This brass rail holder fixture would have been used to hold the end of a rail in place. There is no information as to where the fitting or rail would have been placed on the ship; sailing ships had many brass fittings. It was recovered from the wreck of the La Bella, which lies at the bottom of the Warrnambool Harbour. Some 15 ships are believed to have been wrecked in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the sea floor; the La Bella and the Edinburgh Castle. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. The story of the final voyage of the La Bella is summarised as follows … The ship from which the sailors were rescued was the three-masted, iron and steel barquentine the La Bella, built in Norway in 1893. She was one of two iron and steel ships by Johan Smith, the company being one of the leading shipping families in Tvedestrand, Norway. She was significant to Norwegian shipping, being one of only 27 iron and steel ships ever built in Norway. She was registered in New Zealand and engaged from 1902 in inter-colonial trading of timber in the pacific, between New Zealand and Australia and was often in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. On 5th October, 1905, the twelve year old La Bella left Lyttleton, New Zealand carrying a cargo of timber bound for Warrnambool, Australia . She was manned by a crew of twelve: the Master, (Captain Mylius, previously 1st Mate of La Bella, appointed Captain to La Bella on 6th February 1903) 2 Mates, Cook, six able seamen, one ordinary seaman and a boy. . Bad weather en route caused her to shelter at Burnie on Tasmania's North West coast. On November 10th, the 37th day of her journey, La Bella approached Warrnambool. Captain Mylius steered her towards Lady Bay Channel in heavy south-west seas and evening mist. He ordered the helmsman to steer for the light. As the ship came round, a tremendous sea struck her on the port quarter, causing her to breach broadside in a north-westerly direction into breakers. The helm was brought round twice more, but each time heavy seas broke over her, the third time throwing the La Bella on to a submerged reef in Lady Bay now known as La Bella Reef (about 100 yards from the Warrnambool breakwater). The sea was so rough that it even wrenched a one-and-a-half ton anchor from its fastenings and into the sea. As Captain Mylius headed to the steel wheelhouse, intending to send up a rocket flare, a huge sea slammed the steel door into him (resulting in massive bruising front and back) Despite his injuries he still managed to set off a blue light, which he held up in his hands. La Bella’s lifeboats were filled with sea water and broke up on their chocks. The blue light was the first indication to people on shore that there was a ship in distress. The Harbour Master, Captain Roe (who lived in the Harbour Master’s House opposite Flagstaff Hill), organised a group of volunteers to crew the lifeboat because the trained crew was unavailable; the crewmen were working on a steamer in Port Fairy at the time. He then poured oil onto the water to try and smooth the sea. At around 11pm three of the crew took shelter in the steel forecastle but the sea crashed into it and broke it up. While the rest of the crew and onlookers watched helplessly in the moonlight the bodies were washed away into the sea, never to be seen again. Some of the crew lashed themselves to the weather rail to keep from being washed away. Watson, the ordinary seaman, became tangled in the rigging lines and was too weak to move, so the 2nd Mate, Robertson, put a line onto him so that he wouldn’t wash off. Around 11pm three of the crew were unconscious from exhaustion. The situation on La Bella was becoming dangerous. The 2nd Mate moved to the ‘house’ and soon afterwards the ship slipped in the heavy sea. The lashings of the 1st Mate and the ‘boy’ Denham had kept them safe until about 2am when they were washed overboard; no one was able to help. One by one, the exhausted crew were being washed overboard, too weak to hold on any longer. During the night the La Bella had broken into two and the deckhouse ran out towards the sea. Two more men drowned when trying to reach the lifeboat. By sunrise the only survivors of the twelve were the Master, 2nd Mate and three seamen. Early in the morning Captain Roe used the rocket apparatus on shore to try and shoot a line to the ship for a safer rescue but each attempt fell short of the target. Several attempts were made by the lifeboat to rescue the stricken sailors, but the rough conditions made this difficult for the boat to get close enough to the ship and the lifeboat had to return to shore. During a final attempt to reach the ship Captain Mylius ordered his men to jump into the sea. Leonard Robertson, 2nd mate, jumped and swam towards the lifeboat, taking hold of the boat hook offered to him. Oscar Rosenholme managed to reach the boat floating on a piece of timber from the ship’s load and a third survivor, Noake, also made the boat. Along with the lifeboat rescue crew, 25 year old William Ferrier rowed his small dingy through the heavy seas and managed to rescue the Captain, whom he landed on the breakwater. Ferrier then returned to the ship to attempt a final rescue, losing his oars and rowlocks into the high sea. Using just a spare paddle he skulled towards the La Bella, reaching her stern in time to cut loose the lone surviving sailor, Payne, from the lashing that held him to the ship; the terrified sailor dropped from the ship and into the dingy. Shortly after the last man was rescued, the La Bella was lifted by a huge wave and crashed back down on the reef; she broke up and sank. The ordeal had lasted ten hours. The survivors were taken to the nearby Bay View Hotel and gratefully received warm food and clothing, medical attention and a place to sleep. In the following days an unidentified body of a young person was washed ashore; it was either Watson or Denham. The body was buried in the Warrnambool cemetery with an appropriate gravestone and inscription. William Ferrier became a national hero as news of the daring rescue spread. In recognition of his bravery in the two daring rescues he was awarded the Silver Medal for Bravery by the Royal Humane Society and was honoured in the letter from the Prime Minister and the Parliament of the Commonwealth, telegrams and a cheque for £20 from the Governor General, over £150 subscribed by the public, including Warrnambool and district and readers of The Argus, and a gold medal from the Glenelg Dinghy Club of South Australia. Ferrier’s rescue efforts are one of the most heroic in Victoria’s shipwreck history. (William Ferrier’s son, Frank, received a similar award almost fifty years later, when he helped rescue four members of the crew on the yacht Merlan, after it ran on to a reef near the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. ) The wreck of La Bella now lies on her port side in 13 metres of sheltered water inside the reef she struck. The bow section is relatively intact and part of the stern has drifted north-easterly towards the mouth of the Hopkins River. The reef the La Bella struck now bears its name. Those five rescued from the La Bella were Captain George Mylius, Leonard Robertson (2nd Mate, 21 years old), R. Payne, Oscar Rosenholme and Jack Noake. Those seven who lost their lives were Mr Coulson (1st mate), Charles Jackman (cook) Gustave Johnson, Pierre Johann and Robert Gent (all able seamen), Harry Watson (ordinary seaman) and Jack Denham (ship’s boy), Captain Mylius was found guilty of careless navigation; he had sailed into the bay without the services of a pilot. His Master Certificate was suspended for twelve months. Later he was also charged with manslaughter of one of the crew who had died when the La Bella was wrecked, but found not guilty. The event’s adverse publicity and damage to his career took a toll on his health and he died of a heart attack six months after the wreck; he was only thirty-seven. His body was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. The La Bella was “the best documented of all sailing ships owned in New Zealand”. Her record books, ship logs, correspondence and supporting papers are still available. At the time of the tragedy, she was owned by Messers David C.Turnbull and Co. of Timaru, New Zealand timber merchants and shipping agents, who had purchased her on 13th December 1901. A detailed account of the last journey of La Bella can be read in “Leonard Robertson, the Whangaroa & La Bella” written by Jack Churchouse, published in 1982 by Millwood Press Ltd, Wellington, NZ. Some 15 – 17 ships are believed to have sunk in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the seafloor; the “La Bella” and the “Edinburgh Castle”. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. As well as this letter, Flagstaff Hill’s La Bella Collection includes a photograph of the wrecked La Bella, a brass rail holder and a postcard of William Ferrier with four of the survivors. This original congratulatory letter sent to William Ferrier by the Prime Minister and Government of Australia demonstrates the importance attached to his efforts for Victoria and to Australia. The letter is part of the La Bella Collection and is significant at both a local and state level. Its connection to the La Bella shipwreck and the rescue of five survivors highlights the dangers of Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The letter to William Ferrier from the Australian Government acknowledges the bravery of ordinary Australians who risked their lives to save victims of shipwrecks along the coast. The letter is significant to the history of Warrnambool as it honours William Ferrier, a local fisherman whose descendants continue to live in the area. It highlights the way of life of people who lived in coastal towns in 19th century Victoria and the effects of shipwrecks upon them. The letter connects to the postcard of William Ferrier with four of the five rescued crew, the photograph of the wreck of the La Bella and the artefact from the wreck, the rail holder. This item is significant because of its association with the sailing ship “La Bella” . the “La Bella” is of local and state and national significance. It is one of the only two shipwrecks discovered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, out of the 15-17 shipwrecks in the bay. Brass rail holder from the wreck "La Bella". This rail holder would have been used as a fitting for the end of a rail. It is made up of two parts and looks a little like a goblet in shape. The top is a hollow spherical shape with a circular hole cut out on one side, into which the end of a round rail would fit. There are two gouge marks close to each other on one side of the hole, about one centimetre apart, at 1 and 2 o’clock position. The sphere has a hollow pipe-like stem with a screw thread turned into the outside of the lower section and the bottom of the stem has been flared out after having the base fitted. The base is round and has a mound in the centre. The edge has four evenly spaced fixture holes around its edge. The metal shows signs of pitting and has mild encrustation. The fitting of the base is loose, allowing it to swivel in a complete circle. The top of the sphere is rough and has a dent in it. Underneath the base there is verdigris; some has flaked off and reveals a bright golden colour underneath. rail holder, brass rail holder, la bella, lady bay, norway, 1893, new zealand, captain mylius, william ferrier, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village

Rowlock from the Lifeboat Warrnambool, which is on site at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later, 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by the Great Britain’s Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whaleback decks fore and aft, mast and centreboard, and rudder and tiller hung from the sternpost. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. The boat was described as “… a fine piece of workmanship and does credit to her builders and designers…” It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight and watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat’s construction are pencilled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990’s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the ‘Melbourne Directory’ of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, (Victorian Heritage Database, ‘Contextual History, Maritime Facilities’), It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill’s documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at ‘Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne’ – the name ‘Myers’ can also be spelled ‘Meiers’, which could be the same person as the Meiers in “McAuley and Meiers” (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named ‘Warrnambool’ was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. A winch was used to bring it in and out of the water. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, build and sea-going qualities such as greater manoeuvrability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was “practically non-capsizeable” and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has “… plenty of freeboard, high watertight spaces between the deck and bottom… through which pipes lead…” The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The lifeboat Warrnambool was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in early 1900's. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares, and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen, which they brought back to Warrnambool. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be manned by a strong and competent crew, ready for action in case of emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River, bolted to the Port Fairy lifeboat. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990 she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name ‘WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The rowlock is significant for its association with the lifeboat WARRNAMBOOL, which is significant for its half century service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel. She was also used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ANTARES. Rowlock, iron, upper ends scroll over, from the Lifeboat Warrnambool.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, life boat, life saving vessel, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, government dockyard, williamstown, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, non-capsizeable lifeboat, self-righting lifeboat, antares shipwreck, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, rowlock, lifeboat rowlock, lifeboat warrnambool

This ship model is of the sailing brigantine MARY CAMPBELL, which once belonged to Captain James Arthur Robilliard. The model was made by Harry McKenna, a well-known ship model maker and Warrnambool resident. CAPTAIN ROBILLIARD James Arthur Robilliard, sea captain and tent maker, was born in 19th April 1843 in St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. He trained there in his father’s sail loft as a sail maker. He later became a skipper. His first job as a sailor was achieved in Liverpool, England. In 1875 James Robilliard migrated to Australia as mate on the “E.M. Young”. Captain Robilliard and his family were amongst the early settlers along the Curdies River in the Heytesbury district. In 1877 he became a Captain. On 14th November 1879 Captain Robilliard married Helen Beckett. James and Helen had ten children; James Arthur (Jnr), Henry William, Nellie Jessie, Alfred Albert, Rubena Nellie, De Jersy Norman, Clifford Beckett, Olive Ida, Frances Ridley Havergal and Nellie Elvie, all born in Victoria. THE MARY CAMPBELL The ship “Mary Campbell” was built by Alexander Newton Jnr. She was carvel planked, of iron bark and blue gum timber. The family shipyard was at Pelican, on the Manning River, NSW, and “Mary Campbell” was first launched by her builder in 1869 as “The Son”. Three months later she was renamed “Mary Campbell’ by her purchaser J. Campbell in Sydney. She was used to carry equipment for the Sydney Sugar Refinery’s Mill in Southgate, NSW. She then traded for the next 20 years between Australian ports and rivers along the east coast as well as regular ports in New Zealand. She was “recognised as one of the best carrying little vessels in the timber trade” (Sydney Morning Herald). She had several owners over this time, the last one being Captain James A. Robilliard. On 29th April 1889 “Mary Campbell”, in the charge of her owner, Captain James A Robilliard, was on her way from Clarence River, NSW to Melbourne, Victoria with a cargo of railway girders for the Melbourne Harbour Trust. Captain Robilliard encountered a storm off Port Macquarie. He sailed the vessel south to 25 miles (about 40km) east of Cape Hawke, near Tuncurry and Forster. At 7pm, he discovered that the cargo had shifted during the stormy seas and the heavy girders had damaged the hull, causing a leak. The pumps were inadequate to stem the fast flowing leak and over a meter of water filled the hull during the next 2 hours. Some of the crew began throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the vessel, hoping to keep it afloat until daylight. When the water reached over 2 meters in the hull they realised their efforts were in vain. At 1:30am on 30th April 1889 the crew left the vessel. They stood by in the lifeboat until 3am. The ship was sinking fast, so they left for the shore, looking for a safe place to beach their boat. While still miles off Cape Hawke all 7 crew members, including the Captain, were rescued by the Government Tug “Rhea” and taken to Port Macquarie hospital then returned to Sydney in the “Wellington”. Captain Robilliard managed to rescue his ship’s compass but no cargo was saved from the vessel. It had been under-insured, only covered for half its value, due to lack of funds. Many years later, in 1976, an anchor was caught up in the net of a trawler south of Forster and thought to be from the “Mary Campbell”. It was donated and installed in the Great Lakes Museum, Tuncurry, NSW. (The same museum also has a half-model of the hull of “Mary Campbell”.) The name of the last ship Captain Robilliard sailed is currently unknown, however he sailed that ship from the port of Marlborough, Queensland, carting steel railway girders for the Geelong-to-Camperdown line. On one trip it hit a storm, the cargo shifted and the ship was wrecked along the NSW coast. After this, Captain Robilliard exchanged sea life for farming in Peterborough. In about 1897, verging on retirement, Capt. Robiilliard superintended the Melbourne Sailors’ Home in Spencer Street, Melbourne, before being asked to leave this position in 1902 for trying to shut down the local hotel! At this time the Melbourne Sailors’ Home was about to change its location. On 6th May 1917 Captain James Arthur Robilliard J.P. died at Blackwood Park, in the Cobden district of Brucknell, which is now considered the first official Robilliard family homestead in Australia. He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery, Victoria. His wife Helen passed away in 1947. The Becket and Robilliard family names continue to be well known in the Western District Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has a ship’s compass in the collection that was also owned by Capt. J. Robilliard and was used on the ship Mary Campbell.This ship model of the MARY CAMPBELL is of local significance for its association with well known Warrnambool resident and ship model maker. The model is also significant for its association with the brigantine MARY CAMPBELL, a trading vessel that brought railway girders to the Melbourne Harbour Trust.Ship model "Mary Campbell", a two-masted vessel with black hull, brown masts and black rigging. In glass case with timber frame painted green. Painted on the bow in white “MARY CAMPBELL” Gold label with black print attached to display case “MODEL BY THE LATE HARRY McKENNA OF WARRNAMBOOL”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, marine artwork, model making, captain james arthur robilliard, j.a. robilliard, vessel mary campbell, ship mary campbell, melbourne sailors home, vessels, harry mckenna

These net floats are handmade from lightweight cork wood and are used for suspending fishing nets in the water. Newspaper articles dated from 1848 to 1916 mention net fishing in Warrnambool's Hopkins and Merri rivers and Lady Bay. The Melbourne Argus dated January 11, 1848, published a quote from Captain Theobald of the vessels ELLEN and ELIZABETH, made on his first visit to Warrnambool "“…Fish are very plentiful here; on Christmas day a net was thrown into the Hopkins, and, after two or three draws, a boat load of beautiful fish was obtained…” The Argus, Melbourne, Sat. 29 May 1858, forwarded from The Examiner newspaper; "Extraordinary Fish. We have been presented with a very singular fish, caught by Mr. Meek in the Hopkins [Hopkins River, Warrnambool] last week. It is about three inches long, with a slate-coloured body, and a beautiful wing on each side. It was caught with other fish at night, in a net, and its eyes shone as bright as diamonds." A method for making cork net floats mentioned, in a 15th-century book, advised cutting the corks and then burning a hole through the centre of each one with a hot iron. The prepared corks were then joined together with a horsehair line. The cork's size and the line's thickness depended on the net's weight.The net floats are an example of fishing equipment used for many centuries and still in use today. In Warrnambool net fishing was a common practice from 1848 and became a livelihood for many fishermen. Net floats; cylindrical blocks of 16 corks threaded onto string with a hook-holding device at the end. warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, net floats, cork net floats, fishing, fisheries, fishing equipment, handmade, net fishing, fisheries act, andrew ferrier, william flett, warrnambool breakwater, merri river, hopkins river, captain theobald, ellen, elizabeth

These net floats are handmade from lightweight cork wood and are used for suspending fishing nets in the water. Newspaper articles dated from 1848 to 1916 mention net fishing in Warrnambool's Hopkins and Merri rivers and Lady Bay. The Melbourne Argus dated January 11, 1848, published a quote from Captain Theobald of the vessels ELLEN and ELIZABETH, made on his first visit to Warrnambool "“…Fish are very plentiful here; on Christmas day a net was thrown into the Hopkins, and, after two or three draws, a boat load of beautiful fish was obtained…” The Argus, Melbourne, Sat. 29 May 1858, forwarded from The Examiner newspaper; "Extraordinary Fish. We have been presented with a very singular fish, caught by Mr. Meek in the Hopkins [Hopkins River, Warrnambool] last week. It is about three inches long, with a slate-coloured body, and a beautiful wing on each side. It was caught with other fish at night, in a net, and its eyes shone as bright as diamonds." A method for making cork net floats mentioned, in a 15th-century book, advised cutting the corks and then burning a hole through the centre of each one with a hot iron. The prepared corks were then joined together with a horsehair line. The cork's size and the line's thickness depended on the net's weight.The net floats are an example of fishing equipment used for many centuries and still in use today. In Warrnambool net fishing was a common practice from 1848 and became a livelihood for many fishermen.Net floats; cylindrical blocks of 18 corks of various sizes threaded onto string.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, net floats, cork net floats, fishing, fisheries, fishing equipment, handmade, net fishing, fisheries act, andrew ferrier, william flett, warrnambool breakwater, merri river, hopkins river, captain theobald, ellen, elizabeth

This beautifully made ship model is a side relief of the steam ship “S.S. Nelson”, which was launched in 1877. The model’s case stands out because of its ornately carved internal frame. Relief models of ships, sometimes called half models, were often built by the shipbuilders as an exact scale model of the finished ship. The shipbuilders would use the model to ensure that the design was balanced. They would use the model as a point of reference during building. Also, ship models were used to demonstrate the designs to prospective buyers. It is not known whether this model of the “S.S. Nelson” was made for these purposes. HISTORY of the “S.S. Nelson” During the period 1840-1890 shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of carrying produce and goods to and from coastal towns such as Warrnambool. In the 1850s regular domestic steamer services began and by 1870 the passenger trade was booming. Passengers were taken to the ship’s side in small boats called lighters, which took it to ships at anchorage in Lady Bay, then climbed aboard up ladders or gangways. Their fare covered accommodation Saloon/Cabin section (higher class and more expensive) or the Steerage section (lower class and less expensive, below deck level). Produce included livestock such as pigs and fowls, and dairy products, bales of wool, and potatoes. The goods were loaded from the Warrnambool Jetty into the lighters. The S.S. Nelson was built by Messrs Blackwood and Gordon of Port Glasgow for a cost £25,000 in 1877. She was an iron screw steamer with an overall length of 200 feet, beam 25.5 feet and a depth of hold of 19.4 feet, which gave her a gross measurement of 649 tons. Her engines gave her a best speed of 13 knots and a maintainable speed of 12 knots. She was described as a handsome, star decked, efficient steamship, fitted with accommodating for 75 first class passengers in a saloon, and 40 second class passengers in a cabin. The S.S. Nelson arrived in the colony of Victoria on March 9th, 1877. She was first registered in Warrnambool by the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company under the management of Mr William Evans, and employed in the coastal trade of south west Victoria. She was very popular in 1878, registered under the new ownership of the Western Steamship Navigation Company, trading between Melbourne, Warrnambool and Portland. Captained John Nicholson commanded the S.S. Nelson after the previous captain, Thomas Smith, was suspended in 1882 for six months by the Victorian Steam Navigation Board following the collision between the S.S. Nelson and the S.S. Julia Percy. Other Captains include S Drewet and John Thompson. The S.S. Nelson was sold to Messrs. Huddart, Parker and Co. and re-registered in Melbourne on June 23rd, 1890. The new owners intended to use her for their Bass Strait crossing between Melbourne, Victoria and Launceston, Tasmania. On the night of Friday, June 27th 1890, under the command of Captain Carrington, she was on her way to Launceston on her first crossing for her new owners. She had no passengers and very little cargo and was to return to Melbourne with passengers the following morning. She was only 21 hours out of the dock when she struck Porpoise Rock in the Tamar River. All crew of 25 were saved but the bulkheads gave way and she rapidly filled before keeling over and disappearing in approximately 130 feet of water. The new owners had fully insured the almost 14-year-old S.S. Nelson with the Australian Alliance Insurance Company and she had only been in their possession for four days. This ship model of the S.S. Nelson is significant for its connection with the steam screw ship S.S. Nelson, one of a fleet of vessels owned by the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company. The S.S. Nelson was specifically built and purchased for the Victorian coastal trade business of the late 19th century, when shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of transporting goods and passengers between Victoria’s coastal towns and the major port at Melbourne. Once the railway came to Warrnambool in 1889, the steam shipping industry began to decline.Ship model; relief of the S.S. Nelson, showing deck superstructure, ventilators and single funnel. Ship's name is painted on the bow "NELSON". Wood model, varnished finish over natural wood and black painted areas. Timber case with ornate edging and glass front and sides."NELSON" painted on bowflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, s.s. nelson steam ship 1877, screw steamer, 1877 vessel, ship model s.s. nelson, blackwood and gordon port glasgow, warrnambool steam packet company, western steam navigation company, south west coast trader, sea transport melbourne to portland, victorian steam navigation board, s.s. julia percey, captain john nicholson, captain thomas smith, captain s drewet, captain john thompson, captain carrington, huddart, parker and co, bass strait crossing 1890, sea transport melbourne to launceston, porpoise rock tamar river, australian alliance insurance company, ship model making, vessels, victorian coastal trader

The construction of the lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later, 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by the Great Britain’s Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whaleback decks fore and aft, mast and centreboard, and rudder and tiller hung from the sternpost. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was foreman boat builder when he and his fellow workmen built the boat. The boat was described as “… a fine piece of workmanship and does credit to her builders and designers…” It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight and watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature, along with building dates, is pencilled on a concealed timber 'plaque' in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. It is interesting that the ‘Melbourne Directory’ of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, (Victorian Heritage Database, ‘Contextual History, Maritime Facilities’), It is probably the company of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill’s documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at ‘Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne’ – the name ‘Myers’ can also be spelled ‘Meiers’, which could be the same person as the Meiers in “McAuley and Meiers” (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named ‘Warrnambool’ was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. A winch was used to bring it in and out of the water. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, build and sea-going qualities such as greater manoeuvrability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was “practically non-capsizeable” and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has “… plenty of freeboard, high watertight spaces between the deck and bottom… through which pipes lead…” The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The lifeboat Warrnambool was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in early 1900's. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares, and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen, which they brought back to Warrnambool. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be manned by a strong and competent crew, ready for action in case of emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River, bolted to the Port Fairy lifeboat. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990 she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name ‘WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.”The lifeboat WARRNAMBOOL is significant for its half century service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel. She was also used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ANTARES. Lifeboat "Warrnambool", a wooden, clinker hull, 'self-righting, self-draining design, single mast, pivoting centreboard. Complete with sail and yardarm. A 'plaque' was found inside the hull of the lifeboat, made of untreated wood, disc-shaped with one straight edge (Diam 15.5cm), inscribed by one of the boat builders in pencil script "Life Boat Start building / 15/9/09 - complete 1/9/10 / (signature looks like H Meiers) / Boat Builder)."'Plaque' inside body of boat is inscribed in pencil, script writing "Life Boat Start building / 15/9/09 - complete 1/9/10 / (signature looks like H Meiels) / Boat Builder)." flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifeboat, life boat, vessel, life saving, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, williamstown, government dockyard, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, meiers, nelson place, non-capsizeable, self-righting, titan crane, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, barge, antares, self righting, crew of twelve, capacity of 30 survivors

The photograph shows some of the hundreds of sightseers who visited the site of the wreced Falls of Halladale, watching the fully rigged ship slowly disintegrate over two months or more. The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted sailing ship built in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland, for the long-distance cargo trade and was mostly used for the Pacific grain trade. The ship was sturdy. It could carry maximum cargo and maintain full sail in heavy gales. It was one of the last of the ‘windjammers’ that sailed the Trade Route, and one of the first vessels to include fore and aft lifting bridges, which kept the crew safe and dry as they moved around the decks in stormy conditions. It was one of several Falls Line ships named after the waterfalls of Glasgow by its owner, Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow. On 4th August 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo, the Falls of Halladale left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. The cargo on board was valued at £35,000. It included 56,763 tiles of American slate roofing tiles, 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene, plumbing iron, 117 cases of crockery and glassware and many other manufactured items. The Falls of Halladale had been at sail for 102 days when, at 3 am on the 14th November 1908, under full sail in calm seas with a six knots breeze behind and misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a submerged reef near Peterborough on south-west Victoria’s coast. The ship was jammed on the rocks and began filling with water. The crew launched the two lifeboats and all 29 crew landed safely on the beach over 4 miles away at the Bay of Islands. The postmistress at Peterborough, who kept a watch for vessels in distress, saw the stranding and sent out an alert to the local people. A rescue party went to the aid of the sailors and the Port Campbell rocket crew was dispatched, but the crew had all managed to reach shore safely by the time help arrived. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. Further salvage operations were made from 1974-1986, during which time 22,000 slate tiles were recovered with the help of 14 oil drums to float them, plus personal artefacts, ship fittings, reams of paper and other items (a list of items held at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is included below). The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson’s navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m off-shore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire. ABOUT THE ‘FALLS OF HALLADALE’ (1886 - 1908) Built: in1886 by Russell & Co., Greenock shipyards, River Clyde, Scotland, UK. The company was founded in 1870 (or 1873) as a partnership between Joseph Russell (1834-1917), Anderson Rodger and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co., standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships over that time. In 1886 they introduced a 3000 ton class of sailing vessel with auxiliary engines and brace halyard winches. In 1890 they broke the world output record. Owner: Falls Line, Wright, Breakenridge & Co, 111 Union Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Configuration: Four-masted sailing ship; iron-hulled barque; iron masts, wire rigging, fore & aft lifting bridges. Size: Length 83.87m x Breadth 12.6m x Depth 7.23m, Gross tonnage 2085 ton Wrecked: the night of 14th November 1908, Curdies Inlet, Peterborough south west Victoria Crew: 29The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (No. S255). It was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. The ship was one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. The wreck is an example of an International Cargo Ship and represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976).Photograph, behind glass in a timber frame. Image of a group of people seated on the ground with the stranded barque, the Falls of Halladale, in full sail nearby in the water. The photograph was taken at Peterborough, southwest Victoria, on November 13th 1908. A typed inscription is below the picture.Typed beneath photograph "Falls of Halladale 1886 - 1908"flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck, peterborough, falls of halladale, 1908, barque, scotish, 4-masted, sailing ship, 1886, glasgow, trade, grain trade, cargo, windjammer, fore and aft bridges, falls line, wright, breakenridge & co, american slate, roofing tiles, barbed wire, sewing machines, oil, benzene, port campbell rocket crew, sightseers, salvage, captain david wood thomson, captain thomson, navigational error, clyde-built, russell & co

Photograph, black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT at a jetty in low water. On the jetty and the shore are stacks of cut timber. The ship is in a wide river or bay, hills in the background, trees (like gum trees) in the foreground. Inscribed "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon". (The SPECULANT was wrecked on 10th February 2011 at Cape Patton, Victoria, (not Patten as on the photograph). She was sailing under the control of Captain James Jacobsen and her First Mate was James Mumro.) The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT at a jetty in low water. On the jetty and the shore are stacks of cut timber. The ship is in a wide river or bay, hills in the background, trees (like gum trees) in the foreground. Inscribed below photograph "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon"Inscribed below photograph "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool historical photograph, cape patten, munro, james munro, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history

This row lock was fitted onto the Warrnambool Lifeboat, which is also on-site at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat 'Warrnambool' began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by Great Britain's Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whale back decks fore and aft, mast and centre board, and rudder and tiller hung from the stern post. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was a foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight with watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat's construction are penciled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the 'Melbourne Directory' of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill's documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at 'Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne the name 'Myers' can also be spelled 'Meiers', which could be the same person as the Meiers in "McAuley and Meiers" (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named 'Warrnambool' was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built-in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, with new sea-going qualities such as greater maneuverability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was made the vessel difficult to capsize and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has plenty of free board. The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The Warrnambool lifeboat was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in the early 1900s. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be ready for action in case of an emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool lifeboat in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990, she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name 'WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The subject row lock is significant due to its association the Warrnambool Lifeboat which was an integral part of an important service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel for a half-century. One of the lifeboats many achievements was when it was used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ship Antares. Rowlock from the Warrnambool Lifeboat.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifeboat warrnambool, life boat, life saving vessel, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, government dockyard, williamstown, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, non-capsizeable lifeboat, self-righting lifeboat, antares shipwreck, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, rowlock, lifeboat rowlock

The Bronze Medal and Certificate of Merit of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia were awarded to James Patten for the bravery he displayed on 18th April 1890, and presented to him on 21st May 1890. The Royal Humane Society of Australasia was founded in 1874 with the aim to recognise those who risked their lives to save others and to assist those whose acts of bravery caused them or their surviving dependants to be disadvantaged in some way. Details of the incident were published in the Argus, Saturday 19 April 1890, page 11 - "FATAL BOATING ACCIDENT, (BY TELEGRAPH FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.), WARRNAMBOOL, FRIDAY A fatal boating disaster occurred in Lady Bay this morning, the victim being Joseph Lowe, licensee of the Bay View Hotel, South Warrnambool. The deceased, in company with two lads named James Ferrier and James Patten, went out in a small dingy to shoot musk ducks. The water was perfectly smooth, and the party were tempted to proceed as far as the mouth of the Hopkins River. In their eagerness they neglected to keep clear of the breakers, and were presently carried in on the crest of a large wave, and the boat cap sized within a cable's length of the shore, precipitating the occupants into the water. Patten and Lowe stuck to the overturned boat, Ferrier striking out for the shore, which he reached in an exhausted state. In the meantime his companions had been washed off the boat, and were struggling in the breakers. Lowe was unable to swim, and Patten kept him afloat, at the same time making gallant attempts to get him ashore, but finally had to leave him to his fate. Ferrier, seeing Lowe's danger, undressed and swam out, but became exhausted. Ferrier and Patten were both found in a fainting condition by persons who saw the catastrophe from the jetty, and ran along the beach to render assistance. Attempts were subsequently made to rescue Lowe's body, which could be seen washing abort in the surf. These proved unsuccessful, and no hope is now entertained of recovering it. Lowe was a smart young man, 28 years of age, and unmarried. He was formerly bar-man at the Commercial Hotel here, having been engaged in Melbourne ..." This medal recognises the bravery of James Patten, a local citizen who risked his life to save the life of his friend Joseph Lowe whilst at sea and was recognised for this act by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia.Medal awarded to James Patten by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for his bravery on18 April 1890 and presented to him on 21 May 1890. Bronze medal in hard black rectangular case. Lid and base have centre hinge and brass spring button catch. Case is padded and lined with blue silk and has a fitted hook. The round medal has a bronze bar with pin closure, dark blue, braided ribbon with brass swivel mount. The case has a gold embossed rectangular border on the lid and base. Embossed inscription on lid. The obverse shows a woman on the left in long robe placing a wreath on the head of a kneeling man at right, with the five stars of the Southern Cross constellation above his head. A motto is inscribed around the edge. The reverse has inscriptions around the edge, a wreath of two overlapping olive branches, and engraved text.OBVERSE: Embossed around "VIRTUTE PARATUM" REVERSE: Embossed on the medal around the edge "ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA INSTD. A.D. 1874", in the centre "AWARDED TO" Engraved in the centre "James Patten/ 18th April / 1890" CASE LID: "PRESENTED BY / THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY / OF AUSTRALASIA / TO / JAS. PATTEN. / 21ST MAY 1890."flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, bronze medal 1890, royal humane society of australasia, james patten, medal, australian award medal, commemorative medal, numismatics, life saving, lifesaving, rescue, bravery, drowning, joseph lowe, james ferrier, lady bay, hopkins river, boating accident, certificate of merit, north eastern bight

Black and white photograph of Bell street, Yarra Glen, taken in December 1934 from the tower of the Grand Hotel, looking south towards the railway crossing, during the floods. The Victoria Hall is the building in the centre of the photograph. Directly behind the Victoria Hall, the roof of 'River View' guest house can be seen. The Shell Garage, operated by Les Orenshaw, on the left of the photograph was originally built and occupied as a peg factory.The view extends from Bell street across the river flats with the high ground of Chateau Yering in the background. Bell Street is defined by the street trees where the water covers the road in the foreground grand hotel, victoria hall, bell street, floods 1934, 1934 flood, railway crossing, river view, guest house, shell garage, peg factory, river flats, chateau yering, les orenshaw, street trees

Sepia photograph taken from a point just north of the bridge over the Yarra River at Yarra Glen. A small herd of cattle and a horse are on the river bank and in the water. A horse with rider stands on the bank.On back of postcard at the top "POST CARD". On the left hand side "THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR PRINTED OR WRITTEN MATTER”. On the right hand side "ONLY THE ADDRESS TO BE WRITTEN HERE”. In a box in the right hand corner "A HALF-PENNY STAMP TO BE PLACED HERE". Along the left hand margin "Ajax series. Printed in England". horse, yarra river, yarra glen, cattle, horse and rider, river

Black and white photograph in light brown card slip case. The slip case has an image on the front cover of a head and shoulder bust. The photograph was taken about 1900 from the tower of the Grand Hotel looking down upon the Victoria Hall and the railway crossing. In the lower left corner is W.J.Dawborn's General Store. In front of the store is a horse and spring dray and another horse hitched to a veranda post. Next to the store is the Victoria Hall and beyond that a water trough. The railway crossing is in the centre of the picture with two railway cattle trucks next to the cattle yards. Beyond the railway on the left hand side is the property later known as 'River View'. Beyond the river lined with trees are the Yering flats across which can be seen the long trestle railway bridge. In the foreground of the picture is Bell Street lined with trees in wooden tree guards.yarra glen, victoria hall, railway crossing, river view, general store, w j dawborn, horse and cart, horse and dray, spring dray, horse hitched, hitching post, water trough, railway truck, cattle truck, cattle yards, stock yards, yering flats, trestle railway bridge, trestle bridge

Brown hard covered book. Chapter 16 is on gold deposits and discusses the discovery of gold in California and Australia.Brown hard covered book geology, water, rivers, the atlantic, great deep, africa, australian interior, eyre's expedition, murray river, darling river, earthqaukes, leichardt, moreton bay, volcanos, darwin's theory, evolution, egyptian race, human remains in caverns and gravel, rocks, metamorphism, iron ores, coal, coal fields, gold deposits, california, water-glass, artificial stone, porous stones, cements

Digitised directly from 'The Native Races of the British Empire: Victoria' The Barwon River in New South Wales is formed through the confluence of the Macintyre River and Weir River (part of the Border Rivers system), north of Mungindi, in the Southern Downs region of Queensland. The Barwon River generally flows south and west, joined by 36 tributaries, including major inflows from the Boomi, Moonie, Gwydir, Mehi, Namoi, Macquarie, Bokhara and Bogan rivers. During major flooding, overflow from the Narran Lakes and the Narran River also flows into the Barwon. The confluence of the Barwon and Culgoa rivers, between Brewarrina and Bourke, marks the start of the Darling River.Black and white Image of an Aboriginal man from Barwon River, New South Wales. Aboriginal people from six language groups originally occupied the area of the Barwon River wetlands. These were the Ngemba, the Baranbinja, the Murrawari, the Ualayai, the Weilwan, and the Kamilaroi peoples. The Aboriginal people generally used the wetlands for hunting, fishing, and gathering uses, and for cultural association.(Wikipedia) The name "barwon" is derived from the Australian Aboriginal words of barwum or bawon, meaning great, wide, awful river of muddy water; and also baawan, a Ngiyambaa name for both the Barwon and Darling rivers. The history, culture and livelihoods of the local Aboriginal people are closely intertwined with the Barwon River and its associated tributaries and downstream flows. (Wikipedia)aborigine, aboriginal, barwon river

This hardcover book, The logbooks of the 'Lady Nelson' : with the journal of her first commander, Lieutenant James Grant, R.N., by Ida Lee (Mrs Charles Bruce Marriott) was published over 100 years after the Lady Nelson arrived in Australia to navigate and survey this ‘new colony’. Included in the book are sixteen charts and illustrations from the originals in the Admiralty Library, showing the surveyed land and water. The transcribed Contents, below, summarise the trips of the Lady Nelson during this time. Book’s Content PLUS text of the Chart of ‘Part of Bass Strait’ - Chapter 1: The Lady Nelson built with centreboards. Her voyage to Sydney under James Grant. The first ship to pass through Bass Strait. - Chapter 2: Returns to explore the Strait. Her visits to Jervis Bay and to Western Port in 1801 - Chapter 3: Colonel Paterson and Lieutenant Grant survey Hunter River - Chapter 4: Murray appointed commander of the Lady Nelson. His voyage to Norfolk Island. - Chapter 5: Murray’s exploration of Bass Strait. - Chapter 6: Discovery of Port Phillip. - Chapter 7: The Lady Nelson in company with HMS Investigator examines the North-Eastern shores of Australia. - Chapter 8: The French ships in Bass Strait. The founding of Hobart. - Chapter 9: Symons succeeds Curtoys as commander of the Lady Nelson. His voyages to Tasmania, Port Phillip and New Zealand. - Chapter 10: The Lady Nelson in Tasmania. The founding of Port Dalrymple. - Chapter 11: The Estramina is brought to Sydney. The Lady Nelson visits Norfolk Island and Port Dalrymple. - Chapter 12: Tippahee and his four sons are conveyed to New Zealand in the Lady Nelson. - Chapter 13: The Lady Nelson accompanies HMS Tamar to Melville Island. - Chapter 14: The loss of the Lady Nelson Text included with the ‘Chart of Bass Strait’ … “Part of Bass Strait, including the discoveries made by Acting Lieut. J. Murray, commander of His Majesty’s armed surveying vessel Lady Nelson, between November 1801 and March 1802. By command of His Excellency Governor King.” “This chart, which bears Murray’s autograph, shows his explorations of Western Port, Port Phillip and King Island. It should be noted that Flinders Island is named Grand Capuchin. This is one of the charts referred to as "unfortunately missing” in the Historical Records of N.S. Wales, vol. iv. P. 764” The story of the Lady Nelson In 1798 the British Admiralty ordered a cutter of 60 tons to be built along the design of the armed cutter Trial that was developed by Captain John Schanck, with three sliding keels or centreboards that could be individually raised and lowered, for use on the River Thames. The new cutter was to be named Lady Nelson. Philip Gidley King, prior to taking up his appointment as third Governor of the colony of New South Wales, was in England at the time of the Lady Nelson’s fit-out and was aware of the need for such a ship for survey work in the colony in New South Wales. He convinced Captain Schanck, the Commissioner of Transport in England, to construct and rig the Lady Nelson as a brig rather than a cutter, keeping the feature of the three sliding keels, which would be very useful for mapping in shallow waters. The new Lady Nelson was launched at Deptford, England on the River Thames in November 1798, with the official commission to discover and survey the unknown parts of the coast of New Holland (Australia) and establish British sovereignty over the continent. The Lady Nelson sailed from Portsmouth, England on March 1800 under the command of Lieutenant James Grant. She carried an armament of two original and four extra brass carronade carriage guns and set sail as part of a convoy heading to Port Jackson, in New South Wales, New Holland. After a while she continued to sail on her own. Her journey was troubled with problems at times; damaged and broken keels, troublesome crew and leaking topsides between the waterline and the deck due to poor seals. She arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in July and waited for the winter to pass to avoid the strong winds of the ‘Roaring Forties’. While at the Cape, Grant received a despatch to travel to Port Jackson via the newly discovered Bass Strait, rather than the usual route via the tip of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). This also gave him the opportunity to survey the strait on the way. He departed the Cape in October and in December he made his first sighting of New Holland near Mount Gambier in what is now South Australia. A report by Ecclestone in 2012, ‘The Early Charting of Victoria’s Coastline’, mentions that Grant charted and named Capes Banks and Northumberland, and sighted inland hills that he named Mt Gambier and Mt Schanck, the latter after the designer of his ship. Grant then reached the south-western shores of what is now Victoria on 3-4 December 1800, and from Cape Bridgewater he examined the coast eastward to Cape Patton. Although he had not continuously sighted the coast in the vicinity of Port Fairy and Warrnambool, the western part of Victoria became known as Grant’s Land. The Lady Nelson continued eastward and passed through Bass Strait, becoming the first vessel to reach the east coast of New Holland from the west, and arrived at her destination of Port Jackson later in December 1800. Grant, in the Lady Nelson, then left Port Jackson and began survey work. He discovered Port Phillip on Victoria’s coast and explored King Island, he helped establish the first European settlement in Tasmania on the Derwent River, and Port Dalrymple, Newcastle and Port Macquarie. He made several trips from Norfolk Island to Hobart Town. Governor Macquarie sailed on with him to Van Diemen’s Land for a tour of inspection in 1811. Grant helped establish the first settlement on Melville Island in Northern Australia. The Lady Nelson was used to transport cargo, civilians and convicts and to source pigs from Timor. In February 1825 the Lady Nelson sailed again for Timor and never returned. One report said that “Every soul on board, we regret to state, was cruelly massacred, and the hull of the vessel was seen some time after with the name painted on her stern.” The hull was sighted on the island of Babar, which is almost 200 kilometres east of Timor. This particular copy of the book ... This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969 This book about the logbooks of the Lady Nelson is locally significant for its association with the brig Lady Nelson, in which Lt. James Grant made the first documented European discovery of the area later known as Warrnambool in December 1800. This book is also nationally significant for its association with Grant in the Lady Nelson being the first to sail from west to east through Bass Strait, opening up a shorter, faster route to the colony of Port Jackson rather than going all the way south around Van Diemen’s Land. The book is nationally significant for its contents of the logbooks of the journeys of the Lady Nelson under various commanders and the copies of the charts created from the surveyed information and the new land of Australia was discovered. This book is also significant for its association with the full-size non-sailing replica of the Lady Nelson from Mount Gambier’s visitor centre, which was restored by Flagstaff Hill’s Master Boat Builder in Warrnambool in 2012, and with a ship mode of the Lady Nelson in our Collection The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Logbooks of The Lady Nelson Author: Ida Lee ( Mrs Charles Bruce Marriott) Publisher: Grafton & Co Date: 1915Label on spine with typed text RA 910.994 LEE Inside front cover has a sticker that reads Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, great ocean road, the logbooks of the lady nelson, ida lee, mrs charles bruce marriott, captain john schanck, sliding keels or centreboards, lady nelson, british brig hms lady nelson, lieutennant james grant, bass strait discovery, surveying king island and port phillip bay, philip gidley king, survey map

Blue hard covered book of 494 pages. Images, and a large plan of prominent burials in the Melbourne Old Cemetery, and a Map of Melbourne. melbourne, melbourne cemetery, melbourne old cemetery, john batman, edmund hobson, batman's map, st francis' church, james balfour, mrs hornbrook, paddy's market, wilson hall, working men's college, henry kendall, le souef's cottage, world war one, westernport, melbourne cup, hoddle, collingwood, south melbourne, prahran, richmond, kew, brunswick, coburg, preston, hawthorn, camberwell, nunawading, doncaster, st kilda, brighton, sandringham, cheltenham, caulfield, oalkleigh, footscray, sunshine, north melbourne, carlton, ballarat school of art library, ballarat technical art school, book plate, library plate, hume and hovell's overland journey 1824-5, major mtichell's overland journey, australia felix, booplate, aborigine, aboriginal, captain cook, arthur phillip, isaac smith, george bass, matthew flinders, john murray, catain baudain, captain collins, edward henty, portalnd, map od melbourne in 1938, john pascoe fawkner, the "enterprise: and fawkner's first home, old colonists' homes, rushall crescent north fitszroy, richard bourke, the old melbourne post offfice, old governmnt house, toorak, latrobe's house at jolimont, first melbourne land sale, melbourne water supply, peter henry smith, victorian legislative council opening, map of melbourne and collingwood, prince's bridge, crossing the rivers by punt, f.a> rucker, canvas city emerald hill, arrival of the gold escort in melbourne, the yarra, queen's wharf, tall ships, old st james, mary e. budd, st francis church, michael carr, meolbourne city mission, state library of victoria, melbourne public library, bourke street, angus mcmilan, methodist ladies college, ormond college, armistance celebrations, robert russell, mia mia, theatre royal bouke st, melbourne from flaggstaff hill, federal coffee palace collins st, lord melbourne, melbourne mint, old melbourne town hall, robert russell's melbourne and yarra falls, mandevalle hall, point lansdale lighthouse, wilson's promontory, margaret m. ward cole, williamstown, flinders st melbourne, queenscliff battery, broadmeadows soldiers' camp, embarkation of first troops on the 'ceramic', general monsash, ian hamilton, general bridges, victorian war memorial, national war memorial, st kilda pier, first melbourne cup, hoddle's grid, albert park, melbourne mechanic's institute, st kilda toll gate, munted policeman, springthorpe memorial, james bonwick, mornane's paddock, victorian railways melbourne and surburban lines, carlton gardens, thomas napier, wiliam westgarth, george augustus robinson, william lonsdale, elizabeth mary batman, peomena frances darling batman, dig tree, exhibition of 1854, exhibition of 1866, exhibition buildings, geelong harbour, jubilee lake, port campbell, warrnambool, queenscliff lightboat, batman's first house

Scanned from "The Old Pioneers' Memorial History of Melbourne From the Discovery of Port Phillip to the World War". It is a facsimile map from the House of Commons Reports of Committee.John Batman's map of Port Phillip showing Dutigalla (Batman's Tract), a township reserve, open plains, public common reserve, fresh water"A tract of country [called?] by the native chief of Southern Ausralia to be John Batman 6th June 1935."port phillip bay, john batman, melbourne, iramoo, r. sarsh, river sarsh, river batman, yarra river

Gold was discovered in Victoria c1850 and people came from all over the world to seek their fortune at Ballarat and Bendigo and surrounding gold fields. This large wooden rocking- box or cradle was used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as the miner put gravel into the top part and finer and heavier particles dropped through a screen, helped along by buckets of water. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. After many shovel loads of gravel were pushed through the rocker, the miner would then use his gold pan to sort out the heavy minerals to find gold. Most of the pioneer settlers in Moorabbin Shire left the area to try their luck at gold mining and there was a desperate shortage of workers to maintain the market gardens and supply food to the ever increasing population of Melbourne.This gold prospector's 'cradle' is hand made and typical of those used by many hopeful Moorabbin Shire pioneers as they abandoned their market gardens to try their luck at finding gold in the Ballarat and Bendigo minefields c1850This gold miner's rocker is very old, and very well-used. It is a large wooden rocking- box or cradle used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as gravel is put in the top part of the box so that finer and heavier particles drop through a screen.. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. i.e gold particles. The water passed through the shute at the base back into the creek or river.moorabbin, brighton, market gardens, pioneers, early settlers, fruit, vegetable, ballarat, bendigo, gold mining, gold prospedtors, gold rush, were j. b., irish immigrants, chinese immigrants, gold panning, gold digger

The London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company began in 1854 as the London Stereoscope Company (LSC), from 1856 was known as the London Stereoscopic Company, and from May 1859 as the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company.This card is from the collection of a pioneer family of the City of Moorabbin.Stereograph Card manufactured by 'The London Stereoscopic Company' 54 Cheapside - black and whiteThe Falls of Montmorenci, near Qubec, Canada "These beautiful falls are eight miles distant from Quebec, on the Montmorenci river and situated at a point where the river is sixty feet wide. The descent of the torrent is 250 feet higher than those of Niagra, but only about fifty feet in width. The effect of the view of these falls upon the beholder is most delightful. The river at some distance seems suspended in the air, in a sheet of billowy foam. The water which first breaks over the ledge in on sheet is more and more divided as it plunges against the successive layers of rock, which it almost completely veils from view; the spray becomes very delicate and abundant, from top to bottom, hanging over, and revolving round the torrent, till it becomes lighter and more evanescent than the whitest fleecy clouds of summer." In the winter time the spray form the fall freezes in the form of a cone to a height of nearly 100 feet, and at such time the falls a greatly resorted to for the amusement of sliding down the cone with the tobogen, or Indian sleigh. The comparatively short distance from the city and the extreme beauty of the scenery along the whole route, render these falls an attractive scene for the inhabitants, who account a visit amongst their usual recreations.quebec, canada, the falls of montmorenci, moorabbin, stereograph cards

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below, slightly bulged neck. Shoulder has some diagonal creases and a line where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. Heel varies in width. Pushed up base has pontil mark. Base is uneven. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below, slightly bulged neck. Shoulder has a line where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. Heel varies in width. Pushed up base has pontil mark. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Mouth has cork seal. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below, slightly bulged neck. Shoulder a line where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. Heel varies in width. Pushed up base has pontil mark. White discolouration in a narrow line down the body. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Mouth has cork seal. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below, slightly bulged neck. Shoulder has a line with a long bump where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. Pushed up base has pontil mark. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Mouth has cork seal, partly removed, with content remnants inside. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below, slightly bulged neck. Shoulder a line where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. Heel varies in width. Base is uneven. Pushed up base has pontil mark. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle

This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. This bottle is now part of the John Chance collection. Black glass is one of the oldest bottle colours and dates back to the early 17th century. In the 1840s to late-1870s black glass bottles were mainly used for liquor and ale. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber coloured glass, and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. Its significance is increased by also being an artefact recovered by John Chance, a diver from the wreck of the Loch Ard and other wrecks in the late-1960s to early-1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass. Thick matt body, with slightly bumpy texture, areas with sheen, colour imperfections. Mouth is sealed, and has remnants of tape on outside. Tooled cork-top finish with ring below. Slightly bulged neck. Shoulder has some diagonal creases and a distinct line where shoulder meets body. Body tapers inwards to base. It has a bubble and diagonal crease lines. Base is uneven. Pushed up base has pontil mark. Handmade, dip mould. No inscriptions.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, black glass, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle