When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oat with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned.32 In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery.33 Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck. The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Part of a Pocket knife handle, wooden handle with metal inlay on one side, blade missing. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, schomberg, shipwrecked-artefact, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, pocket knife

Most likely donated by Dr Frank Forster, possibly collected by him from colleagues initially.Uterine dilator, Gardner's, stamped on blade "HIGHEST STAND...(ard). Worn away- This item must have had great usage.uterine device, dilation, forster, frank

First developed by James Young Simpson in 1848, Simpson forceps have become arguably the most popular model of forceps for use, and were adapted in the creation of many later designs.Short handled set of forceps, possibly made of stainless steel. Marked "DOWN LONDON" on inner aspect of left blade handle.'DOWN LONDON'obstetric delivery

Self -propelled Motorised cutting Bladed Roller Mower 98 cc 2 stroke engine with grass catcher - photo 0022Ransomes Ipswichlawn mower, grass, mower

Trench art was a common past time and items were created using available materials. Ashtray created from an airplane piston with single engine airplane mounted on top edge. Three blade propeller in working order.1745-02/2 on pistol head.

Black bakelite handle, metal blade with brass fittings. Leather and wood scabbard with brass end and two small sharpening knives.Nil

Used with Lebel Model 1886 bolt action rifle and was the basic French infantry weapon of World War 1 (1914-1918). Probably brought to Australia by a returning soldier as a souvenir. Donated to 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles Collection when no longer of interest to family. Nickname 'Rosalie' by French soldiers, a reference to a popular song of the war years. Called French knitting needles by German soldiers.Fine example of World War 1 weaponry used by allied forces.French Model 1886/93 "Rosalie" bayonet, 500mm steel cruciform section blade with quillon (hook) and brass anodized handle.On Quilion "M 78124"rosalie, knitting needles, french, bayonet

Important tool especially for infantry and used for range of purposes while in the field.Machete was a versatile tool for soldiers but infantry in particular. It assisted with negotiating through thick scrub, various cutting usages; also assisted, with shovel, in digging usages. Machete: metal blade, wooden handle with wrist strap; sharpening stone; canvas holder for machete with pouch to contain sharpening stonevietnam, vietnam war, diamond valley vietnam veterans sub branch, equipment

Used in the 19th Century A forged steel curved and straight blade headed hoe with a long handmade handle. It was used for chopping into the ground in the late 19th century.agricultural tools, hoes, gardening tools, gardening hoes, steel, wood

Used by donor's father in Australia.Carpenter's/wood worker's plane - wooden hand grip & wooden knob; screw for adjusting metal blade, metal base plate.'STANLEY' embossed on metal front plate /'BAILEY', No. 4 1/2 on base plate.carpentry, stanley works, woodwork

A machine fitted with sharp blades, for mashing, crushing or liquefying food ingredients. i.e vitamizing. The jug, made of glass, steel, aluminium or plastic, contains rotor blades that engage with a bit protruding from the base containing an electric motor. When activated by the switch on the base the sharp rotor blades chop, mix , mince, pulverize the ingredients in the jug . The degree of mince depends on the time the motor is running. The jug is easily removed from the base to pour the mixed ingredients where needed and the rotors are safely and easily cleaned by rinsing under water.c1940, an electric, 'Vulcan' Vitamizer, with the original cloth covered flex and bake-lite lever switch at front of the cream bake-lite base . The jug- shaped chrome blender has a red, thick, rubber lid. Front: : Vulcan / LM1 Base ; VULCAN / TYPE LM1 / Patent Pending Design / Volts 220 Amps 8vitamizer, food preparation, cooking, vulcan pty ltd australia, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, ormond, housekeeping

Foley Automatic power setter. model 352. was used to set (cut) the teeth on saw blades6 pages, some colourowners manuals, saws, power tools, tools

This saw was made by H. Disston and Sons, a Philadelphia, U.S.A. company founded in 1850 by Henry Disston. It became the largest saw maker in the world in the 20th century. This saw could have been used for industrial or for household purposes. The hand saw used today features the same basic pattern as this one. This saw has no known local provenance but is retained as an example of a hand saw that is over 100 years old. This saw has a triangular-shaped metal blade with a serrated edge on the straight side. The blade has details of the manufacturer imprinted into the metal but this is mostly indecipherable. The wooden handle has four wooden screws and a fern pattern etched into one side. It also has a metal plaque with the name and emblem of the maker. The saw has some staining.‘H. Disston & Sons Philada’household tools, history of warrnambool, wood saw

This tool is one of several in a collection that is believed to have belonged to the Warrnambool carpenter and businessman, Henry Phillips. English-born Henry Phillips (1821-1896) came to Australia with his wife Elizabeth in 1849. They lived for some years in Port Fairy and in 1865 Henry formed a partnership with Christopher Beattie to establish the Warrnambool undertaking business of Beattie and Phillips. This business continued on after the deaths of the founders and lasted until the year 2000. In Warrnambool Henry Phillips was involved in the management of the Mechanics Institute.This item is retained as an example of a vintage tool and as a memento of the Warrnambool carpenter and businessman, Henry Phillips.This is a large wood plane tool. It is rectangular in shape and has a centre piece gouged out and a metal blade protected by a wooden piece inserted into the top hole and protruding at the base of the body to form a planing tool. The metal blade has a straight edge. A wooden handle at the end of the tool body has been broken off but is retained with the tool. vintage tools, henry phillips, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This "ladies" pocket knife was used up to the late 1900's by influential and "well off" ladies, not only as a fashion statement but as a practical tool when away from the kitchen/home to peel fruit and provide a cutting instrument for small items. It was a method to show the growing independence of women to skillfully process food away from the home and kitchen. The use of such a small compact knife could also have been used by male cigar smokers (docking the end of the cigar)This "lady's "purse" knife was a demonstration of the growing independence of women in Australia and especially in rural areas up to the 1940's. The two World Wars provided the opportunity for women to take over what was traditionally "men's work". This evolution of women's equality in society brought changes to what the traditional role of rural women had been entrenched from first colonisation of Australia. The use of such a small compact knife could also have been used by male cigar smokers (docking the end of the cigar). This method of preparation of a good cigar would have been used by wealthy property owners or men of "class"This small one blade knife (lady's) has an "ivory" body containing one small blade. Horizontal lines in "off white" appearance run from one end to the other. One end has a "U" fitting(to provide an anchorage for a chain). This small knife could also have been used by male cigar smokers.ladies pocket knife, small knives, traveller's cutting implements

A bucksaw is a hand powered frame saw similar to bow saw and generally used with a sawbuck to cut logs or firewood to length (bucking).Used by residents of the Kiewa Valley for clearing land, chopping firewood, cutting lumber. Also used while camping because it is portableFormerly UKV 239. Buck Saw with Lightning Tooth Blade. Operated by two men.Ref. Page 10 Tools for all Trade Catalogue. It consists of 3 horizontal bars, the top one being twisted wire and the bottom one being the metal blade with a wood bar in between. They are attached at each end to curved wooden bars. tool for wood, saw, buck saw

This butter or cheese knife is a decorative example of electroplated cutlery that had become an affordable alternative to more expensive silver cutlery in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The knife has stamp marks in the back of its handle that are a combination of letters and symbols used by British silversmiths to identify their workmanship. The design and type of this knife was not normally used by everyday people but rather those of a higher social class with time and money to have a particular decorative knife to serve butter or cheese. The marks on the handle tell that it was made of nickel silver, and electroplated with superior quality Stirling silver. The Barker Brothers of Birmingham made the knife between 1885 and 1907, but most likely before 1895. It was made for the British, or British colonial, people, connected with a government department such as the navy or defence. This story may be slightly inaccurate, as some silversmiths added extra ‘pseudo marks’ to their wares to disguise the quality. THE MARKS and their meaning – - ‘A1’ The silver used in electroplating this knife was the highest level, ‘superior quality’, measured in grams of silver per table spoon or table fork, with ‘A1’ being 2 2/3 grams, and ‘D’ being 0 1/2 grams of silver. - ‘BB’ The Baker Brothers used these initials from 1885 to 1907. - ‘[crown symbol]’ – This symbol is used for Sterling silver but this knife is a metal alloy. The crown is also the town mark of Sheffield (appointed by the Sheffield Assay Office) but this knife was made in Birmingham, which has the town mark of an anchor. The Barker Brothers may have added the crown mark to this electroplated silverware as a ‘pseudo hallmark’, leading the buyer to think that it was actual Sterling silver. The use of pseudo hallmarks by electroplaters of the Victorian era was common practice but it was illegal. In 1895 the unlawful practice was seen as imitating the Sheffield Silver Mark and the law was firmly applied to eradicate the deception, so items with this mark probably date before 1895. - [EPNS] Electro Plated Nickel Silver, called nickel silver or German silver, is a metal alloy that usually combines copper, nickel and zinc (60 percent copper, 20 percent nickel, 20 percent zinc). It has a silver-white appearance and is sometimes referred to as ‘white ware’. It does not contain any silver but is often used as a base for electroplating, when the item is covered with a thin layer of silver to give it the polished appearance of pure silver. It became popular in the late 19th and early 20th century as an affordable substitute for sterling silver. - Broad Arrow - an official stamp that indicates it was once the property of Britain government, either in Britain or one of its colonies, and used in the defence force. In Great Britain, from an 1875 government act, it was, and still, is a crime to forge or wrongfully use, the broad arrow symbol. The BARKER BROTHERS of Birmingham - Barker Brothers were one of the earlies firms of Birmingham silversmiths, established in 1801 by Mary Barker. They became Barker & Creed, then William and Matthias Barker, then from 1885 they were the Barker Brothers. They were operating in Paradise Street in 1871 until in 1903 they moved to Unity Works, Constitution Hill, in Birmingham. The firm also had a showroom at 292 High Holborn, London, from the early 1900s to the 1980s. In 1907 the firm became Barker Brothers Silversmiths Ltd, then in the 1960s they merged with Ellis & Co, becoming Barker Ellis Silver Co. Ltd. In 1979 they were registered in USA as Ellis & Co., Barker Ellis, and Ellis Barker. The business went into administration in 1992, after almost 200 years of production. The firm advertised as specialists in electroplating, and used the trademarks BRITANOID, UNITY PLATE and THE HYGENIA.This knife is historically significant, dated from 1885 to 1907 but most likely pre-1895, and made by the longstanding Birmingham silversmiths, the Barker Brothers, established in 1801. The knife is an example of decorative flatware used by people of ’class’. It also has the broad arrow stamp, connecting it to the British government, in particular the ordinance department. The stamp also connects it to other items in our collection with that stamp. It may have been connected to pre-Federation government organisations and officials such as the army Garrison, government naval vessel, police, lighthouse keepers, harbour masters. The knife is the only example of its kind in our collection, being a decorative silver butter or cheese knife, made by the Barker Brothers of Birmingham. Butter knife, or cheese knife, electroplated nickel silver (EPNS). Upper blade edge has decorative shape and engraved motifs, lower blade edge is bevelled to a cutting edge, and narrow plain handle flares out to a wide, rounded end. Maker’s marks are stamped on the reverse. Made by Barker Brothers of Birmingham in the late-19th century. Stamps: “

A metal King Eye slasher with an unusual rounded 'U' shaped open blade and a wooden handle. On the blade is stamped, 'King Eye, PATT NO, 3868 A & F PARKES & CO BIRMINGHAM England'. It was efficient for clearing thin and dense low-lying scrub or bush where an axe would be too clumsy. It is similar to a billhook, but with a longer handle.'KING EYE, PATT NO, 3868 A & F PARKES & CO BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND'tools, agricultural equipment, agricultural tools, slashers, gardening tools

Caulking is the traditional technique used on wooden vessels built with butted or clinker-built planks to fill the gaps between these planks while still allowing the wood to flex and move. This involved driving the irons, hammered in with the mallet, deep into the seams to open them up. After this, spun yarn, oakum (hemp) or cotton was driven deep into the gaps. The hemp or cotton was soaked in creosote or pine tar to make the joins watertight. Caulking also played a structural role in tightening up the hull or deck by reducing the longitudinal movement of the neighbouring planks. The subject item was made by Alexander Mathieson & Sons but the company was established in 1792 when John Manners had set up a workshop making woodworking planes at 14 Saracens Lane Glasgow. He also employed an apprentice Alexander Mathieson (1773-1851). But in the following year at Saracen's Lane, the 1841 census describes Alexander Mathieson as a master plane-maker now at 38 Saracen Lane with his son Thomas Adam working with him as a journeyman plane-maker. Presumably, Alexander must have taken over the premises and business of John Manners. Now that the business had Thomas Adam Mathieson working with his father it gradually grew and became more diversified, and it is recorded at the time by the Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory that by 1847-1848 Alexander Mathieson was a “plane, brace, bit, auger & edge tool maker”. In 1849 the firm of James & William Stewart at 65 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh was taken over by Mathieson and Thomas was put in charge of the business, trading under the name Thomas A. Mathieson & Co. as plane and edge-tool makers. Thomas's company went on to acquire the Edinburgh edge-tool makers “Charles & Hugh McPherson” and took over their premises in Gilmore Street. In the Edinburgh directory of 1856/7, the business is recorded as being Alexander Mathieson & Son, plane and edge-tool makers at 48 Nicolson Street and Paul's Work, Gilmore Street Edinburgh. In the 1851 census, Alexander is recorded as working as a tool and plane-maker employing eight men. Later that year Alexander died and his son Thomas took over the business. Under the heading of an edge-tool maker in the 1852/3 Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory the firm is now listed as Alexander Mathieson & Son, with further entries as "turning-lathe and vice manufacturers". By the early 1850s, the business had moved to 24 Saracen Lane. The directory for 1857/8 records that the firm had moved again only a few years later to East Campbell Street, off the Gallowgate area, and that through further diversification was also manufacturing coopers' and tinmen's tools. The ten-yearly censuses report the firm's growth in 1861 stating that Thomas was a tool manufacturer employing 95 men and 30 boys; in 1871 he had 200 men working for him and in 1881 300 men. By 1899 the firm had been incorporated as Alexander Mathieson & Sons Ltd, even though only Alexander's son Thomas appears ever to have joined the firm so the company was still in his father's name. In September 1868 Thomas Mathieson put a notice in the newspapers of the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent and the Sheffield Daily Telegraph stating that his firm had used the trade-mark of a crescent and star "for some time" and that "using or imitating the Mark would be proceeded against for infringement". The firm had acquired its interest in the crescent-and-star mark from the heirs of Charles Pickslay, the Sheffield cutler who had registered it with the Cutlers' Company in 1833 and had died in 1852. The year 1868 seems also to be the one in which the name Saracen Tool Works was first adopted; not only does it figure at the foot of the notice in the Sheffield press, but it also makes its first appearance in the firm's entry in the Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory in the 1868/9 edition. As Thomas Mathieson's business grew, so too did his involvement in local public life and philanthropy. One of the representatives of the third ward on the town council of Glasgow, he became a river bailie in 1868, a magistrate in 1870 and a preceptor of Hutcheson's Hospital in 1878. He had a passion for books and was an "ardent Ruskinian". He served on the committee handling the bequest for the setting up of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. When he died at Coulter Maynes near Biggar in 1899, he left an estate worth £142,764.  In the Company's later years both Thomas's sons, James Harper and Thomas Ogilvie were involved in the continuing life of the firm. James followed in his father's footsteps in becoming a local public figure. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the County of the City of Glasgow and was made a deacon of the Incorporation of the Hammermen of Glasgow in 1919. His brother Thomas Ogilvie was recorded as a tool manufacturer and employer in the 1911 census. Thomas Ogilvie's son Thomas Alastair Sutherland Ogilvie Mathieson was born in 1908 and took a rather different approach to engineer, however, by becoming a racing driver. In 1947 he wed the French film actress Mila Parély. The firm had won many awards at world fairs for their goods. At the Great Exhibition, London, 1851. Prize medal for joiners' tools in the class of Cutlery & Edge Tools, Great London Exposition, 1862. Prize medal honoris causa. International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1880. Gold medal International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, Edinburgh, 1886. Prize medalThe firm Alexander Mathieson & Sons were one of the leading makers of hand tools in Scotland. Its success went hand in hand with the growth of the shipbuilding industries on the Firth of Clyde in the nineteenth century and the emergence of Glasgow as the "second city of the Empire". It also reflected the firm's skill in responding to an unprecedented demand for quality tools by shipyards, cooperages and other industries, both locally and far and wide. The subject item is of further significance as it gives a snapshot of the technological development of sailing ships and their operation before steam-powered vessels took over around the world. Tools such as the subject item demonstrate the traditional craftsmanship and skill of the shipwright and the aesthetic quality of the timber ships designs of the time. Caulking tool Off-set. Stamped on blade "Mathieson & Son Glasgow" also stamped in handle, James S Steele tool box.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, james s steele, caulking iron, caulking tool, offset caulking tool, alexander mathieson & sons, shipwrights tools, ship building, clinker hull caulking, sailing ships

Czech Military bayonet with solid metal scabbard. Possible for 33/40 Mauser Rifle in WW2.On blade C.Z over C on handle E35. Scabbard CETN also with E35. Matching scabbard and bayonet

Rolls Razor with Case, Lid and Built-in StrapRolls Razor Pat No 224578, 242718 - 1927 Blade L37 7 - Rolls Razor Made in Englandrazor, personal care, beard, removal

This axe is fitted with a smaller head and handle than a felling axe and is probably for one-handed use. It would be used for trimming limbs and for small chopping jobs.This is an example of a tool commonly used by early generations of Orbost settlers.A wooden handled axe. The top edge of the iron blade is straight and the shape is a right-angled triangle. A yellow cord is threaded through the handleaxe trade-axe timber farming tool

Ship scraper - triangular shaped object with flat blade one end and sharp point at other. Has wooden handle secured by a rivet.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Moulding plane : Round. Maker is Routledge. Has JAS Burden stamped either end. Also has 12 stamped. Blade missing.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Ref: LA/08 HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But LOCH ARD was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4am the fog lifted. A man aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and LOCH ARD's bow swung back. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold its position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves broke over the ship and the top deck was loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of LOCH ARD and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael had raced onto deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached LOCH ARD Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland, this time by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the LOCH ARD disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost all of her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the LOCH ARD tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of LOCH ARD still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today, the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant 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 collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. Wooden handled pocket knife with blade intact. Heavily encrusted. Recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard. Artefact Reg No LA/07.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, pocket knife