwall Wm. D. 10 July 1914) in 1860 8th Nov before leaving for Australia. Liven and mined at Eaglehawk, Vic. Then Rushworth area (farming) Emblen Hosking nee Nanacarrow RedruthCoomb Cornwall b. 6/3/1831 d. 20/5/1895 Gobarup. Rear of envelope: Yellow and black stickers (Women with flowers and Man with Scythe, and St. Piran's) written on 'Cornish Patron Saint's day - 5th March. Address Label: Ms Betty Night, 29 Gilbertson Street Essendon Vic 3040 Separate page of Notes: A note in the front of Hymn Book Emily Hosking born 12/2/1854 married 1873 her book. A reward - The Bible Christian Sabbath School, Sailors Gully June 29th 1868. Hyms - Bible Christian 2nd edition 1890. Bible Christian Book Room 26 Paxxxx Road E.C. Mrs E. Hunkin Eaglehawk B.C. Church January 21st (18) 94 Husband Emmanuel Huskin born 21/1/1852 - collection of hymns Wesley hymns Emmanuel Hunkin. 2. A collection of hymns Emmanuel Hunkin, Eaglehawk Bendigo.book

A poignant poem by CJ Dennis about Anzac soldiers from World War 1. The date was located from Trove. The Army of the West BY C. J. DENNIS HERE was tramping, a tramping, a tramp of many feet. The young men, the strong men were marching in the street, Marching for a new land, at the Old World's call, With the sun upon their faces — straight lads and tall, The chosen of a leal land that yielded of her best. "Pack your kit," the soldier said, "for the ships sail West," Then Anzac, oh, Anzac! A new name on the tongue — A proud name and a precious name to mark the valiant young — The valiant young who went so gay across a troubled sea, The glorious young who slept so deep upon Gallipoli. There was tramping, a tramping, a tramp of weary feet. The spent men, the worn men, were marching in the street- Marching to the wild cheers, home at last from war, With a wisdom on their faces that we had not known before: Wisdom of the veteran, earned at our behest, "Now sound the call," the soldier said, "for the boys gone West." But Anzac, oh, Anzac! Dearly they bought the name Who lit upon Gallipoli that everlasting flame — The flame to light the path for men who live beyond their day; While in the West the glory grows, as soldiers drift away. There is tramping, a tramping, a tramp of steady feet. The grey men, the grave men are marching in the street; And maimed men and blind men and shattered men are here. But many a man he marches not who marched last year. Gathered to his comrades, to the Army of the Blest. "Close up the ranks," the soldier said, "for the boys march West." But Anzac, oh, Anzac! Surely no day shall come When that fame shall not be quickened in the roll of every drum; In the call of every bugle let the name be vibrant yet, In a great land of strong men — who never shall forget. There yet will be a tramping, a tramp of dwindling feet, As the last old, old men come marching down the street; Marching now with memories, phantoms at their side, To the cheering of their strong sons inheriting their pride; Inheriting a shining gift won in a bloody quest, "Harkl" the aged soldier says. "The bugles call us West." Then Anzac! Anzac! Oh, what a mighty cry- When that great hymn of greeting goes shouting down the sky, As the last recruit comes marching to the singing of the rest, And the last man answers roll-call in the Army of the West. It was in a folder of documents about the history of Legacy. Appears to have been mostly compiled by Legatee Cyril Smith as he has many hand written notes on miscellaneous pieces of paper (some are envelopes addressed to him). Some notes were typed up into a summary of the History of Legacy. Also documents relating to the first time Legacy approached the public for donations in September 1956, including newspaper articles that were reprinted, a schedule of information that was approved to be released to the press, and a list of potential donors that was circulated to Legatees in the hope they could contact the ones they knew personally or professionally. The documents from this folder have been added in seperate records (see 01262 to 01282). The folder was part of an attempt to capture history of Legacy, generally from the 1950s.The documents provide an insight into the working of Legacy, especially in the 1950s. Legatee Cyril Smith and others were detailing their experiences and knowledge for the future. This poem might have been included for its portrayal of Anzacs.A poem by CJ Dennis printed in a newspaper.history, world war one, poems, poetry

A history of Eltham Post Office. Australia Post: Gold brought life to the township - Diamond Valley News, Tuesday July 2, 1985, p17 On February 1, 1854, the first Eltham Post Office was established, commencing an association between the township and the Postmaster-General's Department that has continued for 131 years. At that time, the number of permanent residents would have been fairly small, probably less than 200. The discovery of gold in June 1851, at Anderson’s Creek, some five miles away, and later at Caledonia Diggings, Queenstown (now known as St Andrews), about 14 miles to the north-east, brought large numbers of prospectors passing through the township, hopefully culling the creeks and gullies for the precious metal. This additional "floating population" brought a greater demand for supplies and for communication with the outside world, and so it helped in the development of Eltham. Today, Eltham is a thriving township. It boasts an excellent shopping centre, municipal offices, court house. post office and many other amenities. Eltham continued to develop at a leisurely pace. During 1860, a total of just over 8000 postal articles were handled at the Eltham Post Office. By 1862, the mail route was "to and from Melbourne by way of Eltham and Kangaroo Ground, three times a week, by coach". There was also a branch mail that operated between Eltham and Greensborough, three times weekly. This was also conveyed by coach. Some time between 1864 and 1868 the management of the post office passed from Thomas Hunniford to his daughter, Miss Anne Hunniford, who managed the Eltham Post Office until her death in 1928. A big improvement in communication was provided for Eltham residents when a telegraph office was established at the post office in 1877. During 1923 a manual telephone exchange was provided at Eltham, the first two subscribers being J.J. O’Connor and Eltham Police Station. In 1949 the manual exchange was replaced by an automatic exchange and there were some 150 subscribers. Following the death of postmistress Miss Anne Hunniford in 1928, B.M. Burgoyne was placed temporarily in charge of the office. In 1929, J. N. Burgoyne was appointed postmaster, and he in turn was succeeded by H. C. Burgoyne in 1951. The post office was moved to a new site in 1954, but continued under the charge of Mr Burgoyne. In January 1958 there was a further change of site when the post office was raised to official status and transferred to new premises in Main Rd. William Donoghue was acting postmaster when the new office was opened. In March 1958 Mr W.E. Tovey was appointed postmaster, followed by Douglas McG. Gilmour in 1959. William Donoghue was fully appointed in 1966 and Barry Reichelt followed in 1973, prior to the present postmaster, Peter Jolly in November 1982. Peter is a young man with 18 years' experience. He commenced his training as a postal clerk at the training school in Melbourne in 1968 and was promoted to postal clerk at the Brunswick Post Office in 1969. He was finally transferred as postmaster to Fawkner Post Office in 1980. He has been at Eltham Post Office for the past 2½ years. He is married with one child and lives in Montmorency. The Eltham Post Office employs a staff of 21, of whom seven are indoor staff, 12 are postmen and two are drivers. The postmen in Eltham have an uphill battle delivering mail because of the hilly terrain. Nine of the postmen deliver mail on motorbikes, and the two delivery vans are both four wheel drives. Eltham Post Office services basically a residential area, with deliveries to 5600 homes. This is growing at the rate of 600 homes every 18 months, i.e. about 32 homes per month. At the present rate we will need a new postman every 18 months.Digital file only - Digitised by EDHS from a scrapbook on loan from Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes), daughter of Frank Stokes.anderson's creek, anne hunniford, b.m. burgoyne, barry reichelt, beryl bradbury (nee stokes) collection, eltham police station, eltham post office, eltham post office history, gold, h.c. burgoyne, j.j. o'connor, j.n. burgoyne, peter jolly, postmaster, telephone exchange, thomas hunniford, w.e. tovey, william donoghue

River of Life and Hiroshima Day Banners The River of Life and Hiroshima Day banners were specific peace projects initiated by the CAO and taken up by Eltham Living & Learning Centre and funded by the Victorian Peace Secretariat for IYP. The project was transferred from the Centre to Tracey as part of her artist in the community portfolio. Tracey, as CAO, employed Jacky Talbot, who was not familiar with Eltham but was an experienced community arts worker personally interested in textiles and peace. The project was publicised and a peace banner group formed. Only two of the women knew each other. They had come together from a need to do something for peace, rather than to learn about textiles. Jacky Talbot shared Elizabeth Savage's approach to the banner. She was not 'a peace-expert' and did not want to be seen as such by the group. Like Elizabeth Savage she wanted to encourage an expression of peace as it was perceived by the group. Jacky showed slides of peace images and peace banners. Textile workshops were interspersed with discussions about peace, one of which was led by a local People for Nuclear Disarmament member. The idea for the banner occurred during one of these discussions. One of the women began to talk about feeling like a drop of water lost in the river of life - yet rivers were made of countless droplets which, when joined together, became the powerful force of the river. This group quickly established a commitment, not only to peace, but to the group itself, and this has continued beyond the project. The women, as is the case with many of the groups in the Banner Project, were really surprised at their increasing textile skills and self-confidence. But they were more concerned with their commitment to peace. Each is continuing to find ways in which she can continue to work for peace, and activities are undertaken on a group basis as well. The decision to participate in the group based activities is up to each woman as the time arises. The banner and some members of the group have now participated in the Peace Boogie at the World Trade Centre, the Peace Arts Conference organised by Art Action for Peace, Melbourne City Council's Peace Vigil weekend, Women's Precious Things for Peace Day exhibition and the banner was ' hung at the Footscray Community Arts Centre when the other textile peace mural Jacky co-ordinated was opened. One woman wrote a poem about the project and peace; others have sent telegrams and letters to politicians about peace. A great deal of information about peace and other activities, articles, books, media programs were circulated amongst the group. The Hiroshima Day Banner was made by Jacky Talbot as part of the project. The women wanted to do something for Hiroshima Day and suggested that a workshop be set aside to make a banner. The artist was concerned about the remaining time scheduled for the project and spent several days "whipping" up the banner herself. For the artist this banner was to prove quite significant. The women hung it at the Community Notice Board on Hiroshima Day and were photographed by the local newspaper publicising the group and drawing wider community attention to the remembrance of the day. Although no new members joined the group from this activity, the artist felt that she was more fully accepted by the group afterwards. This banner has initiated a small group of women committed to peace. The artist has also continued to liaise and meet with the women as time permits. Future group plans include: making kimonos to wear when carrying the banner, participating in the Palm Sunday March, an observance of Hiroshima Day activity, which is yet to be decided, establishing contact with a sister-town in USA and USSR and supporting Eltham Council's stance as a Nuclear Free Zone. (Source: The banner habits of the Eltham tribes : Eltham Shire "as we are" Community Banner Project report /​ by Jacky Talbot, Shire of Eltham, Feb. 1987, pp43-46)35mm colour positive transparency (1 of 2) Mount - Kodak KodachromeProcess Date OCT 86Mbanner project, community banner project, tracey naughton, eltham living and learning centre, eltham peace banner, jacky talbot, river of life banner

River of Life and Hiroshima Day Banners The River of Life and Hiroshima Day banners were specific peace projects initiated by the CAO and taken up by Eltham Living & Learning Centre and funded by the Victorian Peace Secretariat for IYP. The project was transferred from the Centre to Tracey as part of her artist in the community portfolio. Tracey, as CAO, employed Jacky Talbot, who was not familiar with Eltham but was an experienced community arts worker personally interested in textiles and peace. The project was publicised and a peace banner group formed. Only two of the women knew each other. They had come together from a need to do something for peace, rather than to learn about textiles. Jacky Talbot shared Elizabeth Savage's approach to the banner. She was not 'a peace-expert' and did not want to be seen as such by the group. Like Elizabeth Savage she wanted to encourage an expression of peace as it was perceived by the group. Jacky showed slides of peace images and peace banners. Textile workshops were interspersed with discussions about peace, one of which was led by a local People for Nuclear Disarmament member. The idea for the banner occurred during one of these discussions. One of the women began to talk about feeling like a drop of water lost in the river of life - yet rivers were made of countless droplets which, when joined together, became the powerful force of the river. This group quickly established a commitment, not only to peace, but to the group itself, and this has continued beyond the project. The women, as is the case with many of the groups in the Banner Project, were really surprised at their increasing textile skills and self-confidence. But they were more concerned with their commitment to peace. Each is continuing to find ways in which she can continue to work for peace, and activities are undertaken on a group basis as well. The decision to participate in the group based activities is up to each woman as the time arises. The banner and some members of the group have now participated in the Peace Boogie at the World Trade Centre, the Peace Arts Conference organised by Art Action for Peace, Melbourne City Council's Peace Vigil weekend, Women's Precious Things for Peace Day exhibition and the banner was ' hung at the Footscray Community Arts Centre when the other textile peace mural Jacky co-ordinated was opened. One woman wrote a poem about the project and peace; others have sent telegrams and letters to politicians about peace. A great deal of information about peace and other activities, articles, books, media programs were circulated amongst the group. The Hiroshima Day Banner was made by Jacky Talbot as part of the project. The women wanted to do something for Hiroshima Day and suggested that a workshop be set aside to make a banner. The artist was concerned about the remaining time scheduled for the project and spent several days "whipping" up the banner herself. For the artist this banner was to prove quite significant. The women hung it at the Community Notice Board on Hiroshima Day and were photographed by the local newspaper publicising the group and drawing wider community attention to the remembrance of the day. Although no new members joined the group from this activity, the artist felt that she was more fully accepted by the group afterwards. This banner has initiated a small group of women committed to peace. The artist has also continued to liaise and meet with the women as time permits. Future group plans include: making kimonos to wear when carrying the banner, participating in the Palm Sunday March, an observance of Hiroshima Day activity, which is yet to be decided, establishing contact with a sister-town in USA and USSR and supporting Eltham Council's stance as a Nuclear Free Zone. (Source: The banner habits of the Eltham tribes : Eltham Shire "as we are" Community Banner Project report /​ by Jacky Talbot, Shire of Eltham, Feb. 1987, pp43-46)35mm colour positive transparency Mount - Black and Whitebanner project, community banner project, tracey naughton, eltham living and learning centre, eltham peace banner, jacky talbot, river of life banner

The Ballarat School of Mines is a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia. Bound copies of the Ballarat School or Mines Students' Magazine. 1924 * Dr J.R. Pound * Noel Hay Obituary * The History of Chemistry * Literary Society * Herald B. Herbert * Chemistry in Modern Life by Val G. Anderson * Chemistry in Literature by J.R. Pound * School Literary Society * Ladies in Pharmacy * Musings on Modern Literature - Mainly Drama (W.G. C.) * Trip to Newcastle * Appreciation of the Masterpieces of Art * The Antique Room * Dressmaking * Pottery * Sloyd * The Mystery of the Atom *Inorganic Evolution by R.S. Russell * Photography * First Aid Club 1926 * The Trip to Morwell * Chemical Excursions (Yallourn) * Eastern Life and Customs by Rex Warrillow * Organic Evolution by Edwin A. Brophy * Chemistry in the Kitchen * Obituary for Professor Alfred Mica Smith * The Historical Development of Patterns i Silk Fabrics * Pottery * Literary Society * Early Evidence of Metallurgy in Britain * Brief Description of the Magnet Silver Mine, Tasmania * The manufacture of Leather Photographs * SMB Athletics Team, winners of the Herald Shield (M. Timmings, L. Evans, F. Sheahan, R. Collins, A. Murfett, W. Hughes, L. Hillman * SMB Football Team * Ballarat Technical Art School Tennis Four * SMB Girls' Basketball Team * SMB GIrls Hockey Team * Ballarat Junior Technical School Scholarship and Studentship Winners * On Punctuation Advertisements: Sunshine Biscuits, Harris Powell and Sandford, W. Gribble & Co., Gilbert Motors, T.J. Haymes The Wallpaper King, C. Marks and Co., Wilson's Tailors and Mercers, George S. Grant, Miss A. Corin Art Worker, Tunbridges, Felton, Grimwade & Co., Hasten and Ewins, Ballarat Wireless Stores, Fred A. Reed, Suttons, E. Hall-Jones, Stansfield and Smith, Ballarat Gas Company, Richards and Co Studio, F.H. Drew, Adam Scott, R.A. Hudson, Huttons, J.A. Holland, A.E. White, F. Barrow Monumental Sculptor, R. Young, H.A. Evans, Alexandria Tea Rooms, W. Cornell Chemist, Black Cat Tea Rooms, J.A. Reynolds, A.M. Palmer, Morris Cars and Trucks, Mrs Stones, Millers The Clothiers, T.G. Skewes, Wattle TEa Rooms, H.B. Selby, Middleton and Morris, C.P.A. Taylor, Thornton Studios, Fred Irwin, Isaac Abraham, Ballarat Radio Listening-In, Baxter and Stubbs 1927 * Chemists Trip to Melbourne (Mount Lyell Chemical Works, Footscray, Yarraville * Literary Society * Mr J.N. Rowell 1928 * Prohibition in U.S.A. by Ed A. Brophy * Dr. J.W. Mellor and His Work at Stoke, England by Reginald C. Callister * The Science of Chemistry by C.A. Schache * Trip to Yallourn (Brown Coal Deposits, Steam Plant at Yallourn, Switchgear and Transformers, Briquette Factory * Walhalla Past and Present by G.E.B. * The Hand Loom * Precious Stones 1929 * The Old Brewery * The History of Chemistry by J.R. Pound * Occurrence of Mineral Oil in Gippsland * Experiences with Malayan Chinese by R. Warrillow * Organise Colors (Dyestuff Pigments) in Rubber Goods 1930 * News from Chine by Henry Kum Yuen * L'Art Moderne * The Story of Clay by T.H. Trengrove * A Glimpse of England * The Beginnings of Arithmeticballarat school of mines, pottery, ceramics, reginald callister, metallurgy, chemistry, j. pound, alfred mica smith, herald shield, harold herbert, lindsay hillman, john rowell, j.r. pound, noel hay, drawing from antique, yallourn excusion, walhalla, sunshine biscuits, harris powell and sandford, w. gribble & co., gilbert motors, t.j. haymes, the wallpaper king, c. marks and co., wilson's tailors and mercers, george s. grant, miss a. corin art worker, tunbridges, felton, grimwade & co., hasten and ewins, ballarat wireless stores, fred a. reed, suttons, e. hall-jones, stansfield and smith, ballarat gas company, richards and co studio, r.a. hudson, huttons, j.a. holland, a.e. white, f. barrow monumental sculptor, r. young, h.a. evans, alexandria tea rooms, w. cornell chemist, black cat tea rooms, j.a. reynolds, a.m. palmer, morris cars and trucks, mrs stones, millers the clothiers, t.g. skewes, wattle tea rooms, h.b. selby, middleton and morris, c.p.a. taylor, thornton studios, fred irwin, isaac abraham, ballarat radio listening-in, baxter and stubbs, mount lyell chemical works, footscray, c.a. schache, yallourn briquette factory, t.h. trengrove, history of chemistry, excursions, morwell, morwell excursion, women in pharmacy, mt lyall, excursion, slloyd, drawing from the antique, james pound, yallourn, yallourn excursion, ballarat arch of victory, mt macedon, f.h. drew, adam scott, university women

Hunniford's Eltham Post Office, Main Road near Bridge Street, Eltham, c.1895. Possibly Miss Anne (Annie) Hunniford, Post Mistress, on left. Annie was post mistress from the mid 1860s until her death in 1928. Photo taken by Clark Bros, 25 Thomas St, Windsor. Clark Bros operated from this address from c.1894 to 1914. Australia Post: Gold brought life to the township - Diamond Valley News, Tuesday July 2, 1985, p17 On February 1, 1854, the first Eltham Post Office was established, commencing an association between the township and the Postmaster-General's Department that has continued for 131 years. At that time, the number of permanent residents would have been fairly small, probably less than 200. The discovery of gold in June 1851, at Anderson’s Creek, some five miles away, and later at Caledonia Diggings, Queenstown (now known as St Andrews), about 14 miles to the north-east, brought large numbers of prospectors passing through the township, hopefully culling the creeks and gullies for the precious metal. This additional "floating population" brought a greater demand for supplies and for communication with the outside world, and so it helped in the development of Eltham. Today, Eltham is a thriving township. It boasts an excellent shopping centre, municipal offices, court house. post office and many other amenities. Eltham continued to develop at a leisurely pace. During 1860, a total of just over 8000 postal articles were handled at the Eltham Post Office. By 1862, the mail route was "to and from Melbourne by way of Eltham and Kangaroo Ground, three times a week, by coach". There was also a branch mail that operated between Eltham and Greensborough, three times weekly. This was also conveyed by coach. Some time between 1864 and 1868 the management of the post office passed from Thomas Hunniford to his daughter, Miss Anne Hunniford, who managed the Eltham Post Office until her death in 1928. A big improvement in communication was provided for Eltham residents when a telegraph office was established at the post office in 1877. During 1923 a manual telephone exchange was provided at Eltham, the first two subscribers being J.J. O’Connor and Eltham Police Station. In 1949 the manual exchange was replaced by an automatic exchange and there were some 150 subscribers. Following the death of postmistress Miss Anne Hunniford in 1928, B.M. Burgoyne was placed temporarily in charge of the office. In 1929, J. N. Burgoyne was appointed postmaster, and he in turn was succeeded by H. C. Burgoyne in 1951. The post office was moved to a new site in 1954, but continued under the charge of Mr Burgoyne. In January 1958 there was a further change of site when the post office was raised to official status and transferred to new premises in Main Rd. William Donoghue was acting postmaster when the new office was opened. In March 1958 Mr W.E. Tovey was appointed postmaster, followed by Douglas McG. Gilmour in 1959. William Donoghue was fully appointed in 1966 and Barry Reichelt followed in 1973, prior to the present postmaster, Peter Jolly in November 1982. Peter is a young man with 18 years' experience. He commenced his training as a postal clerk at the training school in Melbourne in 1968 and was promoted to postal clerk at the Brunswick Post Office in 1969. He was finally transferred as postmaster to Fawkner Post Office in 1980. He has been at Eltham Post Office for the past 2½ years. He is married with one child and lives in Montmorency. The Eltham Post Office employs a staff of 21, of whom seven are indoor staff, 12 are postmen and two are drivers. The postmen in Eltham have an uphill battle delivering mail because of the hilly terrain. Nine of the postmen deliver mail on motorbikes, and the two delivery vans are both four wheel drives. Eltham Post Office services basically a residential area, with deliveries to 5600 homes. This is growing at the rate of 600 homes every 18 months, i.e. about 32 homes per month. At the present rate we will need a new postman every 18 months.Sepia photograph mounted on cardpost office, eltham, main road, anne jane hunniford (1855-1928), clark bros. photo

The coin was discovered by Julie Wilkins, a Victorian scuba diver who had already experienced more than 500 dives in Australia and overseas. She was holidaying in Peterborough, Victoria, and looking forward to discovering more about the famous Loch Ard ship, wrecked in June 1878 at Mutton Bird Island. The fast Glasgow-built clipper ship was only five years old when the tragedy occurred. There were 54 people on board the vessel and only two survived Julie's holiday photograph of Boat Bay reminds her of her most memorable dive. Submerged in the calm, flat sea, she was carefully scanning around the remains of the old wreck when, to her amazement, a gold coin and a small gold cross suddenly came up towards her. She excitedly cupped them in her hands, then stowed the treasures safely in her wetsuit and continued her dive. She soon discovered a group of brass carriage clock parts and some bottles of champagne. It was a day full of surprises. The items were easily recognisable, without any build-up of encrustations or concretion. Julie secretly enjoyed her treasures for twenty-four years then packed them up for the early morning train trip to Warrnambool. After a short walk to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, her photograph was taken as she handed over her precious find. She told her story to a local newspaper reporter, lunched a café in town then took the late afternoon train home. Her generous donation is now part of a vast collection of Loch Ard shipwreck artefacts, including the gold watch and the Minton Majolica model peacock. The coin is a British 1793 George III Gold Spade Guinea. It was already 83 years old when the Loch Ard had set sail. The loop and ring have been added, perhaps as a pendant, pocket watch accessory or similar purpose. It may have been worn for ‘good luck’ on the long journey to Australia, where ships had to carefully navigate the treacherous Bass’s Strait before arriving at their destination of Melbourne. Sadly, many met their fate on that short stretch of ocean aptly named the Shipwreck Coast. The coin is very recognisable even though it was exposed to the wrecking of the ship, its consequent movement, and the sea's turbulence. Its bent, scratched, buckled, split, dinted and worn condition is part of its story. The red-brown-black discolouration is similar to that found on other gold coins, sometimes called the ‘corrosion phenomena’. Studies suggest the possible cause is contaminants in the minting process reacting to the coins’ environment. The GEORGE III GOLD SPADE GUINEA: - The British Guinea was introduced in 1663 and was circulated until 1814. It was made of 22 carat gold, was 25 to 26 cm in diameter and weighed 8.35 grams. It had a value of 21 British shillings. The guinea coin ceased circulation after 1816 and was replaced by the one-pound note. However, the term ‘guinea’ continued to represent 21 shillings. King George (1738-1820) had six gold guinea designs minted during his reign from 1760 and 1820. Each of the six had different obverse portraits, all facing the right. There were three different reverse sides. The Spade Guinea was the fifth issue of the coin, introduced in 1787 and produced until 1799. The reverse shows a royal crown over a flat-topped shield with the Royal Arms of Great Britain, used in Scotland between 1714 and 1800. The shield images are, from left to right, top to bottom, the Arms of England and Scotland, the Arms of France, the Arms of Ireland, and the Arms of the House of Hanover. The Gold Guinea is also part of Australia’s history. It was the first coin mentioned in the announcement of Governor King of New South Wales his Australian Proclamation of a limited variety and denomination of coins accepted for use in the Australian Colony. The historic and decorative George III Spade Guinea has been reproduced for special collections of coins. However, replicas and imitations have also been made as souvenirs for tourists, as gaming tokens and chips for gamblers, and as ‘fake’ coins for profit. These coins differ in many ways; they may be only half the weight of the genuine coin. Often have a small stamp on the obverse with “COPY” or the manufacturer’s name or initials. Some have scalloped edges, some have dates that are different to the original dates of issue, and some even have text in Latin that translates as something very different to the original coin.The King George III Guinea was only produced from 1663 to 1814 and was the first English coin to be mechanically minted. The coin is the fifth edition of the King George III Guinea, the Spade Guinea, was only produced between 1787 and 1799. It is the only edition with this portrait of King George and the only one with the Royal Coat of Arms of Great Britain in Scotland on the reverse side. This edition was also the last guinea in circulation, because the sixth edition was reserved as the Military guinea. This edition of the Guinea is unique; This coin is the only guinea in our collection. It was minted in 1793, so it is now over 230 years old. The Gold Guinea is part of Australia’s history; it was the first coin in the list of coins for use in the Australian Colonies, mentioned by Governor King of New South Wales in his Australian Proclamation speech of 1800. The George III Spade Guinea was included in the Limited Edition Sherwood 12 Coin Collection of Notable Coinage of Australia. This coin is the only known guinea coin recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard. It was already 85 years old when the ship was wrecked.Gold coin; British. 1793, King George III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820), Spade Guinea. Yellow gold coin with gold metal loop mount and a gold ring through the loop. The design is the fifth issue of the George III Gold Guinea. The obverse relief is a portrait of George III facing right. Reverse relief is a crown above the Coats of Arms (1801-1816) of flat top spade-shaped shield divided into four quadrants that depict crowned lions, fleur de lies, a harp. These images are identified as, from left to right, top to bottom, England and Scotland, France, Ireland and Hanover. Inscriptions are minted around the rims of each side. The coin is dated 1793. Its surface has dark areas on both sides and the reed edge and surfaces are well worn. The loop mount is bent and the ring is buckled. The coin was recovered from the wreck of the ship Loch Ard.Obverse text; 'GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA' (translates to George the Third, by the Grace of God) Obverse relief; (King George III bust, facing right, laurel wreath on head) Reverse text; 'M.B.E.ET.H.REX.F. D.B.ET.L.D. S.R.I.A.T.ET.E' '1793' (translates to: King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Arch-Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire) Reverse relief; a spade-shaped image i.e. (Crown with fleer de lies, above Shield with crowned lions in different postures, a harp, and other details)flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, royal mint, british coin, currency, guinea, military guinea, australian currency, british guinea, gold coin, spade guinea, king george iii, george iii, fifth portrait, arms of england and scotland, arms of france, arms of ireland, arms of the house of hanover, coins, gold coins, gold medallion, georgian era, 1793, numismatics, contamination phenomena, gold corrosion, good luck, lucky charm, pendant, lucky coin, trade, loch ard, wreck of the loch ard, 1878, mutton bird island, peterborough, scuba diver, 1980s, guinea coin, gold guinea, shipwreck artefact, relic, julie wilkins