Possibly taken prior to first load of oil being shippeed to Melbourne from Lakes Entrance October 1930 per SS TambarBlack and white photograph which appeared in Weekly Times Newspaper showing officials of SA Oil Wells Company,man standing front of truck Mr AW Imray Director of SA Oil Company other visitors and workmen gathered around a small truck with barrels stacked on tray at Lakes Entrance Victoriaoil and gas industry, engineering, social history

Standing on a drum is Mr Albert E Clark, Manager of Lakes Oil Limited a company from 1942until 1950's. Win Clark a hat, others are unidentifiedBlack and white photograph of oil flowing from MacCulloch No. 2 Oil Bore North Arm Lakes Entranceoil and gas industry, engineering, social history

Mrs Cobden claimed to have discovered oil at Lake Bunga and purchased many shares during original excitment and tried to claim reward money for her supposed discovery. This bore obtained crude oil in 30 ft of oils and. Total depth 1275 feet, not further developed.Black and white photograph of Mrs Cobden taken at Lake View Oil Company well in Butcher's Paddock Lakes Entrance Victoriaoil and gas industry, engineering, social history

Black and white laminated photograph of SA Oil Company No 8 well east of Myer Street at rear of present secondary college Lakes Entrance Victoria.Shows more detail than 04908 oil and gas industry, engineering, social history

Sepia toned photograph of water flowing from abandoned oil well Lakes Entrance Development Company drilled in 1924 at Lake Bunga Victoriaengineering, oil drilling, oil and gas industry

Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many things including temperature, relative humidity, forest type, fuel quantity and fuel dryness, topography and even slope. Wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), and also bushfire size, shape and direction. Fuel arrangement is as important as fuel quantity (tonnes/ha). Fibrous and ribbon bark, together with elevated and near-surface scrub fuels act as ladders which lead flames into the tree canopy. But the availability of fuel to burn depends largely on its moisture content. When it exceeds 20-25% not much will burn, whereas 12-15% is generally ideal for fuel reduction burning, but if the moisture content drops as low as 7-10% virtually everything will ignite, and fire behaviour becomes extreme. During the afternoon of the Ash Wednesday bushfires on 16 February 1983 fuel moisture contents were recorded at Stawell as low as 2.7%. Fine fuels like leaves and bark can rapidly absorb moisture after a shower of rain, or from the air when the Relative Humidity (RH) is high, and the temperature is low. Conversely, they can also dry out very quickly. So even though the overall fuel quantity in the forest doesn’t change, the fine fuel availability can increase rapidly from zero after rain to many tonnes per hectare as the fuel dries out. This can happen over a few hours on hot and windy days. Heavy fuels like logs on the ground take longer to dry out. Since the 1930s foresters, firefighters and researchers have been working to develop quick and reliable techniques for measuring fuel moisture content. One of the most accurate methods is slowly drying a sample of fuel in a conventional oven for 24-48 hours to remove all the moisture and measuring the weight difference, but this takes time and is not practical in the field when rapid measurements are needed. But oven drying is often used as a benchmark to compare other methods. Microwave ovens are faster but can cause uneven drying and even char the fuel. They are also not very practical for use in the field. Some mathematical models rely on weather records such as rainfall, wind speed, evaporation, cloud cover, shading, relative humidity, slope, aspect and season of the year to predict soil and fuel moisture. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index of soil dryness is the most common. But complex fuels with leaves, twigs, grass etc make the predictive models often inadequate for fine fuels. The most common technique in Victorian forests until recently was the trusty Speedy Moisture Meter. Originally developed in England during the 1920s for measuring moisture in wheat and other grains it was adapted for Australian forest fuels in the 1950s (I think). Fuel was first ground using a Spong mincer, often attached to the bullbar of a vehicle, and a small sample placed into the Speedy together with a measure of calcium carbide and then sealed. A chemical reaction created gas pressure which was read on the external dial. There were important techniques with cleaning, mincing and using the chemicals with the Speedy to give reliable readings, but it was quick, inexpensive, robust, portable and practical in the field. It was used routinely before igniting a fuel reduction burn or measuring fuel moisture differentials on slash burns. But in about 1996, Karen Chatto and Kevin Tolhurst from the Department’s Creswick Research Station developed the Wiltronics Fuel Moisture meter which measured electrical resistance. Wiltronics is an Australian owned company operating from Ballarat. The final result was a kit that was portable, accurate and could reliably measure fuel moisture contents between 3% and 200%. Although expensive, it is now widely used by fire agencies around the world which has virtually relegated the Speedy to the back cupboard.Prototype Fuel moisture meterT-H Fine Fuel Meterforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest measurement

Robert James Minnitt introduced the concept of self-administered analgesia, using an apparatus designed and built in conjunction with London scientific instrument-maker, Charles King. The Minnitt apparatus met with considerable success and led to further modifications, including the introduction of the Queen Charlotte gas-air analgesia apparatus in 1936, manufactured by the British Oxygen Company.Black and white photograph of a Minnitt gas/air analgesia apparatus, in a Queen Charlotte case. The case is standing open with the apparatus inside. A label with instructions is on the left side of the case, and the apparatus is on the right side of the case. A nitrous oxide cylinder tank and valve is connected to a small box with a regulator. A tube with a breathing mask is attached to the box. The Queen Charlotte case has hinges on the side and a handle on the top.minnitt gas air apparatus, minnitt, nitrous oxide, queen charlotte case, anaesthetic equipment

Large unused diamond shaped Austox label made for use on ethylene cylinders. Beige with red lettering.Information printed on label: SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR MEDICAL USE / AUSTOX [logo] / INFLAMMABLE / ETHYLENE / KEEP COOL / Product of the OHIO CHEMICAL & MFG. CO., CLEVELAND. / Contents...............c.ft. ............... gallons (Imp.) / Weight of Full Cylinder ..........lbs. ..........ozs. / 31 OUNCES ETHYLENE = 166 1/2 GALLONS (IMPERIAL) / Use only moderate force when closing valve / Always test with water for leakage after using / Australian Oxygen & Industrial Gases / Pty. Ltd. / MELBOURNElabel, cylinder, cig, ethylene, austox, ohio chemical and mfg company, australian oxygen and industrial gases pty ltd, commonwealth industrial gases ltd

Large unused diamond shaped Austox label made for use on ethylene cylinders. Red with beige lettering.Information printed on label: AUSTOX [logo] / INFLAMMABLE / ETHYLENE / KEEP COOL / Product of the British Oxygen Co. Ltd. / Contents...............c.ft. ...............gallons (Imp.) / Weight of Full Cylinder ..........lbs. ..........ozs. / 31 OUNCES ETHYLENE = 166 1/2 GALLONS (IMPERIAL) / Use only moderate force when closing valve / Always test with water for leakage after using / Australian Oxygen & Industrial Gases / Pty. Ltd. / MELBOURNElabel, cylinder, cig, ethylene, austox, british oxygen company, boc, australian oxygen and industrial gases pty ltd, commonwealth industrial gases ltd

Medium sized diamond shaped label made for use on cyclopropane cylinders. White with a dark orange background and black and white lettering.Information printed on label: AUSTOX [logo] / INFLAMMABLE / CYCLOPROPANE / FOR ANAESTHESIA / KEEP COOL / (PRODUCT OF THE OHIO CHEMICAL & MFG. CO.) / CONTENTS: OZ. GALLONS (IMP.) / GROSS WT. CYLINDER LBS. OZS. / TARE WT. CYLINDER LBS. OZS. / AUSTRALIAN OXYGEN & INDUSTRIAL GASES / PTY. LTD. / 550 LATROBE STREET / MELBOURNE / C1label, cylinder, cig, cyclopropane, austox, ohio chemical and mfg company, australian oxygen and industrial gases pty ltd, commonwealth industrial gases ltd