Established in 1953 the Ballarat Begonia Festival was inspired by Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival. From 1953 to1993 the Ballarat Begonia Festival hosts the Queen of Begonias competition. A judging panel would select one woman to become the annual Queen of Begonias. Her role was to promote the festival and appear in the parade.   The official opening of the first Begonia Festival on Saturday 8 March 1953 was marked by the symbolic arrival of a Cobb & Co coach, completing a trip from Ballarat to Melbourne and Geelong then return. Colour images of the Ballarat Begonia Parade, with Beverly Coles as Begonia Queen.begonia festival, ballarat, begonia queen, floats, james michael morris

Set of five programs / brochures / pamphlets for the Ballarat Begonia Festival. .1 - 1995 - full program - 36 pages, including cover, details events for the 1995 festival. .2 - 1996 - full program - single sheet, fold out, full colour. .3 - 1997 - pre festival advertising brochure with outline of events, how to get there, contact details etc. .4 - 1998 - ditto .5 - 1999 - ditto trams, tramways, begonia festival, ballarat

Ballarat Historyballarat, ballaraat, begonia, festival

Ballarat Historyballarat ballaraat

Ballarat Historyballarat, ballaraat, begonia, festival, parade

Printed posterbegonia festival, begonias, ballarat, ballarat botanical gardens, gardens, poster

Set of three items produced for the 2000 Begonia Festival. .1 - Full colour advertising the 2000 festival, with details of the event, activities and fast facts on how to get there, contact details, produced 10/1999. .2 - Single colour pamphlet or brochure produced on grey colour paper for the Begonia displays at the Robert Clark Centre, gives details of the story of the Begonias, The Robert Clarke Centre and displays at the centre. Produced 2/2000. .3 - Book of family ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children) $25, for various events within the gardens and discounted entry at other locations. Has been stamped complimentary on a number of tickets.trams, tramways, begonia festival, tickets, ballarat

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Colour photograph of a topiary display at the Ballarat Begonia Festival.ballarat gardens, ballarat botanical gardens, begonia festival, topiary

Foolscap programme printed in green ink. The 1954 Begonia Festival boasted a royal visit by Queen Elizabeth IIbegonia festival, queen elizabeth, ballarat, royal visit

Programme for the Ballarat Begonia Festival featuring black and white images.ballarat begonia festival, ken webb, tom beaumont, ballarat botanical gardens, glass house, begonia house, adam lindsay garden, sovereign hill, eureka diorama, shell house

Ballarat Begonia Festival 6-15 March, 1998, Souvenir Program. The Ballarat Courier, 4 March, 1998.john garner collection, ballarat botanical gardens, gardens, ballarat, courier, begonia festival

"After the war Pipe-Major Duncan McLennan, moved to Ballarat and took up a position as cadet instructor and leader of the Ballarat Highland Pipe Band and the Ballarat Ladies Pipe Band. " (Victorian Historical Journal Vol. 85, No. 1, June 2014)Coloured booklet from the Ballarat Begonia Festival 1955. Gift of Margaret Bennett, 2019ballarat begonia festival, begonia festival, booklet, ladies pipe band

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Map - printed in colour of off white paper titled "2019 Ballarat Begonia Festival Map" showing the various event locations in the Gardens area for the 2019 festival. Shows the tram stops and festival sponsors. On the rear is the program for each of the three days between 9/3/19 and 11/3/19.trams, tramways, begonia festival, map, events, btm

Photo1955, march, 1st, ballarat begonia festival, bbh, pts, float, menadue, plummer, crick

Certificate1972, ballarat, begonia, festival, street, pageant, 1st, prize, nurses, association

Certificate1973, ballarat, begonia, festival, street, pageant, 1st, prize, nurses, association

Ballarat Begonia Festival Humour & Novelty 1974ballarat, begonia, festiva, trophy, 1974

A silver trophy with missing handles on a plastic trophy standBallarat Begonia Festival Highland Gathering 1968 Best Drum Corps Grade 2 1968 Pipes and Drums 5 RVR 265 rvr, 5/6 rvr pipes and drums

Two red ledger with hand written transcriptions from the Ballaarat Old Cemetery By Hazel Dorothy Williams (Barnett), with companion Lois Reynolds. ballaarat old cemetery, transcriptions, hazel dorothy barnett, lois reynolds

Ballarat HistoryOld semi-gloss printballarat, ballaraat, begonia, festival

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This slide shows the 1956 "Queen of Begonias" in Ballarat, on her float during the Begonia Festival street parade. Miss Carol Penrose, who was crowned by the Prime Minister Robert Menzies, is shown in the background. The runners up that year were Janet Saunders and Hillary Richards, otherwise known as "Princesses", one being pictured here, in front of the Begonia Queen. Mrs Bon Strange and her husband Bert were well known Ballarat residents. When Mrs Strange died some years ago, her extensive slide collection was sorted through and those relevant to Ballarat were gifted to the Ballarat Library.begonia festival, festival, queen of begonias, ballarat, parade