Fortuna Villa was initially commenced as a modest single storey home in 1861 next to the 180 Mine by Theodore Ballerstedt, who sold the mine and house to George Lansell in 1869. Lansell already owned the adjacent Fortuna Mine, and through deeper mining techniques greatly expanded the mine's operation, his personal wealth, and the house and grounds. Lansell was soon known as the 'Quartz King', Australia's first gold mining millionaire and credited as the driving force behind much of Bendigo's prosperity. He continuously added to and expanded the villa, decorating it extravagantly with the finest of artworks and materials, into a sprawling mansion with extensive landscaped grounds, to create a house and grounds of a size and grandeur with few rivals in Australia. After his death in 1907, his second wife Edith carried on with improvements, creating a house and grounds developed over 50 years. The attached mine also contributes to its significance, being one of the richest mines in Bendigo, and at one stage probably the deepest gold mine in the world at 3176 feet. The 1875 crushing works are attached directly to the mansion, and the mine's tailings and settling ponds (turned into ornamental lakes) represent a direct link between George Lansell's wealth and its source. Fortuna was compulsorily acquired by the Commonwealth in 1942 as the Cartographic Headquarters of the Australian Survey Corps during World War II, and many ancillary structures were added while preserving the main house and ornamental grounds. Victorian Heritage Database Report https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/68334/download-reportProposal for the formation of a Fortuna Commission to ensure the preservation of Fortuna Villa. Written by Daryl McClure. May 2012fortuna villa, preservation, daryl mcclure

PROPERTY MARKET Fortuna, Bendigo The Bendigo mansion property, Fortuna, for many years the home of the late Mr George Lansell, will again be offered for sale by auction. Some few years ago the property was purchased by Gold Mines of Australia Ltd., and it was used for a time for the offices of Bendigo Mines N.L. The company now has no further use for the building. As a last effort to retain this historic 52-room mansion, it will be offered as it now stands, with the spacious grounds which contain three lakes, a terrace, a rose garden, a swimming-pool, and a Roman fountain. It is hoped that it may be purchased by some organisation for use as a school, hospital, or other institution. If a sale is not effected the building will be sold immediately for demolition. This should arouse much interest as it con-tains many cedar and mahogany fittings, parquetry floors, central heating and hot-water plants. The auction sale will be held within the next few weeks by J H Curnow and Son of Little Collins street and Bendigo. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11158857?searchTerm=fortuna%20auction%20sale Demolition Auction Sale Flyer for Fortuna under instructions from Bendigo Mines. Dated 29th and 30th June 1930. Auctioneers J H Curnow and Son. Black ink on yellow paper.fortuna villa, auction, bendigo mines

Plan showing portion of the Bendigo goldfield. Area of main goldfield: 140 square miles. Deepest mine working: 4593' (Victoria quartz). Gold output of field to 1935: 20,775,000 ounces. Dividends paid 1870-1935: 10,740,000 pounds.map, goldfield, bendigo

Brown cover book with the name M.A. Mackay in gold letter on the front. Index of songs handwritten on second page. The songs included are: Ever and ever mine, the dear homeland, The daily question, The old countree, the clang of the wooden shoon, home dearie home, The carnival, Last night, A creole love song, an old garden, for all eternity, The valley by the sea, Call me back. Aileen and John Ellison Collection."No. 17" on first page. Stamp of Evans and Crock, Bendigo on several pages.music, mackay

Newspaper article, (photocopied onto A4 paper) Bendigo Advertiser November 6th, 1985, headed '£100,000 facelift for derelict mining sites?' Article describes how the Bendigo Council were seeking a loan from the Goldfields Revolving Fund for the restoration of the Victoria Hill area and for the restoration of the relics and poppet legs of the Central Nell Gwynne, the Nell Gwynne Reef Mine, the North Deborah and the Big Deborah Mine sites.Written in black pen on right hand side: B'go Adv. Nov. 6th. '85gold mining, nell gwynne mine, north deborah mine, big deborah mine, poppet legs, bendigo, restoration

Merle Hall Collection: Rosalind Park Creative Village Bendigo Project Pamphlet for Rosalind Park Lookout - two copies. One side of the pamphlet has a layout image of the five sections of the mosaic and the poppet head base. The sections are numbers 1 to 5 Section 1: A stylised representation of the main Bendigo Goldfield based on a geological plan (Publish in 1992). It shows the lines of reef, including the famous Hustlers, Garden Gully and New Chum. Section 2: A typical cross section of the Bendigo Goldfields Section 3: The mine layout shown in this design features part of the Garden Gully line of reef. Section 4: Shown here is the Iron Bark mine on the Sheepshead reef. It has an interesting pattern of drives, stopes and winzes. Section 5: In this section the artist uses gold as her inspiration. The larger mosaic shows quartz veins winding through the earth containing gold in its various forms. The smaller mosaic represents the atomic structure of gold. It shows the the nucleus, the six shells of the atom, their electrons and orbits. The other side of the pamphlet describes the background of the community arts project, the artist, and volunteer workers, also notes mentioning the Bendigo community history. It also lists the donors for funding and business's that supported the project, with special thanks to Eric Wilkinson - Geolpogical advoser, the students and staff from Camp Hill, St Killians and Violet Street primary schools. BRIT and La Trobe University, bendigo.

Agreement between Bendigo Mining NL and Bendigo Trust, 1984, re Central Deborah Mine as a tourist attraction. Bendigo Mining NL has been 'granted a Trade Waste Discharge Licence by the Bendigo Sewerage Authority to discharge mine water situated at the Central Deborah Mine into the sewer at the Central Deborah Mine' Bendigo Mining NL will use the shaft of the Central Deborah Mine 'for the purposes of removing mine water and for gaining access to its mining tenement' Bendigo Trust has approved Bendigo Mining NL to 'use the equipment belonging to the Bendigo Trust'.bendigo, gold mining, central deborah gold mine, bendigo, gold mining, dewatering, bendigo trust, bendigo sewerage authority

Letter 2 page with attachments, 1 February 1984 ,Southern Cross Machinery Ltd.,to Bendigo Mining, re pumping equipment for Central Deborah Mine. The 'offer for the supply and delivery of pumping equipment' is detailed in the letter. The Southern Cross submersible pump is costed at $7785.00, and the electrical control cubicvle at $1510, PVC insulated cable at $4.40 m. A brochure for the pump and the pump characteristic curves are appended.bendigo, gold mining, central deborah gold mine, bendigo, mining, gold mining, dewatering, pumping equipment, southern cross machinery, c. willman, bendigo mining nl.

Memo 8 March, 1984 to D.F. Evans re mining lease 496 and Jetsew Pty Ltd.. Discussion between R. Wright and Arthur Holt, a principal of Whirrakee Mining Pty Ltd, is described. Whirrakee Mining under option to Jetsew until 17 March 1984. Four mining leases held by Whirrakee Mining. George Ham of Dunolly and Mr Just are principals of Jetsew.bendigo, gold mining, whirrakee mining, bendigo, mining, goldfield, whirrakee mining, jetsew, george hamm, mr. just

Two page memo 17 January 1984, to R. Sandner, D. Cahill, R. Cameron, P.Vail and D. Andrew from C.E. William. Topics covered: Deborah lease project; Brunswick Mine Costerfield, E.L's 1397 and 1398; town planning permit application; historical research and geological assessment, dewatering programme.bendigo, gold mining, deborah lease project

Pick head may have been used to gouge gold bearing rock in the small lines of ore; as informedby Mr George Ellis, member of the Historical Society. Used by donor's grandfather, who was a miner at the Long Gully and Ironbark mines, or both

History of North Deborah Gold Mining Company, 5 pages, researched by Bendigo Mining N.L. The North Deborah Gold Mine began sinking from an old shallow shaft in November 1917 in order to explore the ground between the Monument Hill and the Deborah Mines.bendigo, gold mining, north deborah gold mine

replica Stock and Shares Certificate for fund Raising for the Centrl Deborah Gold Mine Under Cityof Bendigo header No dates defined Printed by Cambridge Press Black printing on beige paper

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: Duchess Tribute Mine California Gully Written on the rear: Duchess Tribute Cal Gully Water colours by John Hall (dec) EaglehawkJohn Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: Hustlers Reef Written on the rear ClarenceJohn Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: Hustlers Reef Written on the rear Hustlers Reef 2John Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: The Delbridge CompanyJohn Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: Chinese CampJohn Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: PHOTO OF THE ORIGINAL WATER COLOUR PAINTING: Chinese Camp Written on the rear Chinese Camp 2John Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

JOHN HALL COLLECTION: Photo of the original WATER COLOUR Painting: HUSTLERS REEF NO2John Hallartwork, water colour, gold mines

Photo of the 1901 demonstration electric railway at the Bendigo Gold Jubilee Exhibition. Page 80 of Keith Kings book "The Bendigo Tramways" describes the photo and its purpose; a mine locomotive. Notes that it is from the P W Duckett collection.Yields information about a demonstration electric railway in Bendigo in 1901.Black and white photograph of Narrow gauge demonstration electric railway Bendigo 1901Has description and source information on the rear.bendigo, railway, demonstration, gold jubilee, electric railway, mining

Photo shows Bendigo 18, painted in the Bendigo Trust colour scheme at the Mine terminus, late 1980's or early 1990s. It was originally converted by the SEC to a one-man tram but not used as such. Converted by the Bendigo Trust to a enclosed car with entries at either ends. Operated by the Ballarat Tramway Museum during 2001 to 2005 to celebrate 150 years of Gold, where it carried its Melbourne number of 45. Currently operated by the Bendigo Tramways as No. 45.Yields information about Bendigo Tramways tramcar 18 /45.Colour print - digital printed made 12/22Has notes on the rear of the print about the photographer, address and dates.tramways, tramcars, tram 18, bendigo, bendigo tramways, tram 45

Model of Bendigo 19, Open California combination car in the Bendigo Trust colour scheme with the name of the operator "Bendigo Tramways" on the side and the front dash panel and a destination of "Gold Mine". The Modeller has detailed the seats the end saloons. Balsa wheels had broken off, repaired with 'O' gauge wheels along with other parts by the Museum's model builder.Demonstrates model tram building. One of a series of Ballarat and Bendigo tram models. Not known who built them.Model tram - made from Balsa wood, cardboard, paint, metal, styrene, wire.models, trams, bendigo, tram 19, bendigo trust