This dark brown bottle with lip, collar, neck and gently sloping shoulder, was made by the Bottle Co. of Victoria P/L for Melbourne Bitter. The Parks Victoria inventory indicates that the bottle dates to 1925. Still brewed today, Melbourne Bitter has been made since 1904, when the Melbourne Cooperative Brewery in Abbotsford was formed by well known pub owners that included Henry Young of Young & Jacksons, and future Lord Mayor Sir Stephen Morrell. They made four beers – Abbotsford Stout (which became Abbotsford Invalid Stout in 1909), Abbots Lager, Melbourne Bitter and Abbotsford Sparkling Ale. Of those, Melbourne Bitter and the Invalid Stout remain largely unchanged and both are now brewed by the South African owned CUB. The bottle was found in the sea or on the island.Whatever their provenance, they have an association with an event or activity on Gabo Island and for this reason have second level contributory significance for their potential to yield information relating to the cultural history of the lightstation.Dark brown glass bottle, tall with gradual tapering to a narrow opening. Slightly misshapen. White coating on one side.Within a club motif, "M.B.C.V" "The property of the manufacturers. / Bottle co of Victoria Pty Ltd" "6 1925"

Beer came in bottles sold at licensed premises either locally or in larger cities visited during shopping expeditions. The shape of bottles changed. Bottles were recycled remaining the property of the manufacturer who paid for their return. People collected bottles to return.Historical: Change of bottles - shape, glass, embossing. Collected by bottle collectors. Aesthetic; Display showing embossing & shape especially if in good condition.Clear glass bottle used for beer. Straight sides half way up and then tapered to the opening. 2 longitudinal joins on opposite sides in glass. Lightly embossed MB and underneath it CV in a spade (as in cards) shape two thirds of the way up. Embossed along the bottom and a horse shoe shape at the base.M.B. with C.V. underneath it on the side. Along the bottom: "This bottle always remains the property of / The Manufacturers Bottle Co. of Victoria Pty Ltd." Horse shoe shape on base.beer, bottle, m.b.c.v., manufacturers bottle company of victoria

Walter Sheldrick, a butcher and publican, established the Warrnambool New Brewery at the corner of Timor and Fairy Streets in 1868 as a company. The business was known as Sheldrick and Co. and after Walter Sheldrick’s death his son, Richard, managed the company until his death in 1893. In 1894 the business was sold to John McGee and Company until this firm sold to the Ballarat, Melbourne, Co-operative and Carlton and United Breweries in 1922. This Pale Ale bottle, therefore, was bottled before 1922.This bottle is of considerable significance as it is one of the last products of a prominent brewery in Warrnambool and is now nearly 100 years oldThis is a brown-coloured glass beer bottle with a long neck and no stopperOn oval shaped paper label ‘Sparkling Pale Ale, Sheldrick and Co. Brewers, Sheldrick’s Warrnambool, Vic. Aus. Bottled at the Brewery, Timor St. Keep in a cold place’. Monogram, ‘S.C.O.’ ‘M.B.C.V’ embedded in glass in clover leaf motif and underneath ‘The Property of the Manufacturers, Bottle Company of Victoria Pty Ltd’ warrnambool, sheldrick ales, sheldrick brewery, walter sheldrick

At one time, almost all breweries in Australia had their own brand of returnable bottle or were members of bottle co-operatives that managed returnable bottles. Instead of being crushed to make new bottles, as happens in most cases today, these returnable bottles were returned to the brewery or bottle co-operative, washed, inspected for cracks and chips and returned to service.A green clear glass bottle with the word COUNTRY embossed on the front and MBCV in a spade below it. the base is dimpled and the bottle is designed for a crown seal.At bottom - Property of the Manufacturers Bottle co-op of Victoria PTY Ltd on front - COUNTRY with MBCV in a spade beneath itcontainer bottle m.b.c.v.