The Mount Helen site was selected for the tertiary division of the Ballarat School of Mines, known as the Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education. The turning of the sod for the first buildings took place on 19 October 1967 By Lord Casey.A set of black and white photographs of the turning of the sod ceremony at Mount Helen. mount helen, ballarat institute of advanced education, ballarat school of mines, john, casey, trudinger, barker, turning the sod, mt helen campus opening, lord casey

Prospects is the training restaurant of the Ballarat School of Mines. Prospects was formerly the building of the Ballarat Junior Technical SchoolColour photograph showing nine staff members of the Ballarat School of Mines behind a set table in Prospects Training Restaurant. Standing left to right: Betty Collier, Faye Hunt, Jan O'Toole, Val D'Angri Siting left to right: Heather Durant, Sonia Turner, Kieran Jones, Carole Seymour, Anne Fennelballarat school of mines, prospects, collier, hunt, o'toole, d'angri, durant, turner, jones, seymour, fennell, m13875

The former Ballarat Gaol was commenced in 1856 and completed in 1862, This view looks up Lydiard Street South, and was taken before the Ballarat Courthouse was built south of the gaol in 1868. The wall was built from quarried basalt with local bricks. A system of burning the lime mortar between the joints and the shape of the wall meant it had a high degree of stability. From 1870 on more buildings were constructed and these became the School of Mines and Industries Ballarat. The Gaol closed in 1965. This image shows the Ballarat Gaol c. 1861 giving us an understanding of what the site looked like before all the changes that have occurred over the years since the gaol closed and other organisations have had the site. Black and white image showing the former Ballarat Gaol from Lydiard Street South.Label on underneath photograph: The Ballarat Gaol, c.1861 - This view looks up Lydiard Street towards our present school entrance. The gaol buildings remain unchanged . Note that the Court House, now S.M.B's Elec. classrooms, has not yet been built on the right hand side of the gaol.ballarat gaol, ballarat school of mines, gaol, m113, lydiard street, courthouse, lime mortar, lydiard street south

Black and White photographs of the Mount Helen Campus under construction. .1) Preparing for the site of the Student Amenities Building (now Albert Coates Centre). View from the north-west, from the site of 'S' building. federation university, federation university australia, feduni, university of ballarat, mount helen, construction, big tree, tree of knowledge, mount helen campus

Ascot Denominational School in Ascot opened in 1859 for the Presbyterian Free Church with 26 students, which quickly grew to 96. In 1866 the local Board of Managers offered the school to the Board of Education if it would pay the 200 pound building debt, but the offer was rejected. In 1873 Ascot Primary School (No. 16) opened. A new site was purchased in 1981 forcing the closure of School 16. Ascot State School (No. 2507) opened in February 1883..1) Twenty three children stand in from on a brick building with corrugated iron roof. They are students of Ascot Primary School. .2) Twelve males students of Ascot Primary School stand in front of a timber post and rail fence. They are the same boys as depicted in the .1) Ascot Primary School photo. Members of the Chatham family were educated at Ascot Primary School and are thought to be in these photographs. In the late 1950s and 60s the children of Phillip and Elizabeth Chatham nee Holmes also attended Ascot State School along with the children of Bill and Margaret Holmes.Verso in blue ballpoint pen "Chatham Ascot"chatham family collection, ascot, ascot primary school, ascot state school, post and rail, elizabeth holmes, bill holmes

Fiver black and white photographs showing the former Union Building, now the Federation University Albert Coates Complex, under construction. .1) View of the first stage residences site south west, shows Stage 1 Engineering and Metallurgy/Geology. .2) View of the first stage residences site to the South west. Roadway dam creates upper pond. .3) View of the first stage residences site to the eastward. Shows lower pond and roadway dam. .4) View of the first stage residences site to the South. Start of Union Building Construction. .5) .View to the south east across lower pond, shows the Tree of Knowledge and first stage buildings.albert coates complex, union building, mount helen campus

The Ballarat School of Mines was Australia's first, and was established in 1870. The former Ballarat Circuit Court was the first site of the Ballarat School of Mines. This building was demolished to make way for the Ballarat Technical Art School which was opened in 1915. Image of the Ballarat School of Mines, Lydiard Street in 1882. It shows the first building (former Circuit Courthouse), and the Chemistry Buildings. The lower chimney is a gauge tower designed by Henry Richards Caselliballarat school of mines, establishment, former ballarat circuit courthouse, gauge tower, mining, henry caselli, lydiard street south

The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum, holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century. . Two black and white postcards of views of Bath. .1) Roman Circular Bath .2) Empire Hotel and Bridge, Bathchatham family archive, roman, bath

This is a set of documents including three sheets of blueprint plans for the New Town Hall and Offices for Warrnambool, created in 1890 by the Architect Mr Arthur H. Cutler of Melbourne. The Contract was signed by the Town Mayor for Warrnambool, Mr William Simpson on May 7th 1890. Also, a Council copy of the Contract dated 26 June 1890, with the signatures and diagram where the two official stamps would be placed. The Foundation Stone was laid the following year by the next Mayor, John Hyland on February 24th 1891. The contractor for the building was granted to W. Kellas (William) of Warrnambool. The Town Hall and Offices were built on the corner of Liebig and Timor Streets in Warrnambool. On March 20th 1983 the new Performing Arts Centre was opened y the Mayor, Councillor R w Andreson, on the same site. The new building incorporates the 1890 Town Hall building. The plans, contracts, documents and various references to people on the documents are significant to the history of the City of Warrnambool and its community. The Warrnambool Town Hall building is also significant for the many community events held there over the decades after it was built. Appreciation for the significance of the almost century-old Town Hall building is demonstrated by its inclusion in the new Performing Arts Centre.Set of five documents that includes Plans for the Warrnambool Town Hall, the Contract cover page and a letter from the Architect to the Council. The Contract cover page and the Letter are hand written on cream-coloured paper with a waxy finish, with watermarks. 1) Contract Cover Page, 5th May 1890, Specification of the New Town Hall and Offices at Warrnambool. 2) Letter, 29th January 1892, from Architect Arthur H. Cutler to Mayor and Councilors, Town of Warrnambool 3) Blueprint Sheet 4, Longitudinal Section, and profiles of Liebig Street and Timor Street, Warrnambool Town Hall, 4) Blueprint Sheet 3, First Floor & Balcony Plan, and Roof Plan 5) Blueprint Sheet 2, Ground Floor Plan, Warrnambool Town Hall 6) Contract, 26 June 1890, marked (Draft Copy Tow Hall Contract), Between Mayor, Councillors and Rate Payers, and William Kellas, ContractorWatermarks on handwritten pages [horizontal lines], "36" "BUSBRIDGE'S / LOFT DRIED" Contract cover page, Oval stamp "CUTLER - 281 COLLINS ST. E. MELBOURNE - ARCHITECT " (other crossed out text) Handwritten script "This is the specifications referred to in our agreement" "Dated this 7th day of May A.D. 1890" Signed "W. Simpson Mayor" "Arthur H. Cutler Architect", [two Witnesses' signatures and others] Letter from Arthur Cutler, handwritten, has his address "472 Chancery Lane, Melbourne" CONTRACT of 26 June 1890: "The Mayor, Councillors and Rate Payers of Warrnambool" "William Kellas of Warrnambool" "Signed William Simpson, Maoyorr" "R F Kennedy, Councillor" "Wm Kellas" with diagrams where the round Common Seal and square Stamp would be applied.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck coast, great ocean roaad, warrnamboo town hall, warrnambool council offices, mayor william simpson, arthur h cutler, architect, civic centre, town hall, performing arts centre, mayor john hyland, william kellas, mayor r w anderson, r f kennedy, contract

Australia's first telephone exchange was opened in Melbourne in August 1880. It was operated by the Melbourne Telephone Exchange Company. Owned by W. H. Masters and T. T. Draper, the Manager of the Company was H. Byron Moore. This was only two years after the world's first exchange in the United States, and just four years after Bell first spoke on a telephone. The exchange was located in the old Stock Exchange building at 367 Collins Street, a site now occupied by the Commonwealth Bank. In 1884, the operations of the Company, by then known as the Victorian Telephone Exchange Company, had grown considerably and were transferred to Wills Street, Melbourne. Private ownership of this company continued until 1887 when it was bought out by the Victorian Colonial Government. Other colonial governments followed this example. By 1910, the growth in telephone services made additional accommodation necessary. This could not be provided in the existing building in Wills Street and arrangements were made for a new exchange in Lonsdale Street. Alexander Graham Bell visited Australia in 1910 to advise the Federal Government's Postal Commission. Telephone exchanges were established in Adelaide with (48 subscribers), Hobart (10 subscribers) and Launceston (35 subscribers). The first exchange in Western Australia was established in 1887 and located in a small three-room cottage in Wellington Street, Perth with 17 subscribers. The year 1888 marked the opening of the Fremantle exchange in a small room at the rear of the Town Hall. There were nine subscribers. Australia's first automatic exchange was installed in the GPO in Sydney, in 1911, for internal use. But the first automatic exchange for public use was opened at Geelong in Victoria in the next year July 1912 with 800 subscribers. Melbourne's first automatic exchange was opened in the suburb of Brighton in 1914; the first public automatic exchange in NSW began operating at Newtown, Sydney in 1915; and Queensland's first was installed at South Brisbane in 1925. 1929 saw the opening of Tasmania's first automatic exchange in Hobart. an automatic telephone service. In June 1977, the manual telephone exchange at Swansea was replaced with an automatic service and made Tasmania the first State in Australia to have a fully automatic network. The half-century following Federation saw the growth of the automatic operation; a great extension of trunk line services; The automatic telephone contributed greatly to the early popularity of telephones in Australia. It was a quicker and more convenient way of communicating with another person on the same exchange — instead of having to go through tedious processes with the operator. From its introduction, the number of automatic telephones in operation grew to a remarkable extent. In 1886, the first trunk link of 16 km was connected to the exchanges of Adelaide and Port Adelaide in South Australia. Then, in 1907, the first inter-capital telephone trunk line was opened between Sydney and Melbourne. It was followed by a line between Melbourne and Adelaide in 1914. Sydney and Brisbane were linked in 1923, and Perth and Adelaide in 1930. In 1930, the first overseas calls from Australia came possible with the introduction of a radiotelephone service to England, and through there to Europe and America. A similar service opened to New Zealand in the same year. Initially, trunk channels linked different manual trunk exchanges. It was necessary for a succession of trunk operators to connect the appropriate channels, one after the other until the connection was made. As trunk traffic grew. the system became increasingly unsuitable. More trunk operators had to be employed and so labour costs increased. It was a tedious and slow way of making a long-distance call, and it was sometimes hard to hear, particularly when several exchanges were linked With technical advances, trunk switching moved from manual operation through a partly automatic phase. Automatic transit switching equipment was used and only a single operator was required to connect a trunk call to a wanted automatic subscriber. Until well beyond the middle of this century, the majority of trunk traffic went through this single telephonist control. In 1953, the number of telephones in use in Australia passed the one million mark. By then, the need for improvement in the automatic exchanges was becoming well recognised. The need was for a telephone switching system which would do a better job more economically than the conventional step-by-step ex-change. This led to the adoption of the Crossbar system as the standard in automatic telephone exchanges in 1960. The introduction of Crossbar switching was a big step forward in the automation of trunk calls. It substituted automatic switching and charging equipment for the originating trunk operator, and improved the quality of the system radically. Before the introduction of the Crossbar system there were often very long delays in obtaining a booked trunk call, and the quality of sound was often very poor. With Crossbar, Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) became a reality. A trunk call by STD was as easy to make and almost as fast to connect as a local call.The item was made around the 1940s and used up until the 1970s in manual cord telephone exchanges as a way to time and charge users for trunk calls made over the telecom system of the time. Post Master General dept. - Trunk Call Timer.Inscribed PMG, C. of A, 37. Bell chimes at 3 min increments.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, timer, trunk call, telephone, cord exchange

The Circuit Court House buildings were located in Lydiard Street Ballarat. By 1862 the Ballarat Gaol was completed, including a tunnel connecting the Gaol to the Court House. The original initiative for the founding of the Ballarat School of Mines was taken at a meeting of the Ballarat Mining Board on 6 October 1869. The Provisional Ballarat School of Mines Council applied to the Government for the lease of the former Circuit Court House. It was approved for a 15 year period at one shilling per annum. The official opening of the Ballarat School of Mines by its first President, Sir Redmond Barry, was held 26 October 1870 in the former Circuit Court House, Lydiard Street Ballarat. Conversions were made to accommodate the new role it was to play. On 14 December 1912, demolition of the former Circuit Court House commenced. In 1915, Ballarat Technical Art School opened on the site of the former Circuit Court House. Black and white photograph of the Circuit Court House, Lydiard Street South Ballarat. Brick building with veranda across the front. This is supported by 5 groups of columns. Main section is two storey with single storey wing on either side. Arched window in centre of top storey, directly above double doorway. Features pillar effect in brick/stone across the front.ballarat school of mines, ballarat court house, ballarat circuit court house, lydiard street ballarat, sir redmond barry, ballarat mining board, government, ballarat technical art school, 1912, 1915, lydiard street south

The Ballarat Junior Technical School was a division of the Ballarat School of Mines. It was a school for preparatory technical work in trade, art and science. it opened in 1913 in the bluestone building adjoining Dana Street Primary School. In 1921 in moved into a custom built brick building on the Ballarat School of Mines site. 23 page soft charcoal coloured book. Contents include: Aim of the School, curriculum, compulsory drill, evening school, rules, work programme. Images include: Modelling Class, Sheetmetal Work, Experimental Science, woodworkballarat school of mines, the ballarat junior technical school, alexander peacock, frank tate, donald clarke, d.f. skewes, w. stone, w. fenton, john fraser, p.j. pringle, a.e. cutter, hugh v. mckay, e.c. chamberlain, d. maxwell, f.a. event, frank hassell, clegg, miller, p.s. richards, john white, w.p. davies, m.b. john, jelbart, trahar bros, gower, benoit, stansfield and smith, w.h. chandler, arthur farrer, percival selwyn richards

The Great Bath is a massive pool, lined with 45 sheets of lead, and filled with hot spa water. It once stood in an enormous barrel-vaulted hall that rose to a height of 40 metres. For many Roman visitors this may have been the largest building they had ever entered in their life. The bath is 1.6 metres deep, which was ideal for bathing, and it has steps leading down on all sides. Niches around the baths would have held benches for bathers and possibly small tables for drinks or snacks. A large flat slab of stone is set across the point where hot water flows into the bath. It is known today as the diving stone. The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum, holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century. Sepia postcard of a section of the Great Roman Bath at Bath, Somerset featuring the Diving Stone.printed verso: The Diving Stone in the great roman bath. The Diving stone, at the north-west corner of the great Roman Bath, still shows where the feet of bygone bathers wore away its surface. The hot mineral waters flowed into the bath through a channel under this stone. chatham-holmes family collection, bath, great roman bath, swimming pool

The Ballarat Technology Park is associated with Federation University Australia. Five colour aerial photographs of sites associated with Federation University Australia. .1 & .2) Aerial views of the State Data Centre, Ballarat Technology Park .3) Aerial view of Mt Helen Campus, c1990 .4 and .5) Aerial View of Ballarat School of Mines Campus, 1998ballarat technology park, state region data centre, ballarat aerial view, ballarat school of mines aerial, aerial, brewery building, ballarat uniting church, albert street

The Ballarat Technology Park site consists of 28.8 hectares of freehold land zoned for technology Purposes. The development plan for the Park was prepared by the City of Ballarat. The construction of the ISSC Southern Regional Data Centre was the first stage of the project. ISSC Southern Regional Data centre is a $12.5 million building development at the corner of Geelong Road and gear Avenue. The building was constructed by H. Troon Pty Ltd. White card program for the Release of Technology Park Plans and Laying of Foundation Stone. ballarat technology park, issc southern region data centre, troon, david james, geoffrey blainey, bruce clark, john bligh, roger hallam, campus plan

Colour photograph showing remains of the Carlton and United Breweries Ballarat site (formerly Ballarat Brewing Company) after demolition. ballarat brewery, brew tower, ballarat brewing company, brew, carlton and united breweries, brewery complex, demolition, chimney, paving

Lal Lal Coal Mine, 1923. Two black and white photographs of the Lal Lal Coal Mine. .1) A man, Bill Thomas of Talbot, stands high on a timber construction. .2) A mine site with poppet head and two chimneys..1) verso: Lal Lal Coal and [Iron?] Mine 1,000 ton hopper or brown coal Designed and Built by D. Mather 1923 [15?] miles of sapplings in the building [Ci?] called and drying [oval] 120' long 45' x 20' wide Bill Thomas shown in this photo, from Talbot.lal lal, lal lal coal mine, donald mather, mather, bill thomas, talbot, mining

The weatherboard Ballarat East State School SS 1071 was formerly known as Specimen Hill. According to 'Visions and Realisations' The Eureka gold lead opened in August 1852, running from Little Bendigo, south beneath Yarrowee Creek into Pennyweight flat, where it was joined 100 yards or so from the intersection of main and Eureka Streets by the Canadian Lead. State School 1071 was formerly known as Ballarat Common School No. 71, and was founded by the Free Presbyterian Church on Specimen Hill in Eureka Street, Ballarat on 01 January 1854. On 20 May 1869 the trustees of the Presbyterian School, Specimen Hill, Ballarat, consented to the transfer of the site to the Board of Education. On 01 September 1870, Specimen Hill, Ballarat, was vested in the Board and then became known as SS 1071. On 01 March 1879 the Minister, The Hon. William Collard Smith, and William Dobbie, Inspector of School Buildings, visited Ballarat to report on the buildings with a view to extensions and renovations. The minister issued instructions for the old wooden part of the school to be demolished, and brick additions to be erected, so that the whole premises would accommodate 350 students. (''Visions and Realisations: A Century of State Education in Victoria, Vol. 2'', Education Department of Victoria, 1973, p 729-730.)Black and white photograph of a weatherboard school with shingle roof known as Ballarat East (SS1071). The building has a brick chimney and bell tower. This school has Castlemaine flagging in the passages.ballarat east state school, education, st paul's school, specimen hill state school

In 1881 Cyrus Bath Retallack purchased land now known as 1200 Mair Street Ballarat. Retallack was a successful Cornish miner and engineer. He built a two storey brick mansion between 1882 and 1883, naming the property ‘Carn Brae’ after the castle in Cornwall. Substantial grounds were established with with range of exotic trees planted, a tennis court was laid out and a stables building was erected. In 1918 the site become a campus of Queen’s GIrls’ Grammar School, then Aquinas College which was merged into the Australian Catholic University from 1973. Photograph of a double storey brick building on bluestone foundations, with cast iron balcony. ballarat, geoff biddington, cast iron, bluestone, cyril retallick, australian catholic university, ballarat, aquinas college

After the closure or the Ballarat Gaol the space was taken over by the Ballarat SChool of Mines and the gaol building was demolished. The E.J. Tippett Library is now on the site of the former Gaol building.Copy of 1928 plans for the Ballarat Gaol, with two Ballarat School of Mines buildings marked on it - The Student Amenities building and the Learning Resource Centre (E.J. Tippett Library). It shows a 'future Teaching Building' which was never built.ballarat school of mines, ballarat gaol, plan, student amenities building, learning resource centre, e.j. tippett library, governor's residence, warden's residence

When Ballarat Junior Technical School's new building was opened in 1921, the surrounding area was rubble-strewn with raw clay slopes. The Head, A W Steane designed the landscaping of the slopes from the Gaol wall down to the Battery Paddock. The boys did much of the work. Apart from beautifying the grounds, this project occupied their leisure time, particularly as they had nowhere to play. The school acquired the gaol site in April 1969. The work of improving the grounds which was begun by A W Steane and his students is being carried on.Eight Form 1 boys from Ballarat Technical School planting trees at the old Ballarat Gaol terraces. Don Ogilvie is in the foreground. Peter Murley is planting watched by Frank McKenzie in the background. Boys from left: John Brown, Bradley Julius, Gary Green, Steven Ryan, Kim Hall, Peter Gross, Peter Rasmussen.Details of photograph written in pencil on back "Ballarat Courier Press Photograph - Copyright - " stamped on back.ballarat junior technical school, grant street garden, garden terrace, ballarat gaol, battery paddock, former ballarat gaol walls, don ogilvie, john brown, bradley julius, gary green, steven ryan, kim hall, peter gross, peter rasmussen., peter murley, frank mckenzie, ballarat technical school

The Ballarat Gaol operated between 1862 and 1965. The complex was based on a central hall from which radiated wings of cells. This meant one guard could stand in the centre of the hall and see all the cells. Most of the gaol was demolished to allow the School of MInes Ballarat to expand. The remaining structures at the site include the main gate, the Warden's Residence, shown in the photo, and the Governor's Residence. These buildings are now used by Federation University. The Warden's Residence is home to the Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sports and its Prevention.Colour photograph of the main gate of the former Ballarat Gaol and the Warden's Quarters. The gate features a beautifully executed arch keystone of basalt and appears to be cut from one single block of stone. The two storey Warden's Quarters are to the right of the gates.ballarat gaol, lydiard street south, ballarat school of mines, cells, guard, warden's residence, governor's residence, federation university

Spiral ring binder photograph album containing 242 colour photographs of Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts students and productions..2 Peter Tulloch .8 Peter Tulloch .24 Wizard of Oz .26 Peter Tulloch .44 Warren Tiller .47 L-R Len Bauska, Peter Tulloch .49 Carousel .53 Chapel at Mercy Convent, Victoria Street, Ballarat East .54 Peter Tulloch .57 Peter Tulloch .58 students at Mt Helen .68 Camp St looking towards Mt Warrenheip .69 from Camp St looking towards Mt Buninyong .72 Ballarat Mechanics Institute from Camp St .75 Craig's Hotel and Ballarat Town Hall .76 Ballarat Post Office .77 Ballarat Post Office .78 Top of Ballarat Mining Exchange .79 Camp St Site pre building Arts Academy .82 Ballarat Trades Hall and ANA building Camp St .84 Mercy Chapel .85 Mercy Chapel .121 Len Bauska .133 Peter Tulloch .134 in Pheonix Mall, Ballarat .141 Ron Edgberg at mic .155 David James in suit in Ballarat Botanical Gardens .156 Steve Bracks, Cr Liz Sheedy .157 Steve Bracks, Cr Liz Sheedy followed by Mayor John Barnes .174 at Mt Helen .191 Daylesford .194 Daylesford mineral water pump .197 L-R geoff Wallis, Anne Saunders, Barry Wemyss, Bob Allen .199 L-R Peter Pilven, Pauline Williamson, Iain Reid .200 VC David James receiving cheque for Camp St redevelopment .201 L-R David James, ?,Gwenda McManus, ?,? .204 L-R Alistair Heighway, Alan Mann, Loris Button .224 6 July 2000peter tulloch, ballarat academy of performing arts, bapa, photograph album, available, steve bracks, david james, liz sheedy, len bauska, alan mann, loris button, peter pilven, warren tiller, arts academy, camp street, ballarat mining exchange, herbert werner frederick de nully

Federation University Mount Helen Campus was open to students in 1970. In that year Mr Dowling as photographed beside a big Tasmanian bluegum which was used a the centre Mount Helen Campus concept plan, and later became known as the Tree of Knowledge. Mr Dowling watered the tree after it was planted by his mother, Elizabeth Downing, on Arbour Day 1896. Mrs Downing raised her large family on the site of the Mount Helen Campus, which included an orchard and milking cows. The Tree of Knowledge is actually two trees, the trunks have fused together over time, and there is further evidence of fusion. The Downing farmhouse was situated in the vicinity of the present Administration and Caro Conference Centre buildings and the tree was planted beside the "dunny". It was carefully watered by the nine Downing children from a brick-lined well situated under what is now the Albert Coates Building. As the tree grew to maturity, it was used to hang a meat safe after slaughtering a sheep for the family table. Some years ago, when the foundations were being dug for the E-Building, an old rusted percussion pistol was found. One of Mrs Downing's sons, at that time well into his nineties, remembered getting into trouble for playing with it without permission, and losing it. The land was purchased in 1966 as part of a 241-acre site for Ballarat's new tertiary institution. When the architects and planners inspected the site, they decided "The Big Tree" must remain as a central landmark in preparing the layout of the campus amenities. In 1982, the spread of the tree was 36 metres, girth 7 metres, and height 36 metres. By 2003 the spread was 39.5 metres (N-S) and 35.5 metres (E-W), girth 7.75 metres, and height 42.5 metres. A man in overalls and jacket stands beside the Federation University Tree of Knowledge. Stage one buildings on the Mount Helen Campus are evident in the background.elizabeth downing, downing, tree of knowledge, big tree, mount helen campus, mount helen