The lead toy gun was recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard and could have been amongst the personal belongings of a passenger. History of the Loch Ard: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch that lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curle & Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold their position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Lochard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Lochard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Lochard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Lochard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck, it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck of which the subject items are a small part. The collections objects give us a snapshot of how we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. Through is associated with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history.Toy gun, lead, barrel missing. Details have been moulded into the metal. The surface has heavy encrustation. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, toy gun, metal toy

Plain metal toy frypan with handle.toys, general

Metal toy crane hook. Item is rusty.bendigo, gold mining, qc binks, qc binks

The Kew Historical Society’s collection includes a wide range of leisure objects. Many of the items are European-made, generally of British origin, however there are a number that were made for the Australian market by Australian manufacturers. There were clearly a huge range of toys produced for the Australian and International children’s market in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. The examples of toys in the collection include examples of alphabet toys, arcade toys, baby toys, construction toys, dolls, doll accessories, educational toys, soft toys, tin toys, toy animals, toy blocks, toy machines, toy typewriters, etc. Bentwood, woven cane and metal toy pram.pram, toys, mobile toys

Red metal toy bowl with two handlestoys, general

Metal toy of a Massey Ferguson Combined Harvester ModelMassey Ferguonmassey ferguson, sunshine harvester works

Metal toy top with Multi coloured stripes and wooden handle.toys, general

Large metal toy train, battery operated , plastic undercarriagetoys, general

Green and yellow painted metal toy tractor with swivelled wheels in front.Made in Great Britaintoys, general

Heavy metal toy pressure cooker with detachable lid. Two handles.Strong (on underside).toys, general

Metal toy toaster with orange enamelled sides. Levers on both sides.toys, general

Used by internees at Camp 3. Given as a gift to son of a Stanhope dairy farmer by a German internee when they delivered milk to Camp 3 in WW2Handmade wood and metal toy/model gun. Piece of rubber nailed on the endLA 5 No 134 T 14 cal CY Dunlopgun, toy, camp 3, tatura, ww2 camp 3

Orange painted metal toy earth mover with tractor in front and large swivelled container attached.toys, general

Metal toy train engine painted yellow and red with black coal scuttle at rear. (Despite inscription there is no Noddy)A Budgie toy/Noddy and his train.toys, general

Four metal toy fireman painted blue with gold helmets. Side on and carrying hose. (May be part of NA230 - Red Fire Engine)toys, general

White painted metal toy ambulance with blue celluloid front and one side. One side with model lying down covered with blanket.Pat No. 238727/MB45/Matchbox/'Stretcha Fetcha'/Made in England/1971/Lesney Products & Co.toys, general

Yellow painted metal toy caravan with orange roof. Two windows on each side and one at either end. Coupling at one end. One door with window.Trailer Caravan/Matchbox 'P' Series/1970/Made in England/Lesney Products Co. Ltd./No 57 (A)toys, general

A bright yellow metal toy tanker truck discovered by QC Binks whilst he was out metal detecting for gold. Item is rusting and yellow paintwork is flaking in parts.bendigo, gold mining, qc binks, tanker, model, qc binks.

Toy metal brown gunChad Valley Made in Englandtoys, general

Comprises a collection of metal, wooden and plastic toys which would possibly date back to the 1920s to 1940sThis collection came from the Warton / Baker families from Tawonga and Redbank in the Kiewa Valley.Collection of metal toys: 1. x2 Train Locomotives 2. Red tractor - mechanical with key 3. Man using grinder - mechanical with key 4. Two birds with worm - mechanical with key 5. Green trailer - mechanical with key 6. Small tank - mechanical with key 7. Aeroplane 8. Metal top 9. Home-made push-along wheels 10. Home made top 11. Cap gun 12. Cookie Cutters 13. Small tin puncture Kit - empty 14. Metal fox whistle 15. Tin trumpet 16. Large metal pump top 17. Plastic & metal mechancal toy in cardboard box- Jolly Skipper Other: 1. Monkey puppet with paper legs 2. Small plastic bells 3. Plastic boy on bike 4. Plastic green car 5. Plastic small trains 6. Soldier dog 8. Two half coconut shells (hollow) 9. Cylinder of wooden mechano tinker toy 10. Plastic Mr & Mrs Funny Face in box 11. Trip to New York game in box 12. Wooden Modelcraft - Build-ees in box 13. Wooden ring 14. Jig-saw toys, puzzles, wooden mechano, mechanical toys, recreation, children

Metal keyring, white rubber toy hat, miniature 30ml bottle of sunscreen, lolly and sticker sheet, all part of a gice-away to commemorate opening of Greensborough Railway Station.Metal keyring, white rubber toy hat, miniature 30ml bottle of sunscreen, lolly and sticker sheetgreensborough railway station, hurstbridge rail line, memorabilia

Toy metal egg lifter with four prongs.toys, general

Toy metal frypan - red painted top, white bottom with black handle.Made in Japantoys, general

Metal green painted toy mobile artillery gun. Missing shaft for mobile towing.Pat. No. 641319/Britains Ltd./Englandtoys, general

Toy metal truck chassis with green windows and red front. Four rubber wheels.Daf. Lesney. Made in England.toys, general

The toy fire engine was brought back from Japan by Bob Gardiner after attending the 1964 Olympic GamesToy metal fire engine Ladder on top which extends. Red light on cabin rooftoys, mechanical

Toy metal sewing machine with wheeled turning mechanism with wooden handle. Incorporates most of the mechanism of a full size machine.Peter Pantoys, mechanical, handcrafts, equipment

Toy silver metal gun with movable hammer for caps. Packet of caps in red packet.Packet - Janda Amor/Ranger Brand/Toy Capstoys, general