Large original plan of an engine of the Lal Lal Iron Company. Note, this item is in fragile condition and can only be viewed exceptional circumstance. Digital image details are available "W. Watson Prectical Mechanical Engineer Draughtsman Windermere St Ballaratw. watson, lal lal, lal lal blast furnace, lal lal iron company, steam engine, lal lal iron company steam engine, plan, engineering drawing

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

.1) Pages 7 to 10 of the Ballarat Courier, 10 July 1923. Page 7 includes the article 'Cheap electricity' and poses questions such as 'should Ballarat look to Morwell for cheap power?', and should an independent power plant be installed at Crockers, Arnolds, Harry Hall, Ewins, Harry Davies, Fred Halls, The London Drapery there. Page 9 includes articles on Ripon's roads, Mount Cole Springs; Soldier Settlement Rates Beaufort; Creswick brass band Officers; Daylesford Road Deviation to Hepburn Springs; Dereel Public Telephone; State Electricity Supply for Beaufort; Newlyn Valedictory to Mr and Mrs W. E. Bennett Page 9 - Racing at Ascot; Avoca Golf Tournament, Chinese Herbalists Page 10 - Auctions and house sales Advertisements include Harry Davies; Fred Halls; C. Marks and Co., London Drapery, Creer the Cashman; Chamberlain's Cough Remedy; Cornell's Little Liver Pills; Paynes; W. Fley Chemist; Bickart and Dawson; Rivers; Allchin Bros; J. Bartam & Son .2) Ballarat Courier, 30 July 1937, page 1 and 2 Page 1 reports Lal Lal's Iron Ore Company being formed. Page 2 reports the Prospectus of the lal lal Iron and Steel Blast Furnaces Mining Company, No Liability; Mining News - Wattle Gully; Commercial News Advertisements include Crockers, Arnolds, Harry Hall, Ewins, Harry Davies, Fred Halls, The London Drapery electricity, lal lal, lal lal iron, lal lal coalfield, morwell, gippsland, crockers, arnolds, harry hall, ewins, harry davies, fred halls, the london drapery, lal lal brown coal, ripon's roads, mount cole springs, soldier settlement rates beaufort, creswick brass band officers, daylesford road deviation to hepburn springs, dereel public telephone, state electricity supply for beaufort, newlyn, w.e. bennett, ascot, avoca golf tournament, chinese herbalists, c. marks and co., london drapery, creer the cashman, chamberlain's cough remedy, cornell's little liver pills, paynes, w. fley chemist, bickart and dawson, rivers, allchin bros, j. bartam & son, lal lal iron and steel blast furnaces mining company, wattle gully

The Ballarat School of Mines had a 'Model Mine' that was used to teach students. Practical work was undertaken for a fee, supervised by laboratory superintendents. Copies of assays undertaken are compiled together in this book. Large green hard covered ledger with brown leather binding. An alphabetical listing of names of those who requested assays from the Ballarat School of Mines is found in the front. 713 of the 994 pages are used. The pages are transfer copies of original correspondence prepared by the Ballarat School of Mines.ballarat school of mines, assaying, mining, phoenix foundry, a.e. anderson, john andrew, greendale, john anderson, black horse quartz mining company, rivett henry bland, band and albion consols, john barbour, broadbent brothers, dalton blakely, union bank, w.j. butcher, john m. bickett, j.p. brophy, j. barnett, j.j. blundell, george bailey, w.r. bechervaise, bateman and co., captain baker, j. chew, g.j. carroll, r. coad, c. collyer, w. corbould, david, david cameron, c. crisp, bacchus marsh, c. clark, james cotter, h. cherry, john ditchburn, james donaldson, george davey, c.e. dudley, geirge davidson, a. doepel, john holmes, w. hayden, g. hatfield, s. horsley, j. howard, dr holthouse, a.e. hawson, thomas james, e. jordon, j.h. jago, james johns, john kelsall, charles klug, c. eagle, d.e. kingr.h. cock, lal lal iron co., john letcher, rev. j. love, c.w. langtree, william moss, j. mcgrath, p. marquand, south clunes mine, david merton, fred masters, e. morey, william mercer, b. mason, freemantle, spring leads co, smeaton, diamond drill co, ballarat east, star of the east, h.g. neill, william nicholls, new kohrinor co, charles ogilvy, james oddie, james orr, james ord, stawell, frank parrington, port phillip gold mining company, clunes, w. patrick, phoneix foundry, john quayle, e. rowlands, rowlands and lewis, charles reeves, stanley copper mines, charles sargeant, sergeant's freehold, scotchman's united company, stawell, i. sharpe, james selby, william spargo, w.h. shaw, try again comany, r. timms, d.c. urquhart, w.p. white, white horse range, e. wissel, w.c. wilson, george wyatt, mining laboratory