Gift of the artist, 1999

The Albion Explosives Factory began as Commonwealth Defence Explosives Annexe No. 5, constructed rapidly in 1939–1940 as part of Australia’s WWII munitions expansion. It was built adjacent to the long‑established Nobel / ICI explosives works at Deer Park and produced TNT, nitroglycerine, cordite, RDX, DNT, and related explosive compounds. This plant manufactured Research Department Explosive (RDX), a nitrogen‑rich high explosive used in military munitions, which is far more powerful than TNT, yet relatively stable to store and transport. It is not a consumer or industrial product and sits firmly in the defence materials category.This series of time elapsed photographs records the demolition of the Northern RDX Acid Plant chimney by controlled demolition by explosive which safely brought the chimney down by making it to fall to one side. The history of the Albion Explosive Factory is tightly connected to the evolution of the Deer Park explosives precinct and the wider ICI industrial township.Chimney Blown Up Explosive Factory Deer Park 341.1albion explosive factory, ballarat road, deer park, ici

This key was the front door key to the house at 93 Anderson Road Sunshine. The donor's letter provides an insight to the history of the house and its occupants. Metal key and letter from the donor with details about the houseNote from the donor. Dear Alan, I'm sorry to say I cannot find my photos of 93 Anderson Rad Sunshine. My husband and I travelled a lot, so they've either disappeared on one of our moves or my brother may have them, he is going to have a look. As to "93", 3-bedroom, lounge room, kitchen / dining room with a woodstove, scullery with a gas stove, laundry, bathroom, and a small back porch. My father eventually built an enclosed back verandah right across the back of the house which had the benefit of bringing the toilet undercover, wonderful. The house was taken by council in the early 70's, to make way for a road through to the old council yards, which was being developed for housing. It was sad because Dad had always kept it in good repair, so there was no need for it to go as there were others in not such a good condition. I loved that house, lots of great memories growing up in Sunshine, but Perth has been our home for many years now. No 93 was bought my grandfather, don't know what date, and my father & mother and baby brother lived there with is sister and husband, their daughter and baby son (Irene & Jack Evans). Uncle Jack was a gardener at Sunshine Gardens. Dad worked first at H.V. McKays and then was a man powered to ICI at Deer Park in the black powder plant during the war. After the war we was transferred into the acid plant. He spent the rest of his working life at ICI. anderson road, sunshine, robert garnet boyd

black and white photo - enlargement of industrial treatment works showing elevated building in background with two male adults. One by concrete vats at ground level, one on elevated landing. Container on trestles and timber in foreground. Weatherboard building by large concrete vat and acid ? Carboys at centre and left. Decorated brick chimneys ciovered race to upper building. On back in ink ? Foggit Jones? In grey lead Foggit Jones.organization, business, pyrites treatment plant

This particular specimen was recovered from the Lal Lal Coal and Iron Mine in Victoria, 19km from Ballarat. Brown Coal was discovered here in 1857, just alongside the Geelong to Ballarat Railway line. This discovery of lignite (brown coal) was the first in Victoria, which would bring important benefits to the region and state, both of which had previously been reliant on coal imports. In the 1860s, iron ore was found just 5km from Lal Lal, and the area was converted into an Iron Ore Mine. The Lal Lal Iron Mining Company took over operations in 1874, who then peaked iron production in 1884. This mine continued operations until June 1884, when the blast furnace was extinguished and never recommenced. The blast furnace at Lal Lal is considered one of the most important and highly significant sites ion early industrial history in Australia, as it is the only remaining best furnace from the nineteenth century in the Southern Hemisphere. The furnace ruins are 17 metres high, and are clearly visible today on Iron Mine Road, Lal Lal, near the Bungal Dam. This specimen of Lignite (brown coal) is significant, as it was mined from the area where brown coal was first discovered in Victoria, leading to an important and controversial future of the mining and use of brown coal in this State. The Victorian Heritage Database has listed the Lal Lal Coal Mine with local significance, with their Statement of Significance stating: "The Lal Lal coal mine is historically significant as the site of the first discovery of lignite (brown coal) in Victoria, and one that promised important benefits to regional and state industries that were reliant on coal imports at the time. The significance of the stie is reduced by the poor state of preservation of the coal mining and processing fabric". This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A hand-sized light-weight, soft and combustable sedimentary rock specimen, that is dark brown in colour. The specimen has jagged edges, as though parts of the rock have crumbled away. Brown coal, or Lignite, is formed naturally from compressed peat, and is typically found in natural basins. The stages to the formation of coal ('coalification') begin with plant material and wood, which will decay if it is not subjected to deep burial or heating, and turn into Peat. Peat, when sufficiently compressed naturally, will turn into Brown Coal (Lignite), and finally into Black Coal (sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite). Each successive stage has a higher energy content and lower water content. It is brownish-black in colour. Brown Coal has a high moisture content, between 50 and 75 percent, and a low carbon content. Some Brown Coals may be stratified, with layers of plant matter, which means little coalification has occurred beyond the peat natural processing stage. When Brown Coal is submerged in dilute nitric acid or boiling potassium hydroxide solution, it reacts to produce a reddish solution, of which higher-ranked coals do not. When brown coal is pulverised and burned in boilers, the steam is used to drive turbines, which generates electricity. It is the lowest rank of coal, as when burned, it creates a relatively low heat content, which in turn does not create a great output of steam. burke museum, beechworth, indigo shire, beechworth museum, geological, geological specimen, mineralogy, brown coal, brown coal specimen, lignite, lal lal, lal lal coal mine, lal lal iron mine, ballarat, blast furnace

T & C Clark & Company Limited, based at Shakespeare Foundry, was founded in 1795 by Thomas and Charles Clark and grew to be one of the largest iron foundries in Wolverhampton. The firm was the pioneers of Enamelled Cast ironware and the founder Charles Clerk went on to became mayor of Wolverhampton in 1860 after also serving as a Councilor, Alderman, and later Chief Magistrate. The company exhibited many products at the International Exhibition of 1862 at South Kensington, alongside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society. The company was also awarded the silver medal for its products at the International Paris Exhibition in 1878. The company's product range included thousands of items, both domestic and industrial. T & C Clark pioneered the use of enamelled cast ironware, after taking out a patent in 1839 guaranteed to be free of lead or arsenic. In the late 1940s and 1950s the company produced acid-resisting enamelled cast iron boiling pans; steam-jacketed pans; stills; square and rectangular tanks; open and closed mixing vessels; flanged pipes; bends and tees; laboratory equipment; small scale plant; evaporating bowls; beakers; sulphonates; and glass-lined mild steel tanks for beer, mineral water, and food. The company is listed as enamelled chemical plant manufacturers in Kelly's 1962 Wolverhampton Directory, but within a few years, the company had ceased trading. The cooking pot is significant because it demonstrates one of the social norms founded by early settlers to this region. That close ties to "Mother England" and the "establishment" was still very strong. The social and family values from the British way of life was ingrained in colonial society until well past Australian Federation in July of 1900. It was not until the friendly "American soldier" invasion during World War II that the Empire mindset was slowly being eroded away. This change was the slowest in semi remote rural areas such as the Warrnambool district. Cast iron open fire cooking pot with lidCLARK & Co. PATENT", Below this a six star triangle with the letter "C" in the middleflagstaff hill museum, cooking appliance, camp fire pot, cast iron, t & c clark & co, drovers cooking pot

Johann August (John) Kruse was instrumental in the development of the pharmaceutical industry and pharmacy training in Victoria. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria and was appointed a founding member of the Society's inaugural council in 1857. He manufactured many pharmaceuticals and health products such as mineral waters and 'Kruse's Fluid Magnesia' (1863) which is still in use today. He later went on to produce insecticides and dynamite, then established his own analytical chemistry service. In 1878 Kruse established Victoria's first pharmacy training facility - the Melbourne School of Pharmacy. There pharmacy apprentices were taught chemistry, botany, materia medica and Latin, while country students could study by correspondence. The School was endorsed and monitored by the Pharmacy Board of Victoria to which Kruse was appointed in 1880. Kruse's pharmacy school was the forerunner of the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University, which remains Victoria's only pharmacy training institute. In 1853, shortly after qualifying as pharmacist at the University of Göttingen, Johann August (John) Kruse, moved to London. The medical practitioner Dr S. Weil sent Kruse to Victoria, Australia to manage a new pharmacy and tobacconist's shop which he was having built at 136 Bridge Rd in Richmond. In 1856 Kruse opened a second pharmacy 'John Kruse and Company Chemists and Druggists' at 207 Bourke Street. 1857 the Richmond shop was destroyed by fire, so all pharmaceutical production was moved to the Bourke St premises and later to his new location at 184 Bourke St.. Kruse was forced to sell his business in 1868 to Felton Grimwade and Company and work for them as manager of their chemical works. By the early 1870s he had regained financial independence so left the company to establish his own businesses again. He opened up a pharmacy at 31 Swanston St and in c1874 leased Victoria's premier natural springs, Clifton Springs, on the northern side of the Bellarine Peninsula, where he established a bottling plant. Suspensions of magnesium hydroxide in water, often called Milk of Magnesia, are used as an antacid to neutralize stomach acid, and as a laxative. Milk of magnesia is sold for medical use as chewable tablets, capsules, and as liquids having various added flavours Kruses Fluid Magnesia 300ml Extralife Kruse’s Fluid Magnesia, Magnesium supplement. Rapidly absorbed, easily digested. Improves general well being, corrects magnesium deficiency. Helps relieve indigestion, when due to acidity. In 1878 Kruse established Victoria's first pharmacy training facility - the Melbourne School of Pharmacy, the forerunner of the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University, which remains Victoria's only pharmacy training institute. A glass bottle containing ‘Kruse’s’ Magnesia’ medicineKRUSE’S / PRIZE MEDAL / MAGNESIA/ K / FELTON-GRIMWADE & CO. MELBOURNE Directions for use ......glass works, pharmaceutical glass, pharmacy, kruse johann august (john), dr weil s, ., victorian college of pharmacy, monash university, university of göttingen, felton grimwade and company, magnesium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide

T. & C. Clark & Company Limited, based at Shakespeare Foundry, was founded in 1795 by Thomas and Charles Clark and grew to be one of the largest iron foundries in Wolverhampton. The firm was the pioneers of Enameled Cast ironware and the founder Charles Clerk went on to became mayor of Wolverhampton in 1860 after also serving as a Councillor, Alderman, and later Chief Magistrate. The company exhibited many products at the International Exhibition of 1862 at South Kensington, alongside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society. The company was also awarded the silver medal for its products at the International Paris Exhibition in 1878. The company's product range included thousands of items, both domestic and industrial. T & C Clark pioneered the use of enameled cast ironware, after taking out a patent in 1839 guaranteed to be free of lead or arsenic. In the late 1940s and 1950s the company produced acid-resisting enameled cast iron boiling pans; steam-jacketed pans; stills; square and rectangular tanks; open and closed mixing vessels; flanged pipes; bends and tees; laboratory equipment; small scale plant; evaporating bowls; beakers; sulphonates; and glass-lined mild steel tanks for beer, mineral water, and food. The company is listed as enameled chemical plant manufacturers in Kelly's 1962 Wolverhampton Directory, but within a few years, the company had ceased trading.An item that was made by a British foundry that was a pioneer and innervated many new processes in the manufacture of enamel ware, producing many items for every day use.Glue pot with inner pot, metal, corroded, both pots have handles."T & C CLARK & Co Ltd, ENGLAND, 55279 RD" and "FIRST QUALITY No. 4/0"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, t& c clarke, cast iron, foundry, sanitary ware, ironware

T & C Clark & Company Limited, based at Shakespeare Foundry, was founded in 1795 by Thomas and Charles Clark and grew to be one of the largest iron foundries in Wolverhampton. The firm was the pioneers of Enamelled Cast ironware and the founder Charles Clerk went on to became mayor of Wolverhampton in 1860 after also serving as a Councilor, Alderman, and later Chief Magistrate. The company exhibited many products at the International Exhibition of 1862 at South Kensington, alongside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society. The company was also awarded the silver medal for its products at the International Paris Exhibition in 1878. The company's product range included thousands of items, both domestic and industrial. T & C Clark pioneered the use of enamelled cast ironware, after taking out a patent in 1839 guaranteed to be free of lead or arsenic. In the late 1940s and 1950s the company produced acid-resisting enamelled cast iron boiling pans; steam-jacketed pans; stills; square and rectangular tanks; open and closed mixing vessels; flanged pipes; bends and tees; laboratory equipment; small scale plant; evaporating bowls; beakers; sulphonates; and glass-lined mild steel tanks for beer, mineral water, and food. The company is listed as enamelled chemical plant manufacturers in Kelly's 1962 Wolverhampton Directory, but within a few years, the company had ceased trading.The item is significant as it was used as a domestic kitchen or camp fire item used to cook food safely without the concern that the metal may contain lead or arsenic as earlier cooking utensils had. T C Clark innervates the first manufacturing process of cast iron cook ware to have enamel lining in his products to alleviate the possibility of lead or arsenic contamination of food.Oval cast iron boiler or cooking pot, with lid, pot is oval shaped lid is dented and handle buckled.Inscription on base "Clark & Co Patent", "Best Quality", "9 Gallons" and a Trade Mark of a "C" inside two triangles to side of potflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, cooking pot, stew pot, food, kitchen utensil, shakespeare foundry, tc clark

.1 - Book - 12 pages + brown covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Standards Association, "AC Electric Arc Welding Plant - Transformer type", C97-1942, July 1942. .2 - Book - 40 pages + grey covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, Tentative Australian Standard B1 - "Brass water fittings - stop, bib, globe and ferrule or main taps", B1-1928, August 1928. .3 - Book - 20 pages + grey covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, Tentative Australian Standard B4 - "Vegetable tanned leather belting", B4 - 1929, January 1929. .4 - Book - 16 pages + grey covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, Tentative Australian Standard B3 - Rubber Conveyor and Power Transmission Belting", B3 - 1929, March 1929. .5 - Book - 8 pages + green covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Standards Association, "Maintenance of Portable Chemical Fire Extinguishers of the Acid-Alkali and Foam Types", CA 18-1941, May 1941. .6 - Book - 16 pages + grey covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, Tentative Australian Standard B2 - "Copper Tubes", B2 - 1928, July 1928. .7 - Book - 28 pages + grey covers, side stapled, issued by the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, Australian Standard A2 - "Portland Cement", includes tests, A2-1926, December 1926. On top right hand corner has the date stamp of the "The Electric Supply Co. of Victoria Ltd Ballarat" .2 - 3 Sep 1928 .3 - 19 Jan 1929 .4 - 3 Apr 1929 .5 - SEC Stamp - ? 1941 .6 - 20 July 1928 .7 - 17 Apr 1934trams, tramways, power station, standards, materials

The Albion Explosives Factory was a major WWII-era munitions site in Sunshine, Victoria, operating from 1939 to 1986. Its legacy includes the Black Powder Mill, now a heritage landmark. War Time History - Established in 1939–40 in response to the looming threat of war in Europe. - Located in North Albion, opposite the ICIANZ chemical plant, which also helped design and operate the facility. - Initially known as Munitions Annexe No. 5, it became the Albion Explosives Factory, producing cordite, TNT, nitroglycerine, nitric acid, and other propellants for small arms and artillery. - By 1942–45, it was one of Australia’s three primary military explosives factories, employing thousands and contributing significantly to the war effort. Post War Time History - Continued production of explosives and fertilizers for commercial use after WWII. - Expanded in 1947–49 with the addition of the RDX plant north of Furlong Road. - Introduced new technologies like synthetic ammonia, DNT, and continuous TNT production through the 1950s–60s. Closure and Environmental Remediation - Closed in 1986, followed by extensive decontamination and cleanup. - The site was heavily contaminated with TNT, DNT, nitrates, ammonia, and metals, requiring years of environmental audits and remediation. - Eventually redeveloped into a housing estate and shopping complex, transforming the industrial site into a suburban community. A Blast from the Past Albion Explosive Factoryalbion explosive factory, deer park, cairnlea

The Albion Explosives Factory was a major WWII-era munitions site in Sunshine, Victoria, operating from 1939 to 1986. Its legacy includes the Black Powder Mill, now a heritage landmark. War Time History - Established in 1939–40 in response to the looming threat of war in Europe. - Located in North Albion, opposite the ICIANZ chemical plant, which also helped design and operate the facility. - Initially known as Munitions Annexe No. 5, it became the Albion Explosives Factory, producing cordite, TNT, nitroglycerine, nitric acid, and other propellants for small arms and artillery. - By 1942–45, it was one of Australia’s three primary military explosives factories, employing thousands and contributing significantly to the war effort. Post War Time History - Continued production of explosives and fertilizers for commercial use after WWII. - Expanded in 1947–49 with the addition of the RDX plant north of Furlong Road. - Introduced new technologies like synthetic ammonia, DNT, and continuous TNT production through the 1950s–60s. Closure and Environmental Remediation - Closed in 1986, followed by extensive decontamination and cleanup. - The site was heavily contaminated with TNT, DNT, nitrates, ammonia, and metals, requiring years of environmental audits and remediation. - Eventually redeveloped into a housing estate and shopping complex, transforming the industrial site into a suburban community. A Blast from the Past Albion Explosive Factoryalbion explosive factory, deer park, cairnlea

The Albion Explosives Factory was a major WWII-era munitions site in Sunshine, Victoria, operating from 1939 to 1986. Its legacy includes the Black Powder Mill, now a heritage landmark. War Time History - Established in 1939–40 in response to the looming threat of war in Europe. - Located in North Albion, opposite the ICIANZ chemical plant, which also helped design and operate the facility. - Initially known as Munitions Annexe No. 5, it became the Albion Explosives Factory, producing cordite, TNT, nitroglycerine, nitric acid, and other propellants for small arms and artillery. - By 1942–45, it was one of Australia’s three primary military explosives factories, employing thousands and contributing significantly to the war effort. Post War Time History - Continued production of explosives and fertilizers for commercial use after WWII. - Expanded in 1947–49 with the addition of the RDX plant north of Furlong Road. - Introduced new technologies like synthetic ammonia, DNT, and continuous TNT production through the 1950s–60s. Closure and Environmental Remediation - Closed in 1986, followed by extensive decontamination and cleanup. - The site was heavily contaminated with TNT, DNT, nitrates, ammonia, and metals, requiring years of environmental audits and remediation. - Eventually redeveloped into a housing estate and shopping complex, transforming the industrial site into a suburban community. A Blast from the Past Albion Explosive Factoryalbion explosive factory, deer park, cairnlea

The I.C.I. Nitrocellulose Plant on Station Road, Deer Park was part of the ICI Leathercloth Factory, a major industrial complex producing nitrocellulose‑based coated fabrics “Leathercloth”. It operated as a specialised chemical works linked to explosives, aircraft fabric coatings, and waterproof materials. Nitrocellulose (guncotton reacted with nitric acid) was one of the earliest multi‑use synthetic materials. It was used for Explosives (historical origin of the Deer Park site), Aircraft fabric dope (WWI–WWII aviation coatings), Waterproof cloth and coated textiles and Leathercloth (ICI’s trade name for nitrocellulose‑coated fabric used in cars, furniture, bags, and industrial goods). The Station Road plant specialised in the nitrocellulose coating and finishing processes, not explosives manufacture.The history of the Nitrocellulose Plant is tightly connected to the evolution of the Deer Park explosives precinct and the wider ICI industrial township.I.C.I. Nitrocellulose Plant Station Road Deer Park 893.1i.c.i., station road, deer park