The Loch Ard was an iron hulled clipper, built in Scotland in 1873 and wrecked on the southwest coast of Victoria in 1878 at what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge, near Port Campbell. Fifty two crew and passengers died and only Tom Pierce and Eva Carmichael survived. The Loch Ard was the last sailing ship to lose emigrants' lives when negotiating the entrance to Bass Strait. 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. The Victorian History Advisory Council decided 1978 was an appropriate year to mark, not only the centenary of the sinking of the Loch Ard in 1878, but also commemorate the large part played by sailing ships in immigration, and through this, the development of Australia. The Victorian Government authorised the commemoration and a "Loch Ard Centenary Committee" was formed. It was established to create public interest and awareness for the 100th anniversary of the tragic Loch Ard shipwreck. Activities and events included student essays, exhibitions, videos, publications, competitions and historical information. A booklet called "Settlers Under Sail" by Don Charlwood was commissioned to be made available to all school children. The anchor of the Loch Ard was raised from the wreck and displayed at Port Campbell, a memorial plaque (erected by The National Park) was unveiled at Loch Ard Gorge, a special "Loch Ard Shipwreck Centennial Port Campbell" postmark was issued by the Post Office and a model ship competition was held. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, together with other local towns and shires along the south-west coast participated in many of these commemorative activities. This letter is a significant reminder (and recognition) of the importance the Loch Ard (and other immigrant ships) played in the settling of Victoria and the dangers faced by the settlers who came to Australia in these ships. 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.Single page letter typed in blue ink, on behalf of Koroit Council, written on 14th March 1978 and addressed to the Chairman, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Advisory Board, in recognition of the "Loch Ard Centenary Commemoration 1878 - 1978". It has the "Borough of Koroit" stamp at the top of the page and a red "Borough of Koroit" seal on the bottom right-hand corner of the page. It is signed by the Mayor (Allan R. Waterson), a councillor (J. W. Smith) and the Town Clerk (Jim Macdonald). The letter is in a plain buff manilla folder labelled in blue type.Top left corner - "Address correspondence to:/TOWN CLERK / P.O. BOX 5/KOROIT, 3282" Top Centre - blue circular ink stamp of "BOROUGH OF KOROIT 1870" with coat of arms in the center Top right - "TOWN HALL,KOROIT/ PHONE KOROIT (055) 658230/After Hours (055) 658490" The letter is addressed to - "CR. J. S. Lindsay, /Chairman,/ Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Advisory Board,/ WARRNAMBOOL. 3280" "LOCH ARD CENTENARY COMMEMORATION 1878 - 1978" (underlined) The letter begins - "It is with much pleasure that the Council of the Borough of Koroit, join with neighbouring municipalities, civic leaders and other organisations on this day, in commemorating the "Loch Ard" Shipwreck centenary. The "Loch Ard" operated as a cargo and passenger vessel for immigrants, for a period of five years, from 1873 to 1878. Its last voyage was from England to Melbourne, and the ship was sunk on the 1st June 1878, with only two survivors from passengers and crew of fifty-four. The celebrations being conducted throughout our district this day will help us all to remember and appreciate the determination and spirit shown by these people, for they had the faith to realise that their endeavours would be successful, even against great odds in comparison to present day standards and techniques, and their imprint on our history is record of this fact. This commemoration acknowledges the important role undertaken by sailing ships such as the "Loch Ard" and the vital role this ship played in the early settlement of the State of Victoria." The letter ends with -" the Common Seal of the Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses of the Borough of Koroit was hereunto affixed this 18th day of March, 1978." The letter is signed "Allan J. Waterson Mayor/J. W. Smith Councillor/ Jim Macdonald Town Clerk and a large red seal of the Borough of Koroit (with their coat of arms) is in the bottom right-hand corner. Front of manilla folder - "BOROUGH OF KOROIT / LOCH ARD CENTENARY COMMEMORATION/ 1878 - 1978" "4050" written in black ink top right-hand corner next to a scribbled out numberflagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, loch ard, port cambell, shipwreck, commemorative committee, loch ard centenary, koroit council, commemorative letter, loch ard commemorative committee

Quolls are small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. Tjilpa is the name given to the quoll amongst the Northern Arrernte language group of Australian Aboriginal people. Quolls are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. The six species vary in weight and size, from 300g to 7kg. They live in coastal heathlands, sub-alpine woodlands, temperate woodlands and forests, riparian forests and wet sclerophyll forests. This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from either the Trustees of the Australian Museum or from the amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880 and mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee around the same time. When all taxidermy mounts were completed, they were quickly put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century. This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century.Small quoll with a small round head, long body, and long, thin tail perched on a branch attached to a wooden mount. The quoll has four skinny legs which have long, dark claws. The quoll's hair is a fawn colour with cream spots. There are two black eyes made of glass, two short pointed ears and black whiskers.On wooden mount: BMM5897 /taxidermy, quoll, animal, australia, burke museum, beechworth, reynell eveleigh johns, taxidermy mount, marsupial

Four species of quoll occur in Australia: the northern, spotted-tailed, eastern and western quolls. Once, most parts of Australia were inhabited by at least one of the species.Captain Cook collected quolls along the east coast in 1770, and recorded "quoll" as their local Aboriginal name. Quolls were often seen by early settlers, who called them "native cat", "native polecat" and "spotted marten", names based on familiar European animals. Since 1770, all four species have declined dramatically in numbers. This is mainly because of habitat loss or change across Australia, and introduced predators such as foxes and cats. Quolls are carnivorous marsupials with a pointed snout, a long tail and brown to black fur distinctively spotted with white. They are lively, attractive animals, with bright eyes, a moist pink nose and many sharp teeth. Like most Australian mammals, quolls are mainly active at night. Typically, they spend the day in one of their many dens, although spotted-tailed quolls and northern quolls sometimes forage and bask in the sunshine. Their large home ranges can extend for several kilometres in each direction from a smaller core range, and the range of a male quoll often overlaps those of several females. An interesting feature of their behaviour is the use of shared latrine (toilet) sites in open spaces such as rock ledges, for marking their territory and other social functions. Male quolls travel widely during the breeding season, with mating occurring during winter. All four species have a gestation period of 21 days. Because they are marsupial mammals, their young are born tiny and undeveloped and must work their way to the pouch, where they attach themselves to a teat to feed. Only the spotted-tailed quoll has a true pouch. In the other species, the young are protected by shallow folds of skin around the teats. As the pups grow, they dangle from the mother's belly; later, she carries them on her back. Quolls reach sexual maturity at one year. They have a naturally short life span, with smaller quolls living an average of only two years, and the larger spotted-tailed quoll about four to five years. The northern quoll is particularly short-lived. This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from various institutions across Australia, including the Australian Museum and the National Museum of Victoria, as well as individuals such amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880. These skins were then mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee and put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century. This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century.Average sized quoll with brown fur with white spots on body but absence on the long tail which is furry unlike the smooth body fur. The quoll has a small had with a pointed snout lined with sharp teeth, and thin membraned ears that are slightly covered in fur. The forelegs of the quoll are slightly smaller than the hindlegs, with all four legs featuring sharp clawed paws.On mounting board: BMM5984/ On Catalogue Tag (attached to left hindleg): Native Cat./ Catalogue. Page 50./ burke museum, taxidermy, taxidermy mount, fauna, animal, animalia, reynell eveleigh johns, quoll, native cat, dasyurus

The Wedgetail Eagle (aquila audax) is one of the largest birds of prey located in Australia, Indonesia and Papa New Guinea. It feasts mostly on rabbits but can target mammals as large as koalas, wombats, possums and small kangaroos. The darker the colouring, the older the bird is. A mostly dark brown feathering can suggest over 10 years old, though females are usually paler. This species mates monogamously for life. They circle high in the sky to avoid temperatures close to the ground and to assert their dominance over their territory. This specimen is lighter than many documented photographs of the species. They're usually less patchy / speckled with lighter colours on the chest and back. Documenting the wingspan of this specimen would be of interest because some have been measured up to 230cm. This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from various institutions across Australia, including the Australian Museum in Sydney and the National Museum of Victoria (known as Museums Victoria since 1983), as well as individuals such as amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880. These skins were then mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee and put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century.This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century.This wedgetail eagle is posed with the head turned to the left. It has mostly dark brown feathers which is common for older birds in this species. Speckled light brown and white feathers cover it's neck, chest and a middle strip across the wings. This specimen stands upon a wooden platform. The bill is light grey and long legs dark brown. taxidermy mount, taxidermy, animalia, burke museum, beechworth, australian museum, skin, reynell eveleigh johns, bird, wedgetail eagle, aquila audax, birds of prey, australian bird, eagle

Common wombats are short-legged, muscular, nocturnal marsupials that live in a wide variety of habitats throughout Australia. A common wombat can grow up to 1.2 metres in length and weigh up to 35 kilograms. The name “wombat” comes from the Darug language spoken by the Aboriginal Darug people, who originally inhabited the Sydney area. The wombat was first recorded in 1798 by explorer John Price on a visit to Bargo in New South Wales, however, wombats are depicted on Aboriginal rock-art that date back as far as 4,000 years ago. This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from various institutions across Australia, including the Australian Museum and the National Museum of Victoria, as well as individuals such amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880. These skins were then mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee and put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century. This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century. Medium sized stocky wombat with a broad head and two muscular forelegs and two weaker hind legs that are met with long sharp black claws. The hair is long, thick and coarse in brown/yellow shades. The head features two small black eyes that have been made from glass, two short pointed ears and a bare nose pad. On wooden mount: BMM 5901 /taxidermy mount, taxidermy, wombat, animalia, vombatidae, burke museum, beechworth, australian museum, skin, reynell eveleigh johns, common wombat

Feldspar, derived from the German word feldspat, is a group of minerals which is the most common mineral group found on Earth, making up more than half of the planet's crust. The major rock-forming minerals in the Feldspar group include albite, anorthite, orthoclase and microcline. (Mindat, Feldspar Group). Orthoclase is part of the Feldspar Group subgroup, Alkaline Feldspar, which are known to be poor in calcium, and mostly rich in potassium. It is further also considered to be a K Feldspar, a subgroup of Alkaline Feldspar that are Potassium-dominant with variable crystal symmetry and Al-Si ordering state. Orthoclase are most commonly Colorless to white, Greenish white, Grayish yellow, or Pale pink and transparent to translucent with slightly pearly cleavage. The mineral rates at a 6 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. (cannot be scratched with a knife, but scratches glass with difficulty). The stronger green colour of this particular specimen is distinctive to the Broken Hill region (where it was found), and due to a small amount of lead. (BB) Its qualities find it misidentified at times as as microcline variety amazonite. Broken Hill is one of the world’s richest lead-zinc-silver deposits. The huge, 300-million-tonne orebody was discovered in 1883 and the superb mineral specimens attract collectors from around the world. (Australian Museum, Minerals from Australia: Australian mining regions)While feldspar is not by any means rare, this particular specimen has qualities distinctive to the Broken Hill mining district, with these properties leading at times to the mineral's misidentification. This creates potential for further study and identification of these mineral deposits through methods such as microscopic twinning, or using the position of certain d values in XRD patterns to calculate the degree of disorder of a K-feldspar, as discussed on the Mindat website (Mindat.com, Orthoclase:About Orthoclase). This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A solid small aluminosilicate mineral composition which is primarily pale green and blue-grey in colour with traces of beige and white throughout. Note: green plumbian orthoclase (aka green feldspar) is an indicator mineral for the Broken Hill style lead-zinc deposits.N/Abroken hill mine, geological specimen, minerology

This image is a reproduction of an 1899 original depicting the 'Williams Good Luck Mine' on the Mopoke Reef (also called 'Morepork Gully') in the Dingle Ranges, approximately three miles from Beechworth. A large opening to a mine can be seen behind the men in the photograph, with a wheeled cart on a track leading to the men's position, where the soil and rocks have been hauled away. This photograph interestingly contains dogs alongside the miners. While dogs have been recorded as deterrents to thieves in the Victorian goldfields, these dogs appear as companions to these men. Following the discovery of gold at Beechworth in 1852, rushes quickly followed at surrounding creeks and gullies in the district. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, small syndicates of miners continued to work old or abandoned quartz reefs, often persisting without the assistance of heavy machinery to remove the large amounts of rock, in order to obtain yields at ever greater depths. The group of miners in this photograph are Mr. Roger Williams and Sons, who revived operations at the ‘Old Good Luck’ mine on the Mopoke Reef in the Dingle Range near Beechworth around 1892, working the site for more than two decades. An emigrant from Cornwall with experience in the tin mining industry, 19 year old Roger Williams senior sailed to New Zealand in 1840, then to Australia where he spent time in the Bendigo Gold Fields before settling in Beechworth in the early 1860s. Mr Williams senior worked on various mining activities in the district, including the Rocky Mountain Tunnel project. Conversant with the character of gold-bearing reefs in the area, the syndicate dug an eight hundred foot tunnel, digging down as far down as two hundred feet with little capital save their labour, to connect and provide better working access to the mass of reefs and veins in the vicinity. Progress was hampered by poor air quality charged with fumes from dynamite and large quantities of rock had to be crushed to obtain payable yields. The Victorian Goldfields are filled with ruins and remnants of the area's rich mining history, ranging from small alluvial diggings to the remains of huge mining companies. Site names often changed several times throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some sites were abandoned and forgotten, others were worked continuously over many decades. The names of mines were often repeated at different locations throughout the Victorian Goldfields. For example, there is a Mopoke Gully heritage mine near Fryers Creek, Victoria. 'Mopoke' is a common onomatopoeic name for Morepork and Australian Boobook owls.This image has historical, social and research significance for patterns of emigration during of the Victorian Gold Rush, and the historical, social and environmental impacts of mining at Beechworth at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As gold became scarce and government support and large company investment waned, poor hard-working miners laboured intensively to make a living through periods of high unemployment. This image can be compared and studied alongside other historical mining photographs and objects in the Burke Museum Collection. It has potential to improve our understanding of miners working conditions and the shifting character of mining in the Beechworth district.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on card. Obverse: Williams/ Good/ Luck Reverse: A02498/ 1997. 2498/ Good Luck/ Mine/ 1899/ Mopoke. burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, gold ming history, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, migration, indigo shire, good luck gold mine, victorian goldfields, mining syndicates, gold fever, quartz-mining, small-scale mining, old good luck mine, mopoke gully, quartz reefs beechworth

This image is a reproduction of an 1899 original depicting the 'Williams Good Luck Mine' on the Mopoke Reef (also called 'Morepork Gully') in the Dingle Ranges, approximately three miles from Beechworth. The foreground of the image is littered with piles of smashed rock and detritus, known as ‘mullock’, beside a reinforced mine shaft, a vertical access passageway allowing miners to enter the mine and haul ore out using lifting technology such as a poppet heads, whims or windlasses. A group of miners and a dog appear close to an open-sided miner’s hut. Following the discovery of gold at Beechworth in 1852, rushes quickly followed at surrounding creeks and gullies in the district. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, small syndicates of miners continued to work old or abandoned quartz reefs, often persisting without the assistance of heavy machinery to remove the large amounts of rock, in order to obtain yields at ever greater depths. The group of miners in this photograph are Mr. Roger Williams and Sons, who revived operations at the ‘Old Good Luck’ mine on the Mopoke Reef in the Dingle Range near Beechworth around 1892, working the site for more than two decades. An emigrant from Cornwall with experience in the tin mining industry, 19 year old Roger Williams senior sailed to New Zealand in 1840, then to Australia where he spent time in the Bendigo Gold Fields before settling in Beechworth in the early 1860s. Mr Williams senior worked on various mining activities in the district, including the Rocky Mountain Tunnel project. Conversant with the character of gold-bearing reefs in the area, the syndicate dug an eight hundred foot tunnel, digging down as far down as two hundred feet with little capital save their labour, to connect and provide better working access to the mass of reefs and veins in the vicinity. Progress was hampered by poor air quality charged with fumes from dynamite and large quantities of rock had to be crushed to obtain payable yields. The Victorian Goldfields are filled with ruins and remnants of the area's rich mining history, ranging from small alluvial diggings to the remains of huge mining companies. Site names often changed several times throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some sites were abandoned and forgotten, others were worked continuously over many decades. The names of mines were often repeated at different locations throughout the Victorian Goldfields. For example, there is a Mopoke Gully heritage mine near Fryers Creek, Victoria. 'Mopoke' is a common onomatopoeic name for Morepork and Australian Boobook owls.This image has historical, social and research significance for patterns of emigration during of the Victorian Gold Rush, and the historical, social and environmental impacts of mining at Beechworth at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As gold became scarce and government support and large company investment waned, poor hard-working miners laboured intensively to make a living through periods of high unemployment. This image can be compared and studied alongside other historical mining photographs and objects in the Burke Museum Collection. It has potential to improve our understanding of miners working conditions and the shifting character of mining in the Beechworth district.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on card.Obverse: Reverse: A02497/ 1997.2497/ 'Good/ Luck/ Mine'/ Morepork/ Gully/ Mrs Joyce/ Bright/ Tunnel/ 800 ft/ 1899. burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, gold ming history, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, migration, indigo shire, good luck gold mine, victorian goldfields, mining syndicates, gold fever, quartz-mining, small-scale mining, old good luck mine, mopoke gully, quartz reefs beechworth

This metal travelling trunk belonged to David and Alice Ellis, a young couple married in Dublin in 1855. They left for Australia on the Schomberg clipper ship on October 6 that same year, joining the other passengers for the luxury sailing ship’s first voyage, bound for Melbourne, Australia. The Schomberg was grounded on a sand spit near Peterborough. All passengers and crew were safely rescued. They had been allowed to take something small with them when leaving the sinking vessel, and as such, Alice took a small cane basket and coin purse. The metal trunk was also amongst the couple’s possessions, along with a pair of candlesticks and a Bible. Their trunk was later retrieved from the ship’s deck by the crew of a steamer sent from Melbourne. At that time, David was 23 years old (born in Wales, in 1832) and Alice was 26 (born in Ireland, 1829). The couple lived in Tasmania for a short period before settling in the Western Districts of Victoria. David worked as a gardener and, when land in the area was available to purchase, David and Alice claimed a selection on Noorat Road near Terang. They settled there for the remainder of their lives, expanding the property that they named, ‘Allambah’, and had six children. David died in 1911, aged 79, and Alice passed away the following year, aged 83. B, B & B. Brand: - The company was renowned for its strongly constructed and high-quality travel goods. In 1906 the company was sold and renamed Buffalo Trunk Manufacturing Co. Interestingly, the trunk maker’s promise on its printed label is certainly fulfilled: - "B B BRAND. These Goods are manufactured of the best steel sheets, and are guaranteed to give every satisfaction, and will last for years."David and Alice Ellis’s donated possessions have great significance as a group of personal belongings saved from the sinking luxury clipper ship, the Schomberg, in 1855. The strong, well-crafted metal trunk is an example of high-quality travel luggage owned by newlyweds on their journey to a new life across the world. The well-made trunk is a rare shape. It joins Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg shipwreck, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612). The ship has historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, built to carry emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. The ship’s design included the technical advances needed to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. The relationship of the objects in Flagstaff Hill’s Schomberg collection allows has potential interpretation of the story of the Schomberg. The collection of objects is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger ship, as it represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history, in addition to its association with the shipwreck and the ship.Traveller's metal trunk; small brown woodgrain patterned trunk with dark red features and brass lock. This well-made strong and sturdy piece of secure hand luggage has rounded corners and sides, with the ends of the lid slightly bulbous. The lid is reinforced inside across the centre. The lid and sides have dark red metal D-shaped handles that fold down. The two hinges on the lid have their fittings inside the trunk which is hinged across the back. Two dark red painted latches secure the front along with a brass rod and lockable latch in the centre front. The metal is shaped with a group of corrugated ribs on each side of the centre, around the trunk. A white printed and lacquered label is inside the lid and has additional handwritten text. The truck was the luggage of David and Alice Ellis on the sailing ship SCHOMBERG in 1855. Printed on the label: "B B BRAND./ These Goods are manufactured of the best / steel sheets, and are guaranteed to give every / satisfaction, and will last for years." Handwritten on the label: "8/3- 7/-" (possibly meaning Eight shillings and three pence, Seven shillings)flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, sailing ship, 1855, david and alice ellis, schomberg passengers, b b brand, american made, traveller's trunk, hand luggage, metal trunk, schomberg ship, 1855 shipwreck, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, david ellis, alice ellis, allambah terang, dublin emigrants, terang presbyterian church, western district victoria, antique trunk, vintage trunk, travel goods, travelling trunk, steel trunk, tin trunk, schomberg trunk, newlyweds, b b & b, boyd boyd & boyd, pittsburgh, rare shape, luggage, vintage luggage, victorian era, travel trunk, three locks, steamer trunk

The Theological Dictionaries belonged to David and Alice Ellis, a young couple married in Dublin in 1855. They left for Australia on the Schomberg clipper ship on October 6 that same year, joining the other passengers for the luxury sailing ship’s first voyage, bound for Melbourne, Australia. The Schomberg was grounded on a sand spit near Peterborough. All passengers and crew were safely rescued. They had been allowed to take something small with them when leaving the sinking vessel, and as such, Alice took a small cane basket and coin purse. The Dictionaries were also amongst the couple’s possessions, along with a metal trunk, a Bible and a pair of candlesticks. These items were all later retrieved from the ship’s deck by the crew of a steamer sent from Melbourne. At that time, David was 23 years old (born in Wales, in 1832) and Alice was 26 (born in Ireland, 1829). The couple lived in Tasmania for a short period before settling in the Western Districts of Victoria. David worked as a gardener and, when land in the area was available to purchase, David and Alice claimed a selection on Noorat Road near Terang. They settled there for the remainder of their lives, expanding the property that they named, ‘Allambah’, and had six children. David died in 1911, aged 79, and Alice passed away the following year, aged 83. Two of David and Alice’s children, David jnr. and Grace adopted a daughter Nell Margaret Crick (nee Ellis). The Dictionaries were passed onto Nell with the misunderstanding (due to being written in the Welsh language) that they were Bibles. Nell pasted a piece of paper onto the front of the first volume recording ‘Welsh Bible 90 yrs old. April 3rd 1844’. The April date relates to the inscription inside both volumes and the 90 yrs old relates to the year Nell possibly received them, 1934. She has also added to the inscription page inside the first volume again recording ’Welsh Bible 90 yrs old. Miss. G Ellis “Allambah” Terang’. This implies that Grace Ellis had been the ‘keeper’ of the dictionaries. Grace and David Ellis were devout Christians which they passed on to their adopted daughter Nell, and were prominent members of the Noorat and Terang Presbyterian Churches. As David and Alice Ellis came out on the Schomberg in 1855, and the inscription inside both volumes of the Dictionary carries the date April 3rd 1844 and the name Thomas Ellis, it could be presumed that this was a family gift of significance to the couple as they began their new life in a country far away.The theological dictionaries are part of a group of donated possessions of David and Alice Ellis that have great significance as personal belongings, providing an insight into what emigrants considered important possessions to bring as they began a new life on the other side of the world. They are part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg shipwreck, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612). All items had been saved from the sinking luxury clipper ship, the Schomberg, in 1855. The ship has historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, built to carry emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. The ship’s design included the technical advances needed to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. The relationship of the objects in Flagstaff Hill’s Schomberg collection allows potential interpretation of the story of the Schomberg. The collection of objects is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger ship, as it represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history, in addition to its association with the shipwreck and the ship.A two volume set Theological Dictionary in Welsh. Both books are covered in brown leather with gold embossed patterns and words on the spine. The words 'GEIRIADUR DUWINYDDOL' (Theological dictionary) are on both spines towards the top and towards the bottom the number 1 or 2 dependent on the volume. The first volume, at around 900 pages, is slightly larger than the second volume, around 740 pages. The first volume has had a plain piece of paper glued to the front with the words 'Welsh Bible, 90 yrs old, April 3rd 1844'. Each volume has an inscription to Thomas Ellis inside the front cover, the date April 3rd 1844 and other words in Welsh. The first volume has added writing (in different handwriting) on the inscription page. The books are laid out in dictionary format with the first volume going from ABE to HYP. The second volume begins at IAC and ends at YST, followed by an Appendix and Index. The first volume was published in 1837 and the second volume in 1839.Volume 1 - Thomas Ellis ... 6 words in Welsh ... Aprill 3/44 (Handwriting 1) - Welsh Bible 90 yrs old, Miss G. Ellis, "Allambah" Terang. (Handwriting 2) Volume 2 - Thomas Ellis ... 6 words in Welsh (same as volume 1) ... Aprill 3/44flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, theological dictionaries, welsh theological dictionaries, welsh bible, schomberg, sailing ship, schomberg passengers, schomberg ship, 1855, 1855 shipwreck, peterborough shipwreck, david and alice ellis, david ellis jnr, grace ellis, nell ellis, nell crick, allambah terang, terang presbyterian church

This bell was the smaller of the two bells rescued by the crew of the Schomberg when it was wrecked in 1855. All of the crew from the Schomberg wreck survived. They carried the two ship’s bells with them as they made their way along the coast, eventually arriving at the home of settler John Manning, who lived at Hopkins Point near Warrnambool. Manning acquired the Schomberg bells, presenting them to two Warrnambool churches: the smaller one to St Joseph’s Catholic Church and the larger bell to St John’s Presbyterian church. The small bell at St Joseph’s developed a crack after about a year and could no longer be used. Thomas Manifold imported a new bell for that church, and the cracked bell was stored at his farm. The property was sold years later to John Logan, who donated the discarded bell to the Warrnambool Museum when it first opened in 1886. The Curator, Joseph Archibald, displayed the bell in the entry. In 1975, the bell was transferred from the Warrnambool Art Gallery to Flagstaff Hill. THE SAILING SHIP, SCHOMBERG: - When the Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the "Noblest” ship that ever floated on the water. Schomberg's owners, the Black Ball Line, had commissioned the ship for their fleet of passenger liners. She was built by Alexander Hall of Aberdeen for £43,103 and constructed with 3 skins. One planked fore and aft and two diagonally planked, fastened together with screw-threaded trunnels (wooden rails). Her First Class accommodation was simply luxurious with velvet pile carpets, large mirrors, rosewood, birds-eye maple and mahogany timbers throughout, soft furnishings of satin damask, and an oak-lined library with a piano. Overall, she had accommodation for 1000 passengers. At the launch, the Schomberg's 34-year-old master, Captain 'Bully' Forbes, had promised to reach Melbourne in sixty days, stating, "with or without the help of God." Captain James Nicol Forbes was born in Aberdeen in 1821 and rose to fame with his record-breaking voyages on the famous Black Ball Line ships, Marco Polo and Lightning. In 1852, on the ship Marco Polo, he made the record passage from London to Melbourne in 68 days. Unfortunately, there were 53 deaths on the voyage, but the great news was of the record passage by Captain Forbes. In 1854, he took the clipper “Lightning” to Melbourne in 76 days and back in 63 days; this record was never beaten by a sailing ship. He often drove his crew and ship to breaking point to beat his previous records. He cared little for the comfort of the passengers. On this, Schomberg's maiden voyage, he was determined to break existing records. Schomberg departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage on 6th October 1855, flying a sign that read "Sixty Days to Melbourne". She departed with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo, including iron rails and equipment intended to build the Melbourne to Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. She also carried a cow for fresh milk, pens for fowls and pigs, and 90,000 gallons of water for washing and drinking. She also carried 17,000 letters and 31,800 newspapers. The ship and cargo were insured for $300,000, a fortune for the time. The winds were poor as she sailed across the equator, slowing Schomberg's journey considerably. The land was first sighted on Christmas Day, at Cape Bridgewater near Portland. Captain Forbes followed the coastline towards Melbourne. Forbes was said to be playing cards when called by the third mate, Henry Keen, who reported land about 3 miles off. Due in large part to the captain's regarding a card game as more important than his ship, it eventually ran aground on a sand spit near Curdie's Inlet (about 56 km west of Cape Otway) on 26th December 1855, 78 days after leaving Liverpool. 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 the SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers and crew disembarked 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. Later, one plunderer found a case of Wellington boots, but alas, all were for the left foot. 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. In 186,4, after two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1870, nearly 15 years after the wreck, parts of the Schomberg had washed ashore on the south island of New Zealand. The wreck now lies in almost 9 meters of water, and although the woodwork is mostly disintegrated, the shape of the ship can still be determined due to the remaining railway irons, girders and the ship’s frame. A variety of goods and materials can be seen scattered about nearby.The bell is particularly significant in that along with other items from the wreck helped in part to having the legislation changed to protect shipwrecks, with far tighter controls being employed to oversee the salvaging of wreck sites. This bell forms part of the Schomberg collection at Flagstaff Hill maritime museum. The collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered Schomberg shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of additional significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes from society at the time of the wreck. A small ship’s bell. The bell bears the ship’s name and year of construction on one side and the name and address of the ship’s builders on the other. These details are deeply engraved into the metal and formed in bold, upper-case lettering. The bell has two bell stands, a left and a right side. Both stands have an Iron pipe made into an inverted ‘Y’ shape with a hole made in the single length and feet attached to a rectangular metal plate at the other two ends. Feet are bolted into a timber base that has a hole drilled through the centre for mounting. Bell's front; “SCHOMBERG” with “1855” below. Bell's back “HALL & SONS (crack splits letter “N”) / BUILDERS (in italics) / ABERDEEN” (crack splits letter “B”).flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, silver plated bell, mess bell, bell stands, captain ‘bully’ forbes, alexander hall and son, james baines and company, liverpool’s black ball line, bell, schomberg bell, ship's bell, small bell, st joseph's church, briggs marine, john manning, john logan, warrnambool museum

The bearer of this ticket was George Thomas Henry Phillpot, who was only 17 years old when he sailed on the S.S. Ballarat (II), built in 1921. (The first S.S. Ballarat was built in 1911 and sunk after being hit by a torpedo in 1917 while serving during WWI). George relates his trip from England to Australia, summarised as follows: He caught a bus from Bolton to Manchester, in the north west U.K., then the train from Manchester to London and the boat train to Tilbury Docks (near Gravesend). On the morning of June 7th 1929, the ship S.S. Ballarat sailed down the Thames estuary and into the English Channel. The next port of call was Southampton, UK, to take on board some technical equipment. The S.S. Ballarat then sailed through the Bay of Biscay. Instead of taking the customary route around the Cape of Good Hope, this trip, on her maiden voyage, was through the Suez Canal. She sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar, into the Mediterranean Sea and on to Malta, where George and others paid a local boat owner to take them ashore for a short time. They then sailed to Port Said, stopping to load cargo, then at night through the Suez Canal. They woke up early the next morning to watch the locals working on the banks of the canal. The excessive heat on board the ship caused much illness. As they travelled through the Red Sea, the heat and the smell of oil also caused sickness. On they went through the Arabian Sea to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka (which at that time was called Ceylon). A Navigation Slip, donated together with this ticket, shows the coordinates for a location 16 miles from Colombo. They again went ashore for a meal at four-pence a head and a bottle of lemonade for a penny. George and another passenger walked to the slums area and were shocked at the state of it compared to Britain’s slums. They then sailed via the Indian Ocean to Fremantle, stopping again for goods to be unloaded. While ashore, they played a game of soccer against the ship’s crew. Then on to Port Adelaide via the Great Australian Bight. Here they shopped for suitable clothing under the advice of some Australian passengers. They then arrived at Port of Melbourne on July 20th 1929, and two days later (on George’s mother’s birthday). George left for Warrnambool. He received his Citizenship Award in 1971. He conducted an electrical retail business in Liebig Street for many years. His son William became principal of the accounting business Sinclair and Wilson, on the retirement of Bill Sinclair, and was actively involved in support of many community organisations. His daughter-in-law, Glenys Phillpot, is actively involved in the Warrnambool community and local government. George was one of 3 orphans on the S.S. Ballarat. (The daughter and son-in-law of one of the other orphans also live in Warrnambool.) Herbert B.G. Larkin, whose rubber-stamped name appears on the ticket, later migrated to Australia and passed away in NSW in 1944. Of Historical Significance, this ticket is for the ship’s maiden voyage via the Suez Canal route (previously the ship travelled via the Cape of Good Hope). It is also the only existing ticket for the "S.S. Ballarat"(3rd) in our collection. Socially, it shows the fare, luggage restrictions, conditions and weekly provisions for a third-class passenger’s voyage from London to Melbourne, which has research potential. This ticket is also of significance to the Local Community, giving the background of the ancestor of a local family. It was also of Personal Significance to the bearer as he kept and preserved it in his possession for at least 46 years before donating it to our museum, together with a Navigation Slip, a map and a summary of his journey to Australia.Third Class steerage Passenger’s Contract Ticket, accompanied by the Navigation Slip, for passage on board the P & O line’s steamer, S.S. Ballarat, to Australia via the Cape Service, from Port of London to Port of Melbourne. The ticket contract is printed on both sides of a thin paper page. The documents have been completed by hand, and the pages have creases as though they have been folded. Details include the date of sailing, amount paid, and the signature of the P & O Branch Service’s representative. The contract ticket lists weekly provisions for the voyage, a disclaimer of the shipping company, a list of dangerous goods not to be carried on board, and fines. The page has straight edges, top and bottom, and perforated edges on the sides; some perforation holes are complete. A small fleur de lies is printed along the inside of each perforation, forming a decorative left and right border. Stamps and inscriptions are on the contract ticket and navigation slip, which also has a black and white photo of a steam ship.The ticket has been stamped in black, No. ‘1040’. Handwritten details are in black pen and ink. Date of departure: ‘Seventh June [192]9’ for the cost of,’33’ [poind], and the sum of ‘33’ pounds is acknowledged as received. ‘Mr George T.H. PHILLPOT’, the age is written as ‘17’, equal to the status of ‘1’ adult, the total number of persons is ‘One’. The fare is handwritten in pen £’33’ and the total £’33’. It has a purple stamp ‘HERBT. B G LARKIN’ and a crossed out stamp ‘FREDERICK WHITE, A handwritten signature ‘_Seymore’. Under the signature, the date is stamped ‘3 JUNE 1929’.warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, s.s.ballarat, phillpot, 7 june 1929, george phillpot, george t.h. phillpot, third class passenger, steerage passenger, herbert b g larkin, ticket, voyage, p & o, australia via the cape, cape of good hope, suez canal, passengers’ contract ticket, navigation slip, s.s. ballarat, steamship, 1929, 3-6-1929, 7-6-1929, third-class, steerage, port of london, port of melboune, 33 pounds, george thomas henry phillpot, herbt. b g larkin, _seymore, bolton, manchester, english channel, southampton, bay of biscay, straits of gibraltar, maritia, port said, arabian sea, colombo, sri lanka, ceylon, indian ocean, fremantle, port adelaide, citizenship, 1971, herbert b.g. larkin, s.s. ballarat ii,

CONTEXT – UPDATED The photograph taken on Sunday, September 6, 1891, shows the Port Campbell Rocket Rescue Crew and Equipment at Wreck Beach, Moonlight Head, preparing to save the stranded men on the wreck of the barque Fiji. The man standing in the middle, front of the photograph, facing the ocean, is Herbert Maxwell Morris, a farmer at Barruppa near Princetown, who is also a member of the Rocket Rescue Crew. The Rocket Rescue lifesaving method used an explosive rocket to shoot a light line from the shore across to the distressed vessel. The line was then secured to the ship’s mast, and a heavy, continuous line was sent out with a ‘breaches buoy’ attached (a buoy similar to the seat of a pair of trousers). The stranded seafarers would sit in the seats and be pulled along the line to safety. A lot of skill was needed to set up the line to reach its target, and the crew trained regularly to keep up their skills. The FIJI and the RESCUE: - The three-masted iron barque Fiji was built at Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool-based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on May 22, 1891, bound for Melbourne under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The Cape Otway light was sighted on September 5, 1891. However, the bearing was different from Captain Vickers’ calculations. At about 2:30 am the next morning, the land was reported only 4-5 miles away. The captain tried to redirect the ship in the rough weather without success, and the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The crew burned blue lights and fired rockets to signal distress. The lifeboats either capsized or were swamped and smashed to pieces. Two younger crewmen volunteered to swim to the shore with a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, Julius Gebauhr, a 17-year-old German able seaman, reached shore safely on his second attempt but had cut the line loose with his sheath-knife when it tangled in kelp. He climbed the cliffs in search of help. Later that morning, a young man named William (Willie) Ward reported that he saw the wreck of the ship close to shore near Moonlight Head from the cliffs, and the alarm for help was sent to Princetown, six miles away. At around the same time, a Mott’s party of land selectors, including F. J. Stansmore and Leslie Dickson, was travelling on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head. They were near Ryans Den when they found Gebauhr in the scrub, bleeding and dressed only in a singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife. They thought the man might be an escaped lunatic, due to his wild and shaggy-looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech. After Gebauhr threw his knife away, they realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German as he talked about the wreck. They gave him food, brandy and clothing, and he was taken to a nearby guest house, Rivernook, owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Most of the party went off to the wreck site. Stanmore and Dickson rode for help from both Port Campbell, for the two Rocket Rescue Crew buggies, and from Warrnambool, for the lifeboat. The vessel S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. Half of the Port Campbell Rocket Crew and equipment arrived after a 25-mile journey and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time, the weary crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. The Office in Charge of the Rocket Crew, W. Tregear, ordered the rocket to be fired, but the light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully set up by Herbert Morris. It crossed the ship and was secured. The anxious sailors tried to come ashore along the line, but some were washed off as the line sagged with too many on it at one time. Other nearly exhausted crewmen made their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Rocket Crew members and onlookers on the beach took turns to go into the surf and drag the half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Herbert Maxwell Morris, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody, who was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield. Arthur Wilkinson, a 29-year-old land selector from Geelong, swam out to help one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken, who was trying to swim from the ship to the shore. Two or three times, both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck, where they were both hauled back on board. Wilkinson was unconscious, possibly from hitting his head on the anchor before they were brought up. Plunken survived, but Wilkinson later died, and his body washed up the next day. The 26-year-old Bill Robe hauled out the last man; it was the captain, and he’d been tangled in the kelp. Only 20 minutes later, the wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart, and it settled in about 6 metres of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach. Their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji, and they were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by locals soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Master's Certificate was suspended for 12 months. There was public criticism of the rescue. The important canvas ‘breeches buoy’ and heavy line for the Rocket Rescue were in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue, as they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. The communications to Warrnambool were down, so the call for help didn’t get through on time. The boat that was notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much cargo looting occurred. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers' homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck, “Fiji tobacco” was advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894, some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken, but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. Years later, Bill used the pocket watch to pay a debt, and it was handed down through that family. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its handcrafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach pays tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife are among the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji that are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The man identified in the photograph, Herbert Maxwell Morris, was the nephew of the Victorian era artist, William Morris. Herbert had sailed from England to Australia; he was about 25 years old when he joined the Rocket Rescue Crew at Port Campbell, where he lived. His successful rocket line firing at the Fiji wreck site was noted by author Jack Loney in one of his historic shipwreck books. Later, Morris moved from his property at Baruppa to Laver’s Hill to run a more profitable enterprise. This photograph is significant as an image of a historical event, being the willingness of local volunteers to aid in the saving of lives of stranded seafarers. It gives a clear picture of the use of Rocket Rescue Equipment in shore-to-ship rescues. Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes. The Fiji collection meets the following criteria for assessment; Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history, possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history, and potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. Black and white photograph of the Rocket Rescue Crew from Pt Campbell on Wreck Beach, Moonlight Head, at the barque 'Fiji' wreck site. September 6, 1891.warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwrecked artefact, pocket watch, fob watch fiji, william vickers, william robe, bill robe, gebauhr, stansmore, carmody, wreck bay, moonlight head, fiji shipwreck 1891, rocket crew, port campbell rocket crew, lifesaving crew, photograph of rocket crew, herbert morris, warrnambool, shipwreck artefact, mott, william ward, rocket rescue, breeches buoy, rivernook guest house

EDHS_04863 - Binder: Eltham Justice Precinct 1. Courthouse 1. Eltham Courthouse interesting facts 2. Plan and elevation drawings 3. Other courthouse plans and fittings 1880s – Brunswick, Maffra, Dunolly , Sunbury, Landsborough and Wodonga 4. Newspaper articles: i. ELTHAM POLICE COURT. (1892, April 1). Evelyn Observer, and South and East Bourke Record (Vic. : 1882 - 1902), p. 2 (MORNING.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60667022 ii. BREAKING A PUBLICAN'S LEG. (1900, July 13). Evelyn Observer, and South and East Bourke Record (Vic. : 1882 - 1902), p. 2 (MORNING.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60688367 iii. ELTHAM COURT. (1901, March 1). Mercury and Weekly Courier (Vic. : 1878 - 1903), p. 3. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58578953 iv. ANNIE CHASES A TINKER. (1902, October 3). Evelyn Observer, and South and East Bourke Record (Vic. : 1882 - 1902), p. 2 (MORNING.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64029968 v. ELTHAM POLICE COURT. (1927, May 6). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 4 (AFTERNOON). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57754748 vi. ELTHAM POLICE COURT. (1927, May 20). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 3 (AFTERNOON). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57754814 vii. Eltham Police Court (1931, January 9). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 4. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56734073 viii. Repairs to Eltham Police Station, The Advertiser (1929, May 24). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 2 (AFTERNOON.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57759907 ix. ELTHAM COURT. (1929, August 2). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 - 1939), p. 4 (AFTERNOON.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57760345 x. See also Trove list https://trove.nla.gov.au/list/116634 5. Letter: Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Shire of Eltham, 1 July 1969 regarding potential replacement of Eltham Courthouse and the building’s historical significance and acknowledgement 10 July 1969 6. Letter: Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Law Department, 26 May 1972, re preservation of Eltham Courthouse and potential classification and acknowledgement 7 June 1972 7. Newspaper article: Strangers around, so Eltham sought protection by Marguerite Marshall, Diamond Valley News, Tuesday, April 6, 1982, p2 (On reverse side, Top job for our Pauline, p1) 8. Eltham Courthouse Colour Scheme, Public Works Department, 10 September 1983 9. Newspaper article: Eltham Courthouse under threat of closure by Helen Gillman, Diamond Valley News, October 16, 1984 10. Newspaper article: Courthouse to close by Helen Gillman, Diamond Valley News, Tuesday, November 20, 1984, p1 (also on p2 an article about Diamond Valley Shire festivities for the State’s 150th) 11. We will keep your court – Kennett, Diamond Valley News (probable), c.Dec. 1984 12. Letter: Shire of Eltham to Shire of Eltham Historical Society, 15 March 1985, regarding potential for use of building as a museum and reply dated 17 April 1985 regarding Society’s interest in use of the building 13. Letter: Department of Conservation Forests & Lands to Shire of Eltham, August 1987, regarding expressions of interest in the building and letter from Shire (18 August 1987) to Society advising of same 14. Letter: Department of Conservation Forests & Lands to Shire of Eltham, 30 March 1988, advising Courthouse to be used by Eltham Youth Resources Centre and the rear section by other community groups. Noted that the historical society was suggested by Council as a future user of the adjoining police residence when Council first sought management of the building and that should be investigated. Includes Schedule of Repair and Maintenance Work (4 pages), Existing Conditions Survey 30/7/1987 (6 pages) and 1 page plan view diagram 15. Memo: Historic Places Section to Eltham Youth Resource Centre re paint analysis of Courthouse, 17/5/1988, (6 pages) 16. Newspaper article: Courthouse renovation by Jodie Haythorne, Diamond Valley News, November 23, 1992 17. National Trust of Australia Registration (classified 20 Oct 1977), printed March 2000 18. Letter: Heritage Victoria 28 Feb 2002 regarding the replacement of the Courthouse Stand (Witness Box) 19. Article: There’s still order in this stately court house, Eltham Shire (magazine), date unk., p22-23 20. Eltham Court House, Statement of Significance, Heritage Victoria Register, printed Nov 2004 21. Eltham 1860 Former Court House 730 Main Road Eltham, collated by Eltham District Historical Society Incorporated 2005 (4 pages) 22. Book Extract: Eltham, Historical Court Houses of Victoria by Michael Challinger, Palisade Press, 2001 23. Newspaper article: Courthouse rich with history by Harry Gilham, Nillumbik Mail, c.2001 (see also EDHS_03333) 24. Notes on history of site from Crown Reserve File Rs 12128, Municipal Buildings (Local Community Welfare Reserve) at Eltham, Department of Sustainability and Environment, April 2005 (4 pages) 25. Newspaper article: Historic building upgrade, Diamond Valley Leader, August 3, 2005, p17 26. Newspaper article: Courthouse regeneration secures boost, Valley Weekly, August 10, 2005 with picture of Harry Gilham, Steve Herbert and Greg Johnson 27. Newspaper article: Poets are summonsed, Diamond Valley Leader February 22, 2006, p37 features picture of Helen Lucas at the Eltham Courthouse 28. Newspaper article: Sharing a love of legalities, Diamond Valley Leader, March 1, 2006, p7 features a picture of Rob Hulls and Steve Herbert talking to students in the courthouse 29. Newspaper advertisement: Nillumbik Tender No. 2021-33, Building Restoration Works, Old Eltham Courthouse, The Age, November 7, 2020 30. Form: Police Officer’s Return To A Warrant Of Distress 31. Handwritten notes: three pages listing all 48 of the pigeon hole form listings in the cabinet in the courthouse 32. Newspaper article: Historic Eltham Courthouse reopens, Manningham and Nillumbik Bulletin, April 2022, p22 2. Police Quarters 1. 1971 Surveyors Plan of 728 Main Road and the Adjoining Courthouse 2. Letter: Shire of Eltham to Shire of Eltham Historical Society, 5 June 1981, requesting the society give consideration to the suitability of the existing buildings (former Vermin and Noxious Weeds Office, Department of Crown Lands and Survey) for historical purposes such as a museum 3. Minutes: Shire of Eltham Historical Society Committee Meeting, 10 June 1981 (2 pages) includes reference to possible use of building as a museum (also reference to Bills Horse trough to be retained) 4. Extract from Victoria Police Gazette 1930 with details of building and site 5. Newspaper article: Cubby haven, Diamond Valley News, October 28, 1991 about replica Police Station with picture of replica along with Monika Roitinger and Garry Bartlett outside the Police Station 6. Environment office up for sale? Mountain Views, Monday, June 12, 1995 (Nillumbik Shire Council proposing to sell property. Did not proceed as ownership held by the State of Victoria) 7. Extract from National Trust February 1998 edition, “Police Rescue” which states Heidelberg and Eltham Police Residences are the oldest known Police Residences in the Melbourne Metropolitan district 8. Newspaper article: The first police office by Harry Gilham, Nillumbik Mail, December 13, 2000 (also photocopy with notations on picture identifying buildings and Harry’s typed draft) 9. Fax Memo: Victoria Police List of Officers in Charge, Eltham Police Station, 1857-1991 onward, 21 Jan 2003 10. Former Police Quarters, Statement of Significance, Heritage Victoria Register, printed Nov 2004 11. Eltham 1860 Former Police Quarters 728 Main Road Eltham, collated by Eltham District Historical Society Incorporated 2005 (5 pages) 12. Report: Eltham District Historical Society to Living and Learning Nillumbik, 14 April 2010 regarding the poor state of condition of the former Police Residence 13. Photocopy of three photos of the former Police Residence, former Police Station (relocated to rear of site) and Stables, October 18, 1991 3. Lockup 1. Newspaper article: Heritage permit bid, Diamond Valley News, January 17, 2001 (also article “Eltham library tops”) includes picture of lockup located in Youth Road 2. Newspaper article: Old lockup in new site, Diamond Valley Leader, March 21, 2001, p15. Includes picture of Harry Gilham with lockup at justice Precinct 3. Letter: Victoria Police to Eltham District Historical Society, 20 March 1991 including laser print photo of lockup in 1963 at 23 Pryor Street 4. Fax: Graham Clark, Associated Crane Trucks Pty Ltd, 833 Main Road Hurstbridge; Quote 26.2.99 for $1,080 to move lockup from Youth Road to 728 Main Road 4. Local History Centre 1. Victoria Government Gazette: Photocopy, No. 165, Tuesday, December 7, 1858, establishment of a Court of Petty Sessions at Eltham, 7 December 1858 2. Victoria Government Gazette: Photocopy, September 16, 1859, contract issued for Police buildings at Eltham to Langridge and Co., McCarter, Baillie, Nicol and Co, Chadley, Amos and Co., Cameron, Payne, £1,150.7.0 3. Victoria Government Gazette: Photocopy, October 2, 1860, contract issued for Court of Petty Sessions at Eltham to James Duncan, £600 4. President’s Report, Eltham District Historical Society, Annual General Meeting, Wednesday, March 11, 1998 – covers the establishment of the Local History Centre and new home for the Society 5. Extract for EDHS Newsletter July 1998 – Eltham Local History Centre – Official Opening 6. Unveiling of 728 Street Sign, Speech notes by Cr Dianne Bullen, December 2000, includes invoice from John Sharp Signs Pty Ltd, 24/10/2000 and planning approval drawing dated 24/3/1999 reproduced in Newsletter No. 135 November 2000 7. Letter: Eltham District Historical Society to Living and Learning Centre, undated draft regarding being a member of the committee reviewing the development of the site 8. Notes from Rod Grant re funding of site development under the Community Jobs Program 9. Letter: Eltham District Historical Society to Nillumbik Living and Learning, 28 October 2004 re inclusion of the Society in enhancing the site under the Community Jobs Program 10. Letter: Department of Sustainability and Environment to Eltham District Historical Society, 28 February 2005 re preparing draft Conservation Plan and copy of cover letter in response 2 April 2005 11. Levels and Layout Plan, Nillumbik Shire Council, September 2005, AO copy 12. Letter: Department of Sustainability and Environment to Eltham District Historical Society, 12 September 2005 re Eltham Justice Precinct Conservation Management Plan 13. Letter: Living and Learning Nillumbik, 2 February 2006 to Eltham District Historical Society re forming a Committee to advise on the use, maintenance, management and preservation of the Justice Precinct 14. Minutes: Meeting of a Task group to explore the establishment of a Committee to manage the Eltham Justice Precinct, 20 December 2005 (with hand written notes) 15. President’s notes (EDHS), General Meeting item, 11 May 2006 pertaining to use and condition of the Eltham Justice Precinct 16. Paint estimates, Old Eltham Court House, undated 17. Notes from meeting 26 September (2006), Eltham Justice Precinct Committee 18. Notes from meeting 27 November (2006), Eltham Justice Precinct Committee 19. Terms of Reference for the Eltham Justice Precinct Committee, Draft for Living and Learning Committee Meeting 24 Jan 2007 (4 pages) 20. Newspaper article: Panel set up, Diamond Valley Leader, 7 March 2007 21. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 10 May 2007 22. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 5 July 2007 23. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 11 October 2007 24. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 7 February 2008 25. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 10 April 2008 26. Minutes: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 14 August 2008 27. Letter: EDHS (Sue Law) to Living and Learning, 6 September 2008 re proposed signage 28. Agenda: Meeting of Eltham Justice Precinct Subcommittee, 16 October 2008 29. Suggested guidelines for use of the Court House for exhibitions 30. Handwritten note re Ken Eckersal and Uniting Church of possible donation of church organ for sale, proceeds to be used for activities at the Justice precinct 31. One page typed notes on each of the buildings in the Eltham Justice Precinct 32. Newspaper article: Historic Eltham Courthouse reopens, Manningham and Nillumbik Bulletin, April 2022, p22 5. Miscellaneous 1. Photocopy from Pioneers & Painters (2 pages) covering the establishment of Police and Court of Petty Sessions at Eltham 2. Photocopy of photo looking northeast across Little Eltham buildings c.1910 with notes 3. Photocopy of J.H Clarke photo looking up Maria Street from near Dalton Street with notes identifying precinct buildings 4. Photocopy of photo of Court House and Police Quarters with cow outside from Heather Jenkins scrapbook with notes identifying buildings 5. Sketch and notes with dimensions for blue stone lockup including other miscellaneous handwritten notes 6. Unidentified heritage review details of Justice Precinct (c.2004) 7. Hand written notes of telephone conversation held with Dennis McKay (6 May 1997) re Council use of site 8. Flyer: Victoria Police Historical Unit 9. Photocopy of thumbnail images of various Justice Precincts (not identified) 10. Email correspondence, 4 and 10 January 2008; J. Connor to Council and Councillors pertaining to proposed new toilet facilities at rear of Courthouse annexe. Two ring lever arch binder, white with various photocopies, printouts, newspaper clippingsHG Folders 15/52/59 integratedharry gilham collection, eltham courthouse, eltham justice precinct, eltham police residence, lockup, eltham community festival, eltham festival, eltham, heritage assessment, police residence