Sepia photograph showing steamer entering the Gippsland Lakes. Jetties on left - white shed on New Works jetty. Jemmy's Point, Mt Barkly on right, Kalimna and Nungurner Hills in background. Steamer SS Wyrallah coming into Cunninghame Arm. Lakes Entrance VictoriaComing in the Entrance (on back)waterways, ships and shipping

Sepia toned postcard showing view of New Works buildings at north end of eastern pier. Cunninghame Arm in front of buildings, Reeves River left in distance. SS Wyrallah steaming past, and SS Manawatu at pier. Jemmy's Point, Mt Barkly, and Kalimna hills in background. Photo taken from top of dune. Smoke issuing from SS Wyrallah funnel. Carstairs boarding house in centre foreground. Lakes Entrance VictoriaLakes Entrance - Gippsland Lakes ships and shipping, piers, historic site

Black and white photograph showing SS Wyrallah going out the entrance from Gippsland Lakes to ocean/Bass Strait. Eastern pier boardwalk on left foreground, part of western pier showing behind steamer. Lakes Entrance, Victoria.Going Outwaterways, ships and shipping

Black and white post card showing SS Wyrallah leaving Lakes Entrance through the original piers at the entrance.Lakes Entrance Victoriawaterways, ships and shipping

Second copy same viewSmall format postcard showing coastal steamer SS Despatch leaving Cunninghame Arm, with entrance piers and rock groynes in view. Lakes Entrance VictoriaThe Piers from the lookout at Jemmys Point (on back)jetties, topography, ships and shipping

Also black and white copy 8 x 13Small format black and white photograph of SS Tambar heading inbound towards Nungurner. Another smaller vessel behind, rock groynes visible for formation of Bullock Island. Lakes Entrance Victoriaships and shipping, jetties, waterways

Also other copies purchasedBlack and white postcard showing view of the Entrance, with SS Manuwatu and SS Wyrallah at sea, timber entrance groynes visible, rock and timber groynes to form Bullock Island visible. Lakes Entrance Victoriaships and shipping, jetties, waterways

Black and white photograph showing SS Despatch steaming out the Entrance. Photo shows wooden piers with concrete extensions, kiosk beside boardwalk and black smoke from funnel of ship. Lakes Entrance VictoriaLakes Entrance Breakwater Piers waterways, jetties, ships and shipping

Black and white postcard of SS Tambar in the channel, heading westward toward Nungurner and Metung. Photo taken from Kalimna hill with Jemmy's Point road in foreground. Lakes Entrance VictoriaGippsland Lakes from Jemmy's Point, Lakes Entrance.ships and shipping, waterways

Also other copies,Black and white photograph showing SS Wyrallah leaving port. Photo shows western pier behind ship and part of eastern pier with steps up onto pier. Ship blowing black smoke. Lakes Entrance VictoriaLakes Entranceislands, waterways, ships and shipping

Boat grounded 23 December 1937Black and white print SS Saros which grounded at Cape Everard aka Point Hicks, abandoned and wrecked. This image shows vessel close to rocky shore, facing generally east direction, funnel missing. Point Hicks Victoriafishing industry, ocean, ships and shipping, shipwrecks

Black and white photograph showing SS Glenelg in Mitchell River. House on bank, vegetation, crowd on ship. Bairnsdale VictoriaThe SS Glenelgjetties, ships and shipping, waterways

Photo location unknown. S S Charlotte Fenwick in Gippsland waters 1890-1918, went to Hawkesbury River 1918, caught fire and burned to waterline 1920.Black and white photograph showing SS Charlotte Fenwick at wharf, with name Adelaide Steamship Company painted on shed on wharf. Victoriaships and shipping, waterways

A second copy existsSepia photograph showing the SS Gippsland in Mitchell River. Possibly within silt jetties. Both decks crowded with tourists. Hull painted dark colour. Bairnsdale Victoria ships and shipping, waterways

This majestic peacock embodies the technical achievement, skill and ingenuity of artisans during the 19th century. It is now known as the 'Loch Ard Peacock' and was designed and modelled in 1873 by Paul Comolera (1818-1897) and fired in one piece at the Minton factory at Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom in 1875. The peacock has been portrayed in symbolic motifs and has figured heavily in folktales and fables since antiquity, and many cultures around the world see it as a symbol of beauty, rebirth and power. Wealthy Victorians loved majolica, and the large peacock would have been the ultimate home accessory as a conservatory ornament – combining their desire for nature, the exotic and vibrant colours. The peacock model was listed in catalogues by Minton & Co. for a retail price of 35 guineas or sold as a pair for 90 guineas. Minton & Co. was founded in 1793 by Thomas Minton (1765–1836) and became a famous pottery and porcelain manufacturer. Comolera was a French artist and sculptor, renowned for dramatic naturalistic forms and life-size renditions of birds and animals that won him admiration in public and artistic circles. He was employed by Minton & Co. from 1873 to 1880, and the life-sized peacock became his best-known work. Comolera kept a live peacock loaned from the nearby Duke of Sutherland's Trentham Hall Estate in his studio to create a life-size model of fine buff earthenware model, which was then hand painted in brilliantly coloured green and blue glazes to mimic the peafowl’s dazzling plumage. There are no surviving production records, but according to documents in the Minton Archive, nine peacocks were made by Comolera. However, today, some historians now believe that twelve were fired at the Minton factory; research is ongoing. These peacocks were so admired that Minton & Co. used them as exhibition showpieces at International Exhibitions in London, Paris, and the United States of America, ensuring the company had a worldwide reputation. So, when Melbourne hosted an International Exposition in 1880, Minton & Co. sent out ceramics and tiles, and in particular, this peacock was intended to be part of their exhibit in the British Court in the Exhibition Building, built in the Carlton Gardens. The early dispatch date (1878) indicates that the company may have intended to exhibit their wares, including the peacock, at the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, but the company did not take up this option. The ship that Minton & Co. used to bring the peacock and their other wares to the Australian colonies was the ill-fated Loch Ard, which sunk after striking Mutton Bird Island near Port Campbell, Victoria, in calm foggy weather in June 1878 on the final leg of the ship's journey to Melbourne. The loss of 52 lives made it one of Victoria’s worst shipwrecks. Therefore, this peacock never made it to the grand exposition in Melbourne, as Minton & Co. had planned. Charles McGillivray dragged this peacock, still in its original packing case, onto the beach in the gorge just two days after the Loch Ard went down. The peacock was rescued unscathed apart from a chip on its beak (only repaired in 1988). After a disagreement with a Melbourne Customs Officer, Joseph Daish, McGillivray stopped his salvage operations, leaving the peacock on the beach. The second salvagers were James Miller and Thomas Keys. Miller was a member of the firm Howarth, Miller and Matthews, Geelong, who had brought the salvage rights to the Loch Ard wreck on 10 June. When Miller and Keys arrived at the wreck site, a storm had washed many of the salvaged goods, including this peacoc,k back into the sea. The two men found the peacock in its case ‘bobbing along in the water’ and pulled it back to the beach. To ensure the peacock wasn't washed out to sea again, Miller and Keys hauled the packing case containing the peacock up the gorge's cliff face to the top, ready to be transported. In an interview in 1928, Keys claimed that at the time of the rescue, the head had broken from the body. This account was proven to be true in 1988, following the birds' display in Brisbane. This peacock began its life in Australia, not in the grandeur of an International Exhibition as intended, but in the hallway of a simple domestic house in Geelong. It appears Minton & Co. did not attempt to buy this peacock back. Florence Miller, daughter of James Miller (Loch Ard salvage rights holder), later remarked that the only item of real value rescued from the wreck had been the peacock and that this had been kept by her father in the family home at Malvern for many years and became a treasured family possession. As such, this 'Loch Ard peacock' was almost forgotten and mistaken with other Minton peacocks around the world. Miss Florence Miller tried to sell the peacock due to financial difficulties in the 1930s but was unsuccessful. While attempting to sell her Loch Ard relic, it was displayed in the window of the old Argus newspaper office, which was at 76 Collins Street, Melbourne; the Argus had relocated to the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe Streets in 1926. Between 1935 and 1939, the old Argus building was occupied by the Joshua N. McClelland Print Room, which sold not only paintings and prints but also antiques and authentic replicas, as well as hosting exhibitions. Miss Florence Miller loaned her peacock for display at the Victorian Historical Exhibition held in the National Gallery on 1st June 1935, the 57th anniversary of the Loch Ard wreck. As a result, the peacock attracted public attention in books, newspapers and magazine articles that told the story of its survival from a shipwreck. Miss Florence Miller was keen to sell the peacock, even writing overseas to Captain Blain on November 30th, 1938, about the possibility of a sale, but this became no longer possible due to the outbreak of war. Recent information points to the Loch Ard peacock being owned by John S R Heath before its sale to Frank Ridley-Lee in May 1941. Research is ongoing, but it seems likely that John Samuel Robert Heath, a leading Melbourne dentist with a practice in Collins Street, and his wife, a dental mechanic, had purchased Miss Miller’s Loch Ard peacock before its sale in 1941. They were lovers of fine arts, music, wine and food. The peacock in the window of the old Argus building could have attracted their attention as they had already purchased the old stone Presbyterian Church on Warrigal Road, Oakleigh, in 1933 and had converted its interior. The home, renamed The Studio, even included Melbourne’s first all-electric kitchen. The peacock was perfect for display in the Studio’s entrance. A magazine article published after the conversion was completed included photographs of the interior. The picture of the ‘portico’ had a caption below that stated, “Some of her [Mrs Heath’s] finest pottery was salvaged from the Loch Ard Wreck”. In 2025, Heath’s two remaining sons remember running around in the entrance with the peacock standing there, oblivious to its value. Heath was an accomplished artist, studying under Max Meldrum. He painted and exhibited his works at The Studio and in a public exhibition, and he was a finalist eight times in the coveted Archibald Prize portrait competition, including the submission of his self-portrait that is now part of his grandson’s collection. The next owner of the Loch Ard Peacock was Frank Ridley-Lee. He displayed it at his home in Ivanhoe after buying it at an auction in May 1941. The peacock remained in the hands of the Ridley-Lee family until it was offered for sale by auction in 1975 as part of an art collection belonging to Mrs Ridley-Lee's estate. The peacock was not sold at this time, as the reserve price of $4500 was not met. This news was passed on to the board of the newly created Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. Urgent efforts were made to collect the necessary money through fundraising by the Warrnambool City Council and public donations. The Fletcher Jones Company and the Victorian Government contributed half the cost. On 9 September 1975, the Loch Ard peacock was purchased by Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, and it found a new home at the maritime museum. Since then, it has only left Warrnambool twice. Firstly, in 1980, at the centenary celebrations of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, and secondly, in 1988, the peacock was given pride of place at the entrance to the Victorian Pavilion at the Brisbane World Expo, acknowledging that this Minton Majolica peacock is the most significant shipwreck object in Australia. The Minton majolica peacock is considered of historical social and aesthetic significance to Victoria and is one of only a few 'objects' registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (H 2132), as it is a most notable and rare object associated with the Minton factory of the 1870s and works by the celebrated sculptor Paul Comolera along with the wreck of the Loch Ard on the Victorian coastline. This Minton peacock is historically significant for its rarity; it was one of only 9-12 known to exist. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is also of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register Ref (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collections object is to also give us a snapshot into history so we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's early social and historical themes. The collection is historically significant is that it is associated, unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. The peacock, resplendent in polychrome glaze, stands perched on a rocky plinth decorated with vines, leaves, flowers, blackberries and wild mushrooms. The peacock’s breast is cobalt blue; the wings and legs are in naturalistic colours. The tail is a mass of feathers coloured in green, ochre blue and brown — a fantastic display of artistry and Minton expertise. Inscribed at the base :P Comolera, and a Minton & Co. design number: 2045.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, loch ard, loch ard gorge, peacock, paul comolera, victorian heritage register, minton peacock, minton & co., stoke upon trent, bird figures, mintons, ceramics, international expositions, majolica, naturalistic, staffordshire, john samuel robert heath

Black and white photograph showing steamer Dargo tied up at Kalimna Jetty. The jetty has a trolley on a tram line for carrying goods and a pile of wood on the far end for the steamer's boilers. A few travellers are on board and a man in uniform, possibly the skipper, next to the wood pile. Back of a sign visible across the jetty from the end of the shed on right. Lakes Entrance Victoria'Dargo' Kalimna Jetty 1919? (on back)jetties, ships and shipping

.Bairnsdale 1884 by S Erikson.Black and white photograph of SS Ariel moored in Mitchell River. Captain James Bull at wheel. Alan Anderson engineer and another man on board. High timbered bank on opposite side of river. Boat dark coloured with light coloured top. Bairnsdale Victoriaships and shipping, jetties, retail trade

Black and white photograph showing steamer Dargo on slipway at Paynesville. She appears to be undergoing repairs or overhaul, is propped up on the side with ladder leaning against the hull. Five men in photo. Timber on the site. Paynesville Victoria ships and shipping, slipway, workmen

Colour photograph of three fishing boats at the fishing co-op jetties at Bullock Island, boats identified as Nadgec on left, Craig Min centre and Gaylar on right. Lakes Entrance Victoriaships and shipping, fishing industry, jetties

Date made 28 June 1993.Black and white photograph showing fishing vessel Aloa on the bar. In the foreground the Maasbanker attempting to free the Aloa from the bar at Lakes Entrance, Victoria.ships and shipping, fishing industry