Formally Main Road, Emerald; now called Emerald Gembrook Road. Depicts 7 buildings, 6 identified as follows from right to left: Abbatoir, Cooper's Butcher, Andrew's General Store, Madigan's Bakery, Archilbald & Moffatt Grocery and Bakery, Walter's Barber Store1909 photograph of the commercial district in Emerald, Faded sepia postcard depicting Emerald Main Street, Commercial District (1909)Front: Emerald Victoria Handwritten on Back: Dec. 1909 (pencil); 'Wishing you the compliments of the season, hoping you will drive over some day and see how we are getting on. From RJ....? Emerald. To: Rev'd Whiteside, Beaconsfield Railway Station. Vicemerald, commercial district

Lamson was established in Australia in 1898 with the idea for a store security money handling system being patented in the latter part of the 19th century.The practise of taking money from the counter and customer to the cashier was time consuming and cumbersome.Some bright ideas were employed including tying the money and dockets in a hankerchief and throwing it to the cashier. The first attempt to improve this was the ball system where a ball containing the cash was rolled to the cashier on an elevated track. The rapid wire system superseded this in the early 1900's and for the next 50 years it became a popular part of money handling in stores around Australia. This particular Lamson's cash carrier was installed in Youngers department store which was situated in Liebig Street. The success of Youngers store was partly responsible for the shift to Liebig St as the main commercial district. The Warrnambool Standard reported in 1901 that Younger and Co would operate on a wholly cash basis replacing incidental trades of goods such as potatoes and other farm produce.This item has strong social and historical significance. Apart from having strong links to one of Warrnambool's largest and longest running businesses, the object itself is of considerable interest with thousands of the original ball systems and Rapid Wire cash carriers being in use around the world. Cylindrical brass top with central circular part with section either side which have two small pulleys. A wooden cylindrical section slots in below with a wire clip attached at the bottom.Lamson is cast into the brass on either side of therim of the top circular section. . AUS is on the side of this same section. warrnambool,, youngers, youngers warrnambool, lamson, lamson rapid wire cash carrier, wire cash carrier

These photographs, taken by The Advocate in 1990, were produced as part of the newspaper's regular feature highlighting local businesses and commercial enterprises throughout the district. Hong Kong Paradise operated on Arthur Street, St Albans and was active from roughly the late 1980s through the late 1990's or maybe into the early 2000's.For decades, especially from the 1950s to the 1980s, Chinese restaurants were the first “non‑European” cuisine many Australians tried, the most common suburban family restaurant, a gateway to broader multicultural dining. Dishes like special fried rice, sweet‑and‑sour pork, and lemon chicken became part of Australian food culture.6799.01 - Hong Kong Paradise Chinese Restaurant 44 Arthur Street St. Albans 1990 Photographs (Advocate 160.2).JPG 6799.02 - Hong Kong Paradise Chinese Restaurant 44 Arthur Street St. Albans 1990 Photographs (Advocate 160.2).JPG 6799.03 - Hong Kong Paradise Chinese Restaurant 44 Arthur Street St. Albans 1990 Photographs (Advocate 160.2).JPG 6799.04 - Hong Kong Paradise Chinese Restaurant 44 Arthur Street St. Albans 1990 Photographs (Advocate 160.2).JPG hong kong paradise chinese restaurant, arthur street, st. albans

These photographs, taken by The Advocate in 1991, were produced as part of the newspaper's regular feature highlighting local businesses and commercial enterprises throughout the district. The images feature Western Smallgoods located in McIntyre Road, Sunshine North. The was one of the west’s classic European‑style smallgoods manufacturers, a place that supplied the suburb with continental meats, sausages, hams, and deli products during the decades when Sunshine and these surrounding suburbs were becoming a strong post‑war migrant community.Western Smallgoods was far more than a factory for migrants in the Western Suburbs, it was a lifeline, a cultural anchor, and a symbol of belonging to their families and cultural back in Europe.6805.01 - Western Smallgoods 208 - 210 McIntyre Road Sunshine North 1990 Photographs (Advocate 200.2).JPG 6805.02 - Western Smallgoods 208 - 210 McIntyre Road Sunshine North 1990 Photographs (Advocate 200.2).JPG 6805.03 - Western Smallgoods 208 - 210 McIntyre Road Sunshine North 1990 Photographs (Advocate 200.2).JPGwestern smallgoods, mcintyre road, sunshine north

These photographs, taken by The Advocate in 1991, were produced as part of the newspaper's regular feature highlighting local businesses and commercial enterprises throughout the district. The images feature Midas Sunshine located at 497 Ballarat Road corner of Harvester Road, Sunshine. Midas Sunshine is part of the national Midas Australia automotive service chain, known for mechanical repairs, servicing, brakes, exhausts, and general vehicle maintenance. The Sunshine branch has operated for decades on Ballarat Road, one of the oldest and busiest arterial roads in Melbourne’s west.Midas Ballarat Rd Sunshine 157.3midas, ballarat road, sunshine, harvester road

These photographs, taken by The Advocate in 1991, were produced as part of the newspaper's regular feature highlighting local businesses and commercial enterprises throughout the district. The images feature the Yvettes Restaurant located in the Glengala Hotel at 214 Glengala Road, Sunshine West. The Glengala Hotel, formally known as the Sunshine Heights Hotel, is a well‑known suburban pub located in Sunshine West, serving the post‑war residential estates that grew rapidly along Glengala Road from the 1950s onward. The hotel was part of the wave of mid‑century neighbourhood hotels built to support expanding suburbs in Melbourne’s west.6797.01 - Yvettes Restaurant Glengala Hotel 214 Glengala Road Sunshine West 1991 Photographs (Advocate 156.4).JPG 6797.02 - Yvettes Restaurant Glengala Hotel 214 Glengala Road Sunshine West 1991 Photographs (Advocate 156.4).JPG 6797.03 - Yvettes Restaurant Glengala Hotel 214 Glengala Road Sunshine West 1991 Photographs (Advocate 156.4).JPG 6797.04 - Yvettes Restaurant Glengala Hotel 214 Glengala Road Sunshine West 1991 Photographs (Advocate 156.4).JPGyvette resaurant, glengala hotel, glengale, sunshine west

This is a diverse collection of Tourist Maps for the Warrnambool & District area. [.1] From information on this guide it dates from the mid 1970's. It appears to not have been commercially printed and includes details of attractions no longer operating in Warrnambool such as Warrnambool Aquarium and the Oasis Reptile Park and Zoo. [.2] Commercially printed Warrnambool tourist map (c mid 1980's) surrounded by advertisements for local businesses. [.3] Commercial printed December 1991 tourist map of Warrnambool and District includes a competition entry form [.4] Commercially printed tourist map aimed at children [.5] Walking map of Warrnambool and District [.6] Commercially printed Warrnambool tourist map (c mid 1980's) surrounded by advertisements for local businesses. This collection of maps from the mid 1970's to early 1990's gives an insight into what was available to assist tourists find their way around Warrnambool and District. They include advertisements for business operating during this period and include lists of available accommodation, eateries, and tourist attractions.[.1] Tourist Attractions In and Around Warrnambool two foolscap pages with two sides of type written information of local and district attractions. There is a Warrnambool City map with points of interest marked and a hand drawn district map; [.2]Commercially printed grid map of Warrnambool City surrounded by advertisements from local businesses. Reverse side has a district map and a map of the Warrnambool CBD surrounded by advertising. [.3] Brochure including small grid maps of Warrnambool and district listing accommodation providers and places of interest. Stylised blue & bright green design of Norfolk pines and sea. [.4] Children's treasure hunt map to Warrnambool There are two examples, one with blue edging (Jan 1986) and one with red edging (Aug 1993) Both have a circular logo with a stylised whale and lighthouse [.5] Walking maps of Warrnambool blue printed photo of four tourists walking coastline on the front cover. [.6] Commercially printed grid map of Warrnambool with a bright yellow inset of Warrnambool CBD main shopping centre. The map is surrounded by advertising for local businesses.warrnambool, tourist maps, warrnambool businesses, warrnambool accommodation

These photographs, taken by The Advocate in 1991, were produced as part of the newspaper's regular feature highlighting local businesses and commercial enterprises throughout the district. The images feature Sunshine Furniture Discounts, located on the corner of Anderson Road and Fraser Street, Sunshine. At the time, the business occupied a distinctive commercial building that contributed to the character of the local streetscape. The building has since been demolished and replaced by a modern pre-cast concrete structure. Sunshine Furniture Discounts was one of those classic west‑side discount furniture shops that served Sunshine’s working‑class and migrant families from the late 1970s through the 1990s. It wasn’t a boutique showroom, it was a practical, affordable, no‑nonsense place where people bought the furniture they needed to build their homes.The significance of the store comes from how it supported the nearby community by providing practical, affordable, no‑nonsense furniture.6812.01 - Sunshine Furniture Discounts 105 Anderson Road Sunshine 1991 Photographs (Advocate 222.2).JPG 6812.02 - Sunshine Furniture Discounts 105 Anderson Road Sunshine 1991 Photographs (Advocate 222.2).JPG 6812.03 - Sunshine Furniture Discounts 105 Anderson Road Sunshine 1991 Photographs (Advocate 222.2).JPG 6812.04 - Sunshine Furniture Discounts 105 Anderson Road Sunshine 1991 Photographs (Advocate 222.2).JPGsunshine furniture discounts, anderson road, sunshine

This photograph is part of the Caulfield Historical Album 1972. This album was created in approximately 1972 as part of a project by the Caulfield Historical Society to assist in identifying buildings worthy of preservation. The album is related to a Survey the Caulfield Historical Society developed in collaboration with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and Caulfield City Council to identify historic buildings within the City of Caulfield that warranted the protection of a National Trust Classification. Principal photographer thought to be Trevor Hart, member of Caulfield Historical Society. Most photographs were taken between 1966-1972 with a small number of photographs being older and from unknown sources. All photographs are black and white except where stated, with 386 photographs over 198 pages. Glen Eira Heritage Management Plan 1996 by Andrew Ward The 1857 rate book indicates that the major portion of the District was under pasture, although a considerable portion was cultivated. There were 159 houses, huts and tents whose occupants were mainly occupied on the land. If "Camden Town" was the principal commercial focus for the District in 1857, it was to remain so in later years, incorporated today in the Glenhuntly Road centre which extends more or less continuously from Elsternwick to Bambra Road. The Caulfield State School of 1877, the horse tramway of 1889 and subsequently the electric trams were all events confirming the importance of Glenhuntly Road and the fledgling community of "Camden Town" wherein the City's commercial centre has its origins. It is recalled, today, by their presence, and also by the "London Tavern" in Hawthorn Road, established by John Guess in 1873. Dr Geulah Solomon's 4 volume book "Caulfield's Heritage" Vol 1 p 93: "A modern hotel presently on the site continues the name of the London Tavern." That was true until recent years as the hotel is named The Camden Hotel now (2021).Page 81 of Photograph Album with one landscape photograph of the front of the London Tavern with handwriting on the edge of the photograph.Hand written: LONDON TAVERN HOTEL 1937 [on bottom edge of photo] / 81 [bottom left] trevor hart, caulfield, hawthorn road, london tavern, camden town, john guess, hotels, pubs, victorian, 1870's, 1930's, sycamore street, the camden hotel

The woollen mill was a vital part of Warrnambool for all but 22 years of the town’s history since it's the establishment in 1847 when the first land sales were held and white settlement began. In 1869 the Warrnambool Meat Preserving Company began operations on the mill site, in 1875, shareholders of the then defunct Warrnambool Meat Preserving Company happily sold the land and buildings on the Merri river to Warrnambool Woollen Mill Company Ltd for £5,000. The site was sold again in 1876 to grazer Robert Hood of Sherwood, who was chairman of directors of the failed company, which couldn’t raise sufficient capital to keep the works operating. The entrepreneurial Hood then used the existing plant to turn his own wool into tweed cloth. But just as the mill was starting to show a profit, a fire destroyed the building and plant on the night of 25 March 1882. So again, the mill was operational for six short years. Insurers only paid a fraction over 10% of the damage, Hood couldn't raise sufficient capital to rebuild on his own, and so the site lay unused until 1910. In 1908 Marcus Saltau and Peter John McGennan convinced the Warrnambool Chamber of Commerce to invest in a secondary industry with local capital. A public meeting in September 1908 agreed to raise £40,000, electing Saltau chairman of directors, a post he held for 34 years. A year later, using mostly local money, the Warrnambool Woollen Mill Company dispatched its first manager, John E. Bennett, to buy a plant and recruit 20 experienced staff from the Yorkshire woollen industry in December 1909. Another year more, the new mill was officially opened on 14 November 1910 by Marcus Saltau as company chairman and town mayor. Eighteen months on, in May 1912, the mill paid its first half-yearly dividend of 2 ½%. It was now working two shifts, with a year's orders to fill. In 1914 the mill ordered its own generator, providing the town with electricity and effectively doubling its plant size by October 1915, six months after Gallipoli. Thereafter, government orders for cloth and military supplies assured the mill’s success right through the First World War and on until 1923. A plant upgrade in 1922 for machinery to make worsted fabric drained profits, which, with a fall in demand, led to a loss in 1925. Profits were restored by the 1930s, despite the Depression, mostly due to tight management and robust marketing. Production boomed again during the Second World War, but soon foreign competition bit into profits, forcing the company to consolidate operations. The ‘50s and ‘60s were golden years for the mill. Security and growth gave the company confidence to trial Australia’s first electric blanket in 1958 and to install Swiss Sulzer looms in 1965. Over time, the building facades took on the modern look that the mill presented until it closed. The Dunlop company bought the mill in 1968, fending off a challenge from Onkaparinga in South Australia, and continued to expand by adding Wendouree Woollen Mill in the same year and Dream-spun Textiles a decade later, in 1979. Soon after that purchase, however, the mill began its slippery slide into decline. Dunlop sold to its former rival bidder Onkaparinga Woollen Co. Ltd in 1982, which in turn was taken over by Macquarie Worsted's only a year later, in 1983. Operations remained stable for a decade until 1994 when the Macquarie Group signaled that its newly rationalised operations left no room for the Warrnambool investment. The final operator of the mill was The Smith Family charity group, which ran the site by agreement with the Warrnambool City Council and a state government grant in that same year, 1994. The mill became more of a fabric recycler than a manufacturer. The site was sold to private operators in February 2003 and rezoned four months later to allow for the mixed housing development. The embossing press is significant for its association with the Warrnambool Woollen Mills 1910-1968, a major employer in the Warrnambool district. The press is also significant as an example of commercial office equipment used in the 19th and 20th century.Press, metal, for Company seal of Warrnambool Woollen Mill, stamping their brand as Western District Worsted Mills Pty Ltd. Metal is black with red and gold floral markings. Inscription of stamp reads "WESTERN DISTRICT WORSTED MILLS PROPRIETRY LIMITED" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, warrnambool woollen mills, western district worsted mills proprietry limited, worsted fabric, printing press, logo printing press, stamp printing press, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

This document, also referred to as a word picture or Tablet, is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, is handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. The writing gives a description of the state of Borough of Warrnambool around 1875; its location, the area it covers, its population, Harbour and facilities, public buildings and institutions, imports and exports, financial worth, number of houses, connection with other areas of the Colony. A possible reason and origin for the document is found in an article ‘Link with US Exhibition’ from the Warrnambool Standard of December 19, 1981, written by local historian Bruce Morris. The writer mentions that the Warrnambool Borough Council met on 15th June 1875 and recorded a letter from G.C. Levey , secretary to the Melbourne group of commissioners representing the Colony, and Victoria in particular, for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The letter asks Council to provide “statistics as to the population, social condition and commercial and industrial state of the district in and around Warrnambool.” A sub committee was formed for the project. The Mayor, Cr. Thomas King, wrote and signed a Report, presented to the council on July 14, 1875, in which “The Committee … begs to recommend that a Tablet be prepared setting for the particulars respecting the following matters relating to the Borough”. The matters included area, population, annual income, churches, schools, other public buildings, societies and companies, general description of houses erected, and returns of exports and imports for 1874. The minutes note that the Report was adopted. The article above also notes the opinion of Warrnambool printers who have examined the document; it is almost certainly to be an old lithograph, which means there could be several copies. It is possible that there may be a copy in Melbourne and another in Philadelphia. It is interesting to note that (1) the quoted location co-ordinates are for an “Unnamed Road, Packsaddle NSW 2880, Australia”, and that the DMS co-ordinates for Warrnambool’s Council Offices differ, being 38.23.9.12 South, 142.28.52.887. (2) the date for “Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875” is different to the period mentioned by Cr. King in the sub committee’s Report of recommendation “returns of exports and imports for 1874”. The information required to have the figures for the end of June 1875 would need to have been compiled very quickly for the Tablet to be ready for the opening of the Philadelphia Exhibition on 10 May 1876. The document/certificate shows the following – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Victoria Australia, Borough of Warrnambool. Latitude, 30.24.50 South, Longitude 142.32 East The Principal Port in the Western District of the Colony and the Centre of its Choicest Agricultural Lands. Established a Municipality in 1855, and Created a Borough 1863. Population in 1875 4,500. Warrnambool is the nearest Port to Melbourne on the Western Seaboard, being about 160 miles distant. Coaches run to and from the Metropolis daily, in connexion [connection] with the Railway of Geelong and Steamers belonging to Local Companies sail between Melbourne, Warrnambool, Belfast [renamed Port Fairy], and Portland several times weekly. The Harbour is known as Lady Bay, and is partially protected by a reef of rocks stretching from the mouth of the Hopkins River. The formation of a Breakwater has been decided upon by the Government, to extend 600 yards, at an estimated cost of £100,000. There are two substantial Jetties, one of 800 and the other of 600 feet in length. The former is connected with the Town by means of a Tramroad, along which Goods, inwards & outwards, are conveyed, & the latter has been constructed solely for the purpose of facilitating the transit of material for the formation of the Breakwater. In addition to the trade of the Borough and District, the principal Townships up country receive their supplies from Melbourne and ship their exports through Warrnambool. Potatoes form the staple produce of the district, and the richness of the soil can be estimated by the fact that the Government Statistics for 1875 give as the average yield a return of Seven Tons to the acre. Several thousand acres between Warrnambool and Tower Hill are now being laid down in Potatoes by Tenants who have leased the lands at rates up to £5 per acre for the season 1875-6. Wool, Tallow, hides &c are also largely exported, while the shipments of all descriptions of Farm Produce are annually increasing. Area of Borough, 3362 Acres. Net Annual Value £27,000. Annual Revenue £5,500. Number of Houses in Borough 800. Public Buildings and Institutions Churches. Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Congregational and Baptist. Schools. Three State Schools, average attendance nearly 1000. New Building in course of erection. Several private establishments. Banks. Bank of Australasia, Bank of Victoria, National Bank, Colonial Bank and Savings Bank. Public Buildings. Court house, Custom house, Post & Telegraph Offices, Survey & Land Offices, Shire £, Town Hall, Mechanics Institute, Volunteer Orderly Room, Odd Fellows Hall, Hospital & Benevolent Asylum, Temperance Hall &c. Companies & Societies. Steam Navigation Co, Woolen Mill Co, Gas Co, Racing Club, Amateur Turf Club, Agricultural Society, Farmers’ Club, Cricket Club, Anglers’ Society, Building Society, Freemasons Odd Fellows, Foresters, Druids, Hibernians. Protestant Alliance, Rechabites, Sons of Temperance, &c, Fire Brigade &c. --- Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875 –-- --Exports Total Tonnage 27,800 (Calculated at the Current Warrnambool Market Prices) Potatoes Wool Wheat Barley Hides Skins Fowls Butter Cheese Eggs Tallow Leather Ale Pigs Sheep Sundries --Imports 13,000 Tons Of the Estimated Value of £520,000 Total Tonnage of Exports and Imports 40m900 Tons, Value £806,627 Passenger Travels, to ad from Warrnambool during year, 10,000 persons Revenue from all sources paid through Warrnambool Sub Treasury From 1860 to June 1875 £1, 292, 300 Thomas King [signed] Mayor Henry T Read [signed] Town Clerk” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The document is of historical, social, economic and local significance in that it summarises activities, business, community, trade, travel and government at a point in time in Warrnambool’s history – 30th June 1875.Document, also referred to as a ‘word picture’ or ‘tablet’. Document is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. Document outlines the establishment of Warrnambool as a Municipality in 1855 and Borough in 1863, with a population of 4,500 in 1875. It states geographic location, public buildings and institutions, harbor facilities and imports and exports for the year ending 30th June 1875. Two signatures "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. It shows the Coat of Arms of the Borough of Warrnambool.Signatures - "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. Warrnambool Coat of Arms; “British Coat of Arms, above sailing vessel and sheaf of wheat in sun, motto “By these we flourish” and around circumference “Borough of Warrnambool 1855”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, borough of warrnambool, municipality of warrnambool, document borough of warrnambool 1875, word picture of warrnambool 1875, tablet of borough of warrnambool 1875, statistics borough of warrnambool 1875, lithograph borough of warrnambool 1875, coat of arms warrnambool, warrnambool city motto – in these we flourish, establishment of warrnambool, warrnambool history, thomas king mayor of warrnambool, henry t read town clerk of warrnambool, warrnambool breakwater, warrnambool jetty, warrnambool imports and exports 1875, warrnambool agriculture 1875, warrnambool business 1875, warrnambool population 1875, centennial exhibition philadelphia 1876, framed certificate

In Australia, precious opal is found in Cretaceous age sandstones and mudstones. These sedimentary rocks were deeply weathered and this weathering released silica into the groundwater.Australia is the only part of the world where opalised animal and plant fossils have been found. Opal artefacts several thousands of years old have been discovered in East Africa. As early as 250 BC the Romans prized opals, thought to have come from mines in Eastern Europe, the ancient world's main source of opals. There are many aboriginal dreamtime stories that feature opal. Australian opals discovered during the late 1800's found little favour with European markets but their commercial value increased in the 1900's and in 1932 Australia took over as the major producer of opals in the world and remains the largest producer to this day. Opal is found around the world (Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the western US) however Australia produces 95% of the world's precious opal and it is our official national gemstone. Opal was first mined commercially at Listowel Downs in Queensland in 1875 and later at White Cliffs in NSW. Today, Coober Pedy (SA) is the main producer of white opal, though in recent years this field has expanded and all types of opals are found. Other centres in SA include Andamooka and Mintabe. Lightning Ridge (NSW) is renowned for black opal and formerly White Cliffs was a large producer of high quality opal. Boulder opals (opals in concretionary ironstone) are mined in Queensland from numerous localities in a zone extending from the Eulo and Cunnamulla district in the south and northwest for a distance of over 700 km to Kynuna in the north. The towns of Quilpie, Yowah and Winton are the main opal mining and wholesale centres. Opals are considered gemstones and have been used in jewellery for thousands of years.Throughout much of history, opals were actually believed to be good luck. The Romans thought that opals were one of the luckiest gemstones and a symbol of hope. In the Middle Ages, opals were believed to be bestowed with all the positive properties of coloured gemstones due to its rainbow-like play of colour. Finally, there is a superstition that you should not wear an opal unless it is your birthstone otherwise misfortune will befall you. This, of course, is far-fetched, but the notion could have been promoted in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries by diamond traders who were trying to increase sales of diamonds and deter people from buying opals. Possibly related to this is the thought that you should set opal jewellery with diamonds as their powers of good fortune will override any negativity held by the opal. The great majority of opal does not show play of colour and is called common opal or potch however this is not the case with a precious opal. Opal is a precious gemstone, like rubies, emeralds or diamonds. Opal is rare, and it is expensive to prospect and mine for.Silica is one of the most common minerals on the planet, but precious opal is very rare – far more rare than diamonds. Precious opal is rare because the natural processes that create it rarely occur.Most (at least 95%) of the opal found by miners is common opal without gem colour. In Australia we call it potch. It can be white, grey, black or amber coloured. Even when a miner finds gem-coloured opal, most of it can’t be cut into gemstones because it’s too thin, or sandy. 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.It is not known where this opal originated, except that it is probably from Victoria, as it has been recorded from many localities in the State. Common Opal is formed from silica-rich water circulating through rocks near the Earth’s surface. It consists of minute spheres of silica arranged in different ways. In common opal, the spheres are of different sizes and randomly arranged, unlike in precious opal where the spheres are of similar size and uniformly arranged in three dimensions. These differences account for common opal generally being translucent to opaque and without the play of colours, or opalescence, displayed by precious opal. Common opal is found in many localities and different geological environments throughout Australia and the world. Precious opal requires special conditions to form and is much less common. Australia produces most to the world’s precious opal. burke museum, beechworth, indigo shire, beechworth museum, geological, geological specimen, precious opal, opal, brazil, mexico, honduras, queensland, coober pedy, gemstones, jewellery, play-of-colour, light blue

Dust cover has an illustration depicting Circular Quay, West Side in the early days of Australia.non-fictionThe Picturesque Atlas was designed to give a graphic and summarised conception of Australasian history and life from the days of the earliest Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English and French navigators to the 1880's, embracing such salient events as the landing of Captain Cook in 1770. the discoveries of voyagers, explorers an pioneer missionaries; the founding of the different colonies; the establishment of representative government and the marvellous political, commercial and social development which characterises the people of Australia.history, australia, explorers, voyagers, missionaries, politics, commercial development, social development

A biographical gallery of "Who's Who" in public, political, official, judicial, patriotic, naval, military, charitable, professional, scientific, artistic, journalistic, ecclesiastical, religious, temperance, industrial, clerical, mercantile, commercial, aerial, scholastic, social club, musical, dramatic, friendly society, fraternal, athletic and sporting life, with Ballarat associations, past or present.Small hard covered brown book of 142 pages including advertisements.Stamped "The School of Mines Industries & Science Ballaratballarat district citizens and sports, m. m. mccallum, ballarat, citizens and sports at home and abroad, citizens and sports, political, official, judicial, patriotic, naval, military, charitable, professional, scientific, artistic, journalistic, ecclesiastical, religious, temperance, industrial, clerical, mercantile, commercial, aerial, scholastic, social club, musical, dramatic, friendly society, fraternal, athletic and sporting life, ballarat associations, clarendon college advertisement, wiles cooker, e. rowlands, koomah spa, thomas a. williams, leslie coulter, lela lake, margaret mcnanamny, leslie morshead, alice thwaites, james wiles, alfred williams