Double Headed Rail from Ravenswood Station Siding which was dismantled circa 1987 the two rails were stored for a time at Maldon before being donated to Puffing Billy Museum Bearing makers marks of Wilson & Cammell - Dronfield- Steel works Wilson & Cammell made Steel rails at their Dronfield Steel Works, in Dronfield, North East Derbyshire, England from 1872 - 1883 Double-headed rail In late 1830s Britain, railway lines had a vast range of different patterns. One of the earliest lines to use double-headed rail was the London and Birmingham Railway, which had offered a prize for the best design. This rail was supported by chairs and the head and foot of the rail had the same profile. The supposed advantage was that, when the head became worn, the rail could be turned over and re-used. In practice, this form of recycling was not very successful as the chair caused dents in the lower surface, and double-headed rail evolved into bullhead rail in which the head was more substantial than the foot. Info from Wikipedia - Rail Profile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_profile The first records of double headed rail being used In Victoria by Victorian Railways was in 1859, the rails, chairs, oak and trenails were imported from UK. After the 1870’s the Victorian Railways went over to using flat bottom rails, but they still needed replacement double headed rail for lines already laid and this continued up to at least 1883 Wilson & Cammell - Dronfield- Steel works Wilson & Cammell made Steel rails at their Dronfield Steel Works, in Dronfield England from 1872 - 1883 Mount Alexander & Murray River Railway The Melbourne, Mount Alexander & Murray River Railway Company received parliamentary assent in February 1853 to build Victoria's first inland railway from Melbourne to Williamstown, and Melbourne to Bendigo and Echuca. Construction commenced in January 1854 with work on a pier at Williamstown but lack of funds slowed progress, eventually prompting the company to sell out to the government. The 100-mile (162 km) section to Bendigo opened in October 1862. Its cost of £35,000 per mile made it the most expensive railway ever built in Australia. In 1864, the line was extended to Echuca, tapping into the booming Murray-Darling paddlesteamer trade. info from Museums Victoria - Victorian Railways https://museumsvictoria.com.au/railways/theme.aspx?lvl=3&IRN=450&gall=456 1863 Ravenswood Station open on the 1st Feb 1863 Victorian Railways - purchased and imported the Rail and Chairs from Raleigh, Dalgleish, White and Co. London Importation of railway plant : abstract of a return to an order of the Legislative Assembly dated 27th June 1860 for - Copies of the advertisements calling for tenders, the names of the tenderers and the accounts and correspondence with Mr Brunel relating thereto GP V 1859/60 no. C 15 http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1859-60NoC15.pdf Report from the Select Committee upon the Importation of Railway Plant : together with proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence and appendix GP V 1859/60 no. D 38 (2.9 MB) http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1859-60NoD38.pdf Ravenswood Siding When the Victorian Railways were established in 1856 they adopted one of the popular British permanent way standards - heavy 80lb (36.3kg) double-headed rail held up right in cast iron chairs attached to transverse timber sleepers by wooden pegs called trenails. The Ravenswood Railway siding was constructed in 1862 with 12 feet wrought iron double-head rail held in cast iron chairs with Ransom and May patent compressed keys. Trenails held the chairs to the sleepers and the joints were secured in joint chairs. Joints were subsequently joined using fish plates. It formed part of the Melbourne to Echuca rail line, initially known as the Melbourne, Mt Alexander and Murray River Railway. George Christian Derbyshire, the first Engineer-in-Chair of the Victorian Railways was responsible for the design and construction of the works. No new lines were built in Victoria using double-headed rail after 1870. The siding was disconnected from the main line in 1988. The Ravenswood Railway Siding demonstrates the original 1856 philosophy of the Victorian Railways to adopt British permanent way technology. The siding demonstrates significant aspects in the development of permanent way technology in England and Victoria over the period from the 1830's to the 1880's. The chairs in the Ravenswood siding are physical evidence of early railway technology rendered obsolete 120 years ago, namely joint chairs at rail joints and trenails to secure the chairs to the sleepers. The double-headed rail demonstrates an important stage in the evolution of British rail technology in the 1830s. The old fish plates, square headed bolts and square nuts demonstrate the success of fishing the rail joins. The Ravenswood siding demonstrates the earliest form of rail joint technology developed in England, and existing in Australia, the joint chair. In part of the siding the sequence of joint and intermediate chairs is consistent with the 1856 specifications, that sequence is rare with the joints secured in joint chairs. The survival of chairs in this sequence is rare and almost certainly demonstrates that they remained in continuous use at the same location from 1862 to 1988. This remnant of the Ravenswood siding has survived 126 years. The siding has proved to be the most significant of extant remnant double-headed sidings in Victoria, containing a rare combination of early permanent way technologies. Construction dates 1862, Info from Ravenswood Railway Siding Victorian Heritage Database Report http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/4693/download-report The remaining section of this siding is significant at the State and National levels in that it demonstrates the use of chaired rail by the Victorian Railways Department for the Trunk Lines and, more particularly, the following stages in the evolution of this long obsolete method of permanent way construction: a) The use of joint chairs and intermediate chairs at regular intervals inferring that the original wrought iron rail lengths were 12 feet, as is known through documentary sources to have been the case. The survival of chairs in this sequence is unique and almost certainly demonstrates that they have remained in continuous use at the same location and in the same sequence from 1862 to 1988 . b) The use of joint chairs and intermediate chairs designed for use with trenails. c) The use of later intermediate chairs designed for use with steel pins and the use of fished joints with steel double head chaired rail, representing a second method of constructing the permanent way using chaired rail technology. info from Ravenswood Siding - Melbourne/Echuca Railway Line - Victorian Heritage Database Report http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/70103/download-report Addition to Citation for Melbourne to EchucaRailway Line 1/10/1990 Double Head Rail The surviving lengths of double head rail with chairs on this railway compare with one surviving similar remnant on the Geelong to Ballarat railway and are representative of permanent way construction techniques applied exclusively to the two trunk railways of the 1860's. In this respect they are rare survivors and may be unique at the national level and of technical importance at the international level to the extent that they enhance contemporary understanding of early railway building technology. Surviving lengths of chaired double head rail survive at Kyneton, Ravenswood and Bendigo on this railway and include a number of different types of cast iron intermediate and joint chairs with hardwood keys and metal pins. The Ravenswood siding is of special significance for the diversity of chair types and for the sequence of chairs recalling rail lengths known to be associated with construction of the line in 1862. Construction of the Railway Tenders closed on 24 March 1858 with no less than 133 tenders being received. A contract was let to Cornish and Bruce for £3,356,937 to commence work on 1 June 1858 and complete the line by 31 July 1861. Cornish and Bruce made quick early progress with the Melbourne to Sunbury section being officially opened on 13 January 1859. The line was officially opened to Bendigo (Sandhurst) on 20 October 1862 by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkly. A great banquet was held for 800 guests and this was followed by a grand ball. The extension of the line to Echuca was a relatively simple matter as that part of the line was across plain country without any significant engineering challenges. Tenders were called for the work in 1863 and the work was completed in 1864 by contractors Collier and Barry Apart from the line contractors, other firms directly involved were J Shire law and Co (sleepers), R Fulton, Langlands Brothers and Co, William Crossley (water supply), B Moreland, Langlands Brothers and Co (platelayers lorries), E Chambers (iron pins, traversers), Miller and McQuinstan (luggage vans and steam engines) and various contractors for building works. Info from Engineers Australia Engineering Heritage Victoria Nomination for Recognition under the Engineering Heritage Australia Heritage Recognition Program for the Goldfields Railways - Melbourne , Bendigo & Echuca Railway Page 25 - .2.9.2 Statement from National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Listing number B5323 for Mt Alexander/Murray Valley Rail Line: Page 69 - Theme 3 https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/Melbourne_%20Bendigo_Echuca%20Railway%20Nomination.pdf The Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. It was established on 8 February 1853 to build a railway from Melbourne to Echuca on the Victorian-NSW border and a branch railway to Williamstown. The company struggled to make any progress and on 23 May 1856, the colonial Government took over the Company and it became part of the newly established Department of Railways, part of the Board of Land and Works. The Department of Railways became Victorian Railways in 1859. Construction of the Bendigo line commenced in 1858, but this private consortium also met with financial difficulties when it was unable to raise sufficient funds, and was bought out by the Victorian colonial government. The design work was then taken over by Captain Andrew Clarke, R. E., Surveyor-General of Victoria, with bridge designs completed by Bryson and O'Hara The contract for the first stage of the line from Footscray to Sandhurst (now Bendigo), was let to Cornish and Bruce for £3,356,937.2s.2d ($6.714 million) with work commencing on 1 June 1858. Completion of the permanent way was to be by 31 July 1861 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne,_Mount_Alexander_and_Murray_River_Railway_Company Victorian Railways - purchased and imported the Rail and Chairs from Raleigh, Dalgleish, White and Co. London Importation of railway plant : abstract of a return to an order of the Legislative Assembly dated 27th June 1860 for - Copies of the advertisements calling for tenders, the names of the tenderers and the accounts and correspondence with Mr Brunel relating thereto GP V 1859/60 no. C 15 http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1859-60NoC15.pdf Report from the Select Committee upon the Importation of Railway Plant : together with proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence and appendix GP V 1859/60 no. D 38 (2.9 MB) http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1859-60NoD38.pdf Victorian Railways : report of the Board of Land and Works November 1862 GP V 1862/63 no. 21 (2.8 MB) https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1862-63No21.pdfHistoric - Victorian Railways - Double Headed rail Ravenswood Railway Station and Siding Victorian Heritage Database Reports Victorian Heritage Register VHR H1100 Victorian Heritage Register VHR H1786 National Trust VHR H1100 Mount Alexander and Murray River Rail way Line National Trust2 rail lengths of Double Headed Rail made of Iron makers marks : Wilson & Cammell - Dronfield - Steel and 20 joint chairs with metal rail pins Makers mark Wilson & Cammell - Dronfield - Steel (possible date 187? very hard to read ) puffing billy, double headed rail, wilson & cammell - dronfield - steel works, ravenswood station siding, melbourne to echuca rail line, initially known as the melbourne, mt alexander and murray river railway.

This 2 foot 6 inch (762mm) gauge wagon was used for carrying explosives and was used with the Greenbat Battery loco. It was donated to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway on long term loan in 2013 along with a large quantity of narrow gauge trollies and light rail from Orica’s now closed munitions factory in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory Orica Deer Park in Melbourne’s west has been used since circa 1875 for various forms of manufacturing and storage of chemicals. Although the site is bounded by Ballarat Road, Station Street, Tilburn Road and the Western Ring Road, the current entry point for industrial operations is situated at Gate 6 of Tilburn Road. Operations include: • a specialty chemicals facility producing products for mining services operations • quarry services • other chemical manufacture activities. The Deer Park factory complex The factory complex is of historical significance for the major role it played in Australia's manufacturing and mining industries through the development of progressively more efficient and safer explosives. It also contributed to wartime production in ammunition, initiators and the development of synthetic ammonia production and construction of the Defence Explosives Annexe No 5 (later the Albion Explosives Factory) during World War Two. The factory complex is also of technical significance for the unusual and specialised design of many of the buildings and structures, both in the layout of the works and the individual design of buildings. Blast protection and safety measures such as mounds around the buildings, 'cleanways' and buffer zones between production areas were employed extensively. A characteristic of many production buildings was the elimination of cavities where explosive compounds could lodge. The combination of concrete barriers and light-weight construction was designed to direct explosion debris away from operators or other buildings. The narrow gauge tramway, which ran through the explosives section, is a rare survivor of nineteenth century materials-handling methods. Historic - Industrial Narrow Gauge Railway - Wagon for carrying Explosives at the Orica - Deer Park Munitions factory, Deer park, Victoria, Australia Wagon for carrying explosives made from Timber and steelwagon for carrying explosives, puffing billy, industrial narrow gauge railway, orica - deer park munitions factory, explosives wagon

Singer hand-operated black steel sewing machine. Has gold floral design. Is on a rectangular wooden base with a compartment containing associated sewing machine toolsSinger / Floral designs (see photos)sewing, sewing machine, singer, hand-operated

Point to Sky is one of Akio Makigawa’s final works, the commission was completed posthumously. It is the only public artwork by the celebrated Australian-Japanese sculptor of this scale located in regional Victoria. You will see two stainless steel forms, a smaller more rectangle form and the towering geometric form, with seed pod shapes at the peak. These forms represent the house, the artist is expressing that home is a shelter and also a place for gathering. The house form grows into a tower to symbolise the achievements of mankind and the action taken to protect the rights of the community during the Eureka Stockade. The top seed pod is gold, referencing Ballarat as the centre of the gold rush in Victoria, as well as representing the sun as the source of life. The paving of the forecourt was designed in bluestone, typical of the work of Makigawa. Stainless steel panelling and shaping on armature. Set into raised platform of bluestone pavers.Point to Sky, 1999 / Akio Makigawa (1948-1999)/ stainless steel/ Born in Japan, Akio Makigawa arrived in Australia in 1974. He worked as a sail maker in Perth before studying sculpture at the Claremont School of Art and WAIT (now known as Curtin University). He moved to Melbourne in 1981 to do post graduate studies in sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts and set up his studio. From 1984 he was involved in many public commissions in Victoria and interstate and Japan. / Commissioned by the Victorian Government and the City of Ballarat in 1999. point to sky, akio makigawa, modern, australian sculpture

The Flock is a kinetic sculpture made up of 11 parts. It celebrates a local migratory bird, the ibis. The sculpture comprises tall steel poles with a steel ibis balanced on the top of each pole by its beak. Balanced on a spherical joint to allow fluid movement in all directions, each element of the Flock is designed to look like a bird in flight. The kinetic wind-powered elements of the artwork were inspired by the nearby Waubra Wind Farm.The artwork is of aesthetic and social significance to the people of BallaratEleven white and black birds on poles with moving partsibis, friends of learmonth, learmonth

Swan Pool forms the southern gateway to the ‘Fairyland’ area on the western shore of Lake Wendouree, Ballarat. The new bridge was built c2013 and designed based on the form of water lily flowers. The sculptural form of the bridges enhances the ‘Fairyland’ experience for children and adults alike.white decorative steel bridge edgings

'Hepburn Pool is a forgotten treasure which many visitors to Hepburn Springs would never be aware of. The owners of the Bellinzona Grange hotel explained that it was once the hotel pool and was built in the 1930's. You can find it behind this hotel, downhill at a street called The Pool Way. Steps and a ramp continue down to the pool itself and the secluded park around it. It was built into Spring Creek and became a competition pool for state swimming championships. A concrete weir separates a shallow children's pool from the main pool. You can still see the numbers of each lane painted on the walls at the deep end. There are plenty of seats and a barbeque area. A sign says this is a sacred aboriginal spot and you can certainly feel something magical about the place. I wouldn't suggest swimming in the former pool, it looks rather murky now.' Review of Hepburn Pool by 'Jolyon67' on 'Tripadvisor', 3 June 2015'The Bunji: The Bunjil sculpture emerged from discussions with local indigneous Elders, as a dreamtime totem to the Sacred Pool at Hepburn Springs. The original idea was to create the 3 totems of the area...the Bunjil, The Crow and The Bat. Russell applied for, a council grant of $3,000 to design, create and install the Bunjil Sculpture to overlook the pool and reflect its powerful image in the water.' Information provided by Russell Petherbridge, December 2015Large scale steel sculpture depicting 'Bunjil', the dreamtime totem of the Hepburn Pool, an eagle in flight.art, public art, sculpture, installation art, aboriginal art, site specific art, hepburn shire, hepburn shire public art collection, russell petherbridge, bunjil, hepburn, hepburn pool, aboriginal significance, steel sculpture

This Japanese journal features a photographic article on Boyd's Walsh Street home. It was written by a Japanese architecture student who visited Walsh Street with a group of 6 such students in 1961. A translation of the text follows. ________________________________________________________ "An Architect’s House in Melbourne, Australia Author: Tamon Okubo This house was built by architect Robin Boyd as an experimental work. Although in a residential area of Melbourne, the site is a 40 x 126 ft rectangle in a corner of a former park with high rise buildings on either side. Due to its location, the design focuses on protecting the privacy of the house from the outside and on the composition of the interior space, creating a somehow introverted plan. However, the interior is not completely closed from the outside; it is cleverly designed to provide both views of the rooves of nearby houses as well as the mountains in the distance. Firstly, the couple’s room and the children’s rooms are in separate buildings. These two independent structures are connected by a courtyard. The ceiling of the courtyard is partly open, so one can look out from the second-floor terrace of the couple’s room. The walls on both sides of the courtyard are of opaque glass to ensure privacy from outside. In both buildings brick walls with three-inch steel pipe inserted into the brick cavities form the structure and separate each room. The roof is connected to pairs of 3/4-inch thick cables, spaced four feet apart, attached to the brick walls of both buildings and supported by wooden posts that separate the glass panels in the rooms. The cables are not tightly strung together but are loosely suspended from the front structure, where the entrance is, to the rear one. The upper cable in the courtyard is covered with vine. The materials used are insulation board for the roof, raw timber for the structural materials, native jarrah for the timber sections of the interior walls and white eucalyptus for the joints. Robin Boyd – A Brief Personal History 1919 Born in Melbourne, Australia 1947 As an architect, was the first director of the Small Homes Service, a public housing research institute established to provide homes for needy Australians. 1960 Wins the American Institute Architects Prize (the Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange, was awarded the same prize in 1959). In the same year he was elected an honorary member of the Institute. Mr Robin Boyd is currently writing a book on the history of Australian architecture, The Walls Around Us, as well as a book on Kenzo Tange. He is a frequent visitor to Japan to exchange ideas with Japanese architects and is quite a Japanophile. " This is a photocopy of the article from Japan Interior Design No 17. Pages 4-5 are glued together, and pages 6-7 are glued together, p8 p9, p10 are separate. There is writing on it (not Robin Boyd's hand). Geoffrey Serle, Robin Boyd's biographer, may have given it to Patricia Boyd.walsh st library

These BFK Butterfly chairs were used in the living room in Robin Boyd's first family home in Camberwell. The BKF was originally designed in Argentina, later becoming popular throughout the world.A pair of BKF Butterfly chair. Black iron/steel. They have a canvas sling hung from the frame's highest points, creating a suspended seatwalsh st furnishings, robin boyd

Robin Boyd was appointed Exhibits Architect for the Australian Pavilion at Expo ‘70 in Osaka and travelled to Osaka several times in 1969-1970. Boyd designed the innovative Space Tube, which had over 25 exhibition boxes, projecting from it. Amongst the topics covered were Australian scientific innovation (including brain research, immunology, Antarctic research, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Power Scheme, rainmaking, and the night sky), Australian sport, house interiors, car manufacturing, Australian music and art, and Japanese-Australian relations.Colour slide in a mount. Module and steel connection detail, Takara Beautilion, Expo '70, Osaka, Japan. (Architect: Kisho Kurakawa.)Made in Australiaexpo 70, osaka, robin boyd, slide

Robin Boyd was appointed Exhibits Architect for the Australian Pavilion at Expo ‘70 in Osaka and travelled to Osaka several times in 1969-1970. Boyd designed the innovative Space Tube, which had over 25 exhibition boxes, projecting from it. Amongst the topics covered were Australian scientific innovation (including brain research, immunology, Antarctic research, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Power Scheme, rainmaking, and the night sky), Australian sport, house interiors, car manufacturing, Australian music and art, and Japanese-Australian relations.Colour slide in a mount. Steel connection detail, Takara Beautilion, Expo '70, Osaka, Japan. (Architect: Kisho Kurakawa.)Made in Australia / 27 / DEC 69M8expo 70, osaka, robin boyd, slide

A mortising tool is a specialist axe designed for hewing sills and cutting notches in timber. It has a long, narrow head, making it easier to work on large logs. The shape enables the user to cut a long way down into the notch, where otherwise a chisel would be used.Example of a common bush woodworking tool used before the advent of chainsaws and power equipmentMortising Tool, AxePrades Co Solid Steeltimber tools

The steel mesh and crossbar sides of the new H.V.McKay footbridge are designed to replicate the appearance of the old crossbar gates which were at the old H.V.McKay works. The new bridge contains 111 of these plates attached to the centre of all crossbar sections which enclose both sides of the walkway of the bridge. The plate is a donated spare which was left over from the original manufactured plates that were attached to the new H.V.McKay footbridge. The plate is in our possession for safe keeping and for future reference.Stainless steel oval shaped plate with four holes for mounting to mesh sides of the walkway on the bridge. The plate has engraved lettering and lines intended to replicate a Sunshine Crossbar gate. H.V.McKAY SUNSHINE (The small c is underlined which can't be replicated on this data base)base plate, stainless steel plate, crossbar gates, regional rail link, hv mckay footbridge, h.v.mckay footbridge, sunshine

The site specific sculpture is located at the entry to the office of Nillumbik Shire Council. It was commissioned in 1994 by the Shire of Diamond Valley for their 20 year celebration. Baines was chosen from a short list of three artists. He is an internationally renowned artist, particularly in the field of gold and silver smithing. 'Transaction' takes on the visual and aesthetic vocabulary of its surroundings. It is a statement of the geometry and idiosyncrasy of its immediate site. The series of arcs are reinterpreted into longitudinal curves in the sculpture. It is a transaction between the place and the anticipated entry to the building. The title also suggests the flow of civil and administrative procedures that take place daily within the Shire's offices. A large cascading form in stainless steel. Multiple rows of concave dishes set on long steel stems, which progressively increase in size as they rise in height. The work plays elaborately with perspective, and its repeated shapes are arranged in a orderly mathematical series. It faces a wheelchair ramp lined with polished steel rails, and is integrated with the architectural features of its forecourt setting, for which it was designed. The piece is sited in a small garden area and can be viewed from within the building's foyer. In bright sunlight, its dish-shapes cast elliptical shadows across walkways and lawns. N/Apublic art, transaction, ekphrasis2017, stainless steel, disks, poles, council

1996 Nillumbik Art in Public Places Award (installed late 1997). A biennial program that ceased in 2007. The program commissioned artists to make and install public art in various sites around the Shire. Award judges that year were Tony Trembath and artist Peter D. Cole. Susie Kumar has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from RMIT and Naomi Kumar has a Bachelor of Fine Art in photography degree from VCA. The Kumar sisters designed the sixty meter gently curving bench in response to the topography of the site, Conventry Oval. The sculpture is designed to describe the boundary between the formal oval and the natural creek bank and a considered relationship to the bike track and the river. It forms a link between the activities and aesthetics of its environment. The work is a comical interpretation of the utilitarian public bench. From a distance the bright red runners (the colour of the local football team's stripe) appear to float about the surrounding green. One end of the work is straight and finished. The other remains 'unfinished' hence allowing for the concept of unlimited extension. The 'legs' (steel hurdles) are arranged with a sense of movement and rhythm in sympathy with the activities happening around the work and with the stands of trees in he background. 'Benchmark' also serves as a functional purpose; providing a choice of places to sit to watch action on the oval. Stainless steel, timber (Victorian Ash) and red enamel paint. Sixty meter long red bench that gently curves in response to Conventry Oval. Bolted on top of evenly spaced stainless steel hurdles, four rows of timber runners are joined to provide unbroken continuous lengths. The bench stands on a framed bed of crushed rock (Lilydale topping).N/Abench, sport, wood, victorian ash, stainless steel, public art, ekphrasis2017

This spinning wheel originates from New Zealand; however, it has no distinguishing features relating to its creator such as an inscription, so its exact maker is not known. Gill Stange remembers buying the wheel on Bridge Road in Richmond, approximately 30 years ago. Gill had joined her local Spinners and Weavers Guild after the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. She was a then resident of Mount Macedon and lost everything in the fires. Moving to Melbourne to get away from the scene of much pain, Gill was also in need of a new hobby to help occupy her mind. That is when spinning and weaving entered her life. The local Spinners and Weavers Guild was a great support network for her and with their recommendation, she purchased her own spinning wheel. Her passion was started, and the wheel was to become a treasured item in Gill’s home. She had several spinning wheels within her possession over the years, however, this wheel was her first and always her favourite. When the time came for Gill to downsize, there was simply no longer room for her spinning wheel. This is when she decided to donate the wheel to the National Wool Museum. Gill remembers one highlight was weaving a tablecloth from a traditional German design. It took her two years to complete, with Gill spinning all the wool herself on this wheel. The tablecloth won the first prize in the Melbourne Show in 1987. Gill also used the wheel to teach programs to school children on how to spin and knit wool. She would take the easily transported little wheel, and its accompanying seat, with her to schools. Its small size enabled her to teach children to knit and spin, bringing others the joy that spinning had brought her. Not just limited to schools, Gill also taught programs with the wheel here at the National Wool Museum. It is a fitting home for the wheel, which Gill donated to the National Wool Museum in 2021.Dark varnished wood in a Castle style spinning wheel. The wheel has 8 small spokes which meet a thick outside rim. The outside rim has four golden disc weights on the bottom edge, to aid in the turning of the wheel. The spinning wheel has four legs of turned wood giving a sculptural form, a design pattern which is continued throughout. The wheel has a single medium sized foot pedal. This pedal is well worn with varnish missing from years of use. The wheel is completed with its accompanying chair. Made of the same dark varnished wood, its legs are also of turned wood, continuing the design pattern and uniting the two objects. The chair is very simple outside of the legs, with a medium size base and a thin backrest ending in a rounded head. The chair’s varnish is also starting to fade from years of use. The chair is small, designed to keep the spinning wheel operator at the appropriate height when spinning on the equally small and compact Castle style spinning wheel. Additional parts were donated with the Spinning Wheel. - 3 x Lazy Kates - Spare Maiden. - 450mm Niddy Noddy - Steel teeth brushspinning wool, spinning wheel, ash wednesday, mount macedon, textile production

Display panel giving details re: the construction of the Dennys Lascelles concrete building (the Bow Truss building) adjacent to the Dennys Lascelles wool offices and store (now NWM) in 1911-13. The building was designed as a show floor for wool bales, thus the lack of columns and roof supports was significant in providing free space. It was designed by Mr E.G. Stone and construction was supervised by Laird and Buchan. It was demolished in the 1990s. This display board / text panel may have been created for use in the concrete building.Display board from 1913 giving details re: the construction of the Dennys Lascelles concrete building (the Bow Truss building), adjacent to their wool store and offices.DENNYS LASCELLES LTD. / CONCRETE BUILDING. / Building Commenced in 1911. Finished in 1913. / Is 4 Storeys High. / The Show Floor covering almost an acre / of ground, is the largest flat roof space / in the world without visible supports ... / The suspended Roof weighs 1200 Tons. / The Building was Designed & Erected by / MR. E.G. STONE, C.E. / The Construction Absorbed:- / 8000 Casks of Cement. 3250 Loads of Sand. / 475 Tons of Steel. 2250 Yards of Crushed Stone. / 1100 Was Expended on Timber for Casing the Concrete Moulds. / 94 Cases of Nails & 432 Gallons of Oil / were required for the Concrete Casing. / The building was constructed entirely of Day Labor / at a cost of Over 40,000. / The Building Construction was supervised / by Messrs Laird & Buchan, F.R.A.I.A. / Architects - Geelong.wool sales, wool bales, dennys, lascelles limited, stone, mr e. g. laird and buchan, dennys lascelles concrete building, bow truss building, geelong

Nimons Bridge was built in 1890, as part of the then Ballarat-Linton railway. The bridge is 17 spans with tall timber piers of four driven piles each, with triple sets of diagonal cross-bracing and walers and a single row of longitudinal horizontal bracing between piers. The spans are of a uniform twenty feet (6.1 metres), originally supported by four 21-inch x 9-inch (535 mm x 230 mm) Kauri timber beams per span, following the standard V.R. design of the period. When the superstructure was rebuilt after the 1953 fire, the timber beams were replaced with two 24-inch (610mm) deep rolled-steel-joists on each span. These are marked 'Lancashire Steel Co., Scotland' and are believed to have been second-hand. The deck of transverse-timber planks is 103.6 metres in length. Overall the bridge has an impressive appearance with its exceptionally tall triple-cross-braced piers creating a 'three-tiered' effect, with the deck 19.2 metres above the Woady Yaloak River. The Ballarat-Skipton line closed in 1985. Nimons Bridge has been recently restored, as part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. How is it significant? Nimons Bridge is significant for technical, historic and aesthetic reasons at a State level. Why is it significant? Nimons Bridge is technically significant as Victoria's fourth-tallest timber trestle bridge when built, and as the third-tallest surviving example. It is also the second-largest composite bridge combining traditional timber piers with RSJ spans and a timber deck and falls within a select group of fewer than ten timber railway bridges with horizontal longitudinal bracing between the piers and three sets of double cross-bracing on its tallest piers, creating a visually striking 'three tiered' effect that enhances its viaduct form. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as having served initially the mining community at Linton, then the Western District agricultural area and in later years a kaolin quarry at Pittong. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as a representative of the 'light' branch line methodology that stimulated the explosion of railway construction in Victoria during the 1880s, and provides an interesting contrast with the more solid and vastly more expensive railway viaducts built in similar terrain on Victorian main lines, at Moorabool and Taradale, in the late 1850s. Approached by a deep cutting and high embankment at either end, the bridge represents a very cost-effective late 19th century engineering solution to the characteristic physiography of western Victoria with flat basalt plains intersected by deep wide valleys occasionally subject to severe flooding. Nimons Bridge is aesthetically significant for its visually impressive viaduct form, crossing a deep and steep-sided valley that is part of a rich cultural landscape. Within close proximity of the bridge are mullock dumps, tailings, shaft sites and other relics of the deep-lead alluvial mining era. The bridge is the most visually spectacular timber-trestle rail bridge in Western Victoria and is among the most spectacular timber-trestle rail bridges surviving anywhere in Victoria. It is part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. Classified by the National Trust :02/10/2000 (http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/67986)Colour photograph of a log bridge known as Nimon's Bridge.ballarat-linton, nimons bridge, nimon's bridge, log bridge, viaduct, timber-trestle rail bridge

The first prototype of the Owen Gun was first developed by Evelyn Owen in 1931 and finalised the design in 1938. The Owen was the only entirely Australian - designed and constructed service sub-machine gun of World War11 and was used by Australian Army from 1942 until 1971. It was manufactured at Lysaght's works who built 45,000 units. The cartridge was the 9x19 Parabellum - fired 700 rounds per minute and had an effective range of 125 yards.The Owen was of significant advantage to the Australian Army in the jungles of Vietnam.Owen Gun - sub-machine gun also known as the (Owen machine carbine). Steel body and timber grip and butt.WFM 0067 on top of barrel.

Fred Ward, better known for his work with Myer Heritage, Patterncraft and the ANU, began making furniture in the late 1920s for his own house in Heidelberg. An early client was the sophisticated and progressive Maie Casey, who in 1932 furnished the rented Gwynn house in Canberra in a radically austere style, with Michael O'Connell textiles, Ward's monastically simple waxed timber designs and imported steel tubular chairs. Maie Casey's patronage proved enduring and influential. The RDA’s collection shows designs and details of bespoke pieces commissioned by Lord Casey for government offices, including the Department of External Affairs, during his political and vice-regal career. Catriona Quinn, 2017 furniture, design, canberra, rmit design archives, myer, anu

Steel helmet based on a design by John Leopold Brodie (1873–1945) was introduced in September 1915 to British troops on the Western Front and with some modifications became standard issue to British Commonwealth troops during World Wars One and Two.helmet, steel, tin hat, wwi, wwii, world war one, world war two

Colloquially called the 'Tin Hat' this helmet was designed by John L Brodie in response to the French helmets. It was easilly pressed from a single sheet of steel and saw service with all British Empire/Commonwealth Forces. Even the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) of World War I succumbed to its charms, and it also featured in early United States battles with Japan in the Pacific during World War II.Khaki steel helmet with brown leather straps

This is a small commercially made tram model. Its design appears to be very loosely based on a Melbourne W Class tram design. The motorman’s cabin is realistic, but the body with its centre doorway does not look like any known tram designs. The wheels and their arrangement at the very ends of the tram are not realistic at all. No details of the maker, or where or when the model was made. Demonstrates making tramcar models for decorative purposesNickel plated steel model with operable wheels at either end. Two copies held.models, trams, tramcars

The Fashion & Design collection of the Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants’ clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Items in the collection were largely produced for, or purchased by women in Melbourne, and includes examples of outerwear, protective wear, nightwear, underwear and costume accessories.Late Victorian long black cotton skirt with a short pleated frill at the hemline. The skirt is lined with a thick brown cotton fabric. It is joined with steel hooks and eyes. The skirt is slightly longer at the back. The skirt was owned by one of the donor's maternal ancestors.australian fashion, women's clothing, skirts, outerwear, micky ashton

The Fashion & Design collection of the Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants’ clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Items in the collection were largely produced for, or purchased by women in Melbourne, and includes examples of outerwear, protective wear, nightwear, underwear and costume accessories.This outfit was donated by Netta Fuller.Two piece grey silk outfit comprising a tailored bodice and a very full skirt. The bodice has puffed leg-of-mutton sleeves and is heavily encrusted with large grey artificial pearls and steel beads of the period. The skirt is cut to allow for a long train at the back. Grey pearls and steel beads are similarly used on the right side of the front of the skirt. Metallic braid may have been added at a later date. The outfit has been much altered over time. There is evidence of shattered silk in parts of the garment. Printed on a strap at the waist is the label of Peter Robinson, Oxford Street/Regent Street.Peter Robinson. Oxford Street/Regents Streetwomen's clothing, women's fashion -- 1890s, peter robinson, international fashion, fashion -- united kingdom, fashion design, fashion -- 1890s

Victoria Bridge is a riveted and welded steel Warren truss bridge over the Yarra River completed in 1884 to a design by Fraser & Chase following a controversial design competition held in 1880. Funds for the bridge's construction were provided by the councils of Collingwood, Hawthorn, Kew and Richmond. The contract was awarded to Mr P. Platt. Charles Rowand was officially appointed Supervising Engineer in 1883. The winning design was based on the theoretical work of William Charles Kernot (1845-1909) who campaigned for economy in public works design and the application of scientific principles in engineering. ... The bridge was widened in 1890 by the addition of a third line of truss on new piers on the up stream side to carry horse trams. Work commenced in 1914 to convert the horse tramway to an electric tramway by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust, part of the Trust's extension of its tramway into the eastern suburbs between 1913-18. In 1915 the bridge was further strengthened to accommodate the extra weight of electric trams and widened by the addition of two six feet cantilever footpaths. During this period the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust erected two ornamental gantries over the roadway to support overhead wires for the electric tramway. Further widening and reconditioning of the bridge took place in 1933, including the addition of four new welded trusses, two intermediate and two on the outside. The latter were supported on new cantilevered truss cross beams attached to the top of the piers. (Source: Heritage Victoria)Early and rare postcard of the Victoria Street Bridge linking Victoria Street and Barkers Road.Polychrome postcard of the Victoria Street Bridge which links Richmond and Abbotsford with Kew and Hawthorn.View from Harrison Cres embankment / former Xavier College boatshed on site of tree in foreground. / Chimney left corner - Wool Scoring Mils in Victoria St. / On horizon - Studley Villa, Studley House circa 1880s, Studley Hall / Chinese gardens to be seen behind three set of columns / M.J. Slatterypostcards -- yarra river, postcards -- bridges. -- greater melbourne (vic.), victoria street bridge

Henry (Harry) William Tompkins was a renowned Melbourne architect, former City of Kew councillor and sometime Mayor of the municipality. He was president of the Melbourne Institute of Architects in 1914-15. In partnership with his brother, Frank Beauchamp Tompkins, he designed the Myer Stores in Bourke and Lonsdale Streets in 1933. Locally he was the architect of the Kew War Memorial (opened 1925). At the time that the gravure plate was made, the couple lived in 'Fenwick', a house on the corner of Stawell Street and Fenwick Street, Kew, which has since been demolished.Copper (on steel?) gravure printing plate made for Mr & Mrs Harold Tompkins, 'Fenwick', Fenwick Street, Kew. Engraved in reverse script. It is assumed that the acronym PPC may stand for 'Please Present Card'. "Mr & Mrs H.W. Tompkins, Fenwick, Fenwick Street, Studley Park / PPC 1st Friday"harry tompkins, gravure printing plates, business cards