Showing 405 items
matching pits
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Bunjil Park Aboriginal Education & Cultural Centre
grinding stone, Double sided grinding stone with multiple hollows
... pits ...Grindstones like this were not carried but hidden in special places with subtle indicators known only to the same tribe or nation. The small and deep nature of the pits suggests this rock may have been used for ochre with the smaller pits being used for water or fat to mix with the pigments. The very hard and dense nature of the rock means materials would not be contaminated during the grinding process.This rock is likely to be very old and is potentially significant from ceremonial perspective. Stones like this have been known to be passed on through multiple generations and been in use for hundreds and possibly thousands of years.This grindstone has hollows on both sides. One large hollow on one side measures approximately 7 cm across and 2 cm deep. The opposite side is distinguished by 3 pits, one large (5 cm wide by 3 cm deep) and two small indentations 2cm by 1cm. The hollows have been chipped and smoothed. The base rock is in the shape of a flattened and slightly elongated sphere, it appears to have been water worn.The side with three pits also bears recent scratches believed to be cut by a disk plough. It also appears to have a capital "W" inscribed in the largest pit.jaara, hidden, grindstone, ochre, quartzite, multiple hollows, pits, aboriginal food and art -
Greensborough Historical Society
Advertisement - Digital Image, McDonald Sand and Gravel Pits 1954, 1954
... McDonald Sand and Gravel Pits 1954 ...Advertisement for McDonald Sand and Gravel Pits of William Street Greensborough. Copied from a booklet produced by Greensborough Primary School [Gr2062] in 1954, entries are sponsors of the publication.Digital copy of advertisement from booklet.greensborough primary school, mcdonald sand and gravel pits, william street greensborough -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Water drainage pits with double side entry, Riverhill Drive, Lower Plenty, c.March 1981, 1981
... Water drainage pits with double side entry, Riverhill Drive ...Infrastructure features used by Eltham Shire Council in the construction of Riverhill Drive, Lower Plenty, c.March 198135mm colour positive transparency Kodak Kodachrome cardboard mountinfrastructure, lower plenty, riverhill drive, road construction, streets -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, General view of Riverhill Drive showing pits, Lower Plenty, c.March 1981, 1981
... General view of Riverhill Drive showing pits, Lower Plenty ...Infrastructure features used by Eltham Shire Council in the construction of Riverhill Drive, Lower Plenty, c.March 198135mm colour positive transparency Kodak Kodachrome cardboard mountinfrastructure, lower plenty, riverhill drive, road construction, streets -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Water drainage pits at low point, Riverhill Drive, Lower Plenty, c.March 1981, 1981
... Water drainage pits at low point, Riverhill Drive, Lower ...Infrastructure features used by Eltham Shire Council in the construction of Riverhill Drive, Lower Plenty, c.March 198135mm colour positive transparency Kodak Kodachrome cardboard mount Also Kodak Enlargement of slide 27 x 35.5 cminfrastructure, lower plenty, riverhill drive, road construction, streets -
Merri-bek City Council
Work on paper - letterpress print, Commoners Press, Clay Pits of Brunswick, 2022
... Clay Pits of Brunswick ...When I visit Merri-bek I wonder, when I step on the tarmac of the Barkly Square carpark, what was here before? In fact, at this spot and across Brunswick there were clay pits, which would feed the pottery workshops in Brunswick that produced the pottery, gargoyles and decorative items for Marvellous Melbourne homes and suburbs. Marvellous for those who had profited from gold, property and finance, not so for those working in the clay pits. My print is a contemplation on what is beneath our feet and our relationship to the ground. I am a design academic working at RMIT University and began my print and design practice on a Golding foot-treadle Letterpress machine.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Booklet, British Army, Royal Engineers Supplementary Pocket Book, No. 5E: Quarries And Gravel Pits 1959, 1959
... And Gravel Pits 1959 ...A faded blue coloured cardboard cover with black information. There is a code near the top which reads WO COde No. 9552. Under the main test of the cover there is a rummber stamp mark which reads HQ 6 Const Gp, Library Copy No: and beside this is the number 57 written in red texta. There are two metal staples and two punch holes down the left hand side of the booklet,british armed forces - service manuals, royal engineers, pocket book, quarries and gravel pits -
Orbost & District Historical Society
black and white photograph, late 19th / early 20th century
This is a photograph of the gravel pit at Newmerella, near Orbost. This pit was used during the construction of the Orbost to Bairnsdale Railway line.This item is associated with the history of the Orbost-Bairnsdale railway line and therefore reflects the role that the rail line played in the social and economic history of Orbost. The Bairnsdale-Orbost railway was opened in 1916 to serve the agricultural and timber industry. Because of the decline in traffic and heavy operating costs, the line was finally closed in August, 1987. A black / white photograph of a small steam engine with open freight wagons at a gravel pit. There are some men watching. -
Mt Dandenong & District Historical Society Inc.
Photograph, Pit Silo 1974 view, 1974
Photograph taken in 1974 showing John Lundy-Clarke standing beside the pit silo he dug in he 1920s on Dunbar's Lot 20 of the Village Settlement. The pit silo was to hold cut maize to turn into silage for a food supply for the cows in the winter.A 1974 view of the pit silo and its maker at Lot 20 of the Village Settlement (Dunbar’s lot) The trees in the background cover the landslide of 1891-1934.pit silo, john lundy-clarke -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Arthur Knee, 1989
Camp 13, concrete pit, rolled barbed wire, near site of Camp 13 administration area.Camp 13, Camp Road, Murchison, Victoria. Concrete pit and tangled barbed wire.camp 13, murchison victoria, pow, internment camp -
Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society (operating as Lakes Entrance History Centre & Museum)
Photograph, 2/05/1993 12:00:00 AM
Also a second colour photograph of same pit from a different angle. Far wall has been excavated by Australian Paper Manufacturers in 1950s 04553.1 10 x 15 cmColour photograph of a disused pit in Camerons Marble mine at South Buchan Victoriapostal services, people -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Machine - Clay Skip
It is understood that it was used in the pottery pit for many years.Skip for moving clay in a clay pit. It has four rail track wheels - it can be tipped to remove clay and one side opens to facilitate this.ceramics, terracotta -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Arthur Knee, Camp 13 Latrine Pit, 1989
Camp 13, Murchison. POW German, Italian and Japanese 1941 - 1946. Latrine pit constructed at Camp 13. Camp 13, Camp Road, Murchison, Victoria. Camp 13, s.w. corner - 7 metre deep latrine pitcamp 13, pow, murchison victoria, ruins, latrine pit -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Painting - Sand Pit Fortuna, Norman Penrose
Born in 1903, Norman Penrose studied at the Bendigo School of Mines. A painter and a teacher, he lived in Bendigo most of his life.Watercolour painting by Norman Penrose titled "Sand Pit Fortuna." It shows a mining sand pit and the Fortuna mine in the background. The painting is signed on the bottom right-hand side. The painting is under glass in a dark brown wooden frame. On the back: Penrose Norman William 14 Barkly Terrace east Bendigo. Price: - guineas. Title: Sand Pit Fortuna. For: drawing, watercolour and graphic art exhibition. Victorian Artista Society 430 Albert Street, East Melbourne bendigo, mining, norman penrose, artist, teacher, fortuna -
Mont De Lancey
Functional object - Cherry Pitter, Goodell Co, c.1900's
These cherry pitters were used in the early 1900's. The Wandin area had many cherry orchards at the time.A cast iron and wood dual cherry pitter which can be mounted to a table or bench with claws tightened by a winged-head screw underneath. The handle has a wooden bulbous knob, two long curved steel shafts which when engaged, forcibly removes the stone or pit from the cherry. It has a rectangular cast iron trough for the unpitted cherries on the opposite end which is inclined. When the pit is removed it falls in to a small bowl you can place underneath and the cherries are pierced onto the prong to be removed by hand, falling again into a small bowl.GOODELL CO. ANTRIM, N.H. U.S.A.cherry pitters, cherry stoners, cast iron, cooking equipment -
Lake Bolac & District Historical Society
Black and white photograph, Lake Bolac Flax Mill
Photograph of Lake Bolac Flax Mill boiler house and pits in full production. The mill operated between 1942 and 1959 and was located on the shores of Lake Bolac. Local farmers grew flax which was transported into the factory to be processed. The mill employed Land Army girls, locals and migrant workers.Photograph of Lake Bolac Flax Mill boiler house and pits in full production. -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Domestic object - Fowlers Vacola utensils
Five utensils used for preserving foods. Two bottle openers, two peach pitters and one pear corer. All have wooden handles. One of the bottle openers and the pear corer still have some white paint on the handle. Part of the Aileen and John Ellison collection.On one of the bottle openers the words: Fowlers Vacola bottle opener. One of the peach pitters has an unreadable inscription within an oval on the wooden handle.fowlers vacola, preserving tools -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Document, Logan Family, n.d
Nunawading Historical Society questionnaire and some notes on the Logan McClare family, also related to Sir John O'Shanassy.Nunawading Historical Society questionnaire and some notes on the Logan McClare family, also related to Sir John O'Shanassy. the Logan brothers had a sand pit in Canterbury and also took supplies to the goldfields. Thomas Logan arrived in Australia 1857.Nunawading Historical Society questionnaire and some notes on the Logan McClare family, also related to Sir John O'Shanassy. logan family, mcclare family, o'shanassy, john (sir), pioneers -
Ringwood and District Historical Society
Booklet, Ringwood Rifle Club memo book with signatures. April 17th 1962 to 14th December 1963
Note on inside cover of the book: 'When entering the pit to take their turn at marking the targets, each member had to sign this to cover themselves for workers comp. in the event of an accident April 17th 1962 to 14th Dec 1963'Embassy Foldeasy Memo Book, containing signatures. 50 pp. (Est.) Note on inside cover: When entering the pit to take their turn at marking the targets each member had to sign this to cover themselves for workers comp. in event of an accident. -
Orbost & District Historical Society
raker saw, c 1880 - 1940
Used in the timber industry in the Orbost district. This is a two person operated cross cut saw which functions as a pit saw. A log is placed over a pit lengthways. The man on the top walks along the log and pulls the saw upwards, and he man below pulls the saw downwards. This saw therefore cuts in both directions. This type of saw was often used in the ship building industry for cutting planks.A long raker saw which has been installed into the Slab Hut Shed in a vertical position as a pit saw. It has a metal handle extension at the top which has a wooden handgrip attached. Towards the bottom of the saw, a wooden handle had been added to the saw. timber-industry-tool raker-saw pit-saw -
Federation University Historical Collection
Drawing, Student's Technical Drawing
Two technical Drawings of a wheel alighnment pit and a proposed arrangment for Dynamometer and Inspection Pit.technical drawing, ballarat school of mines -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Colour Print/s - set of 5, Carolyn Dean, Nov. 1978
Set of five colour print of the construction of the foundation and pit of the "new shed" Nov. 1978. On Kodak paper. Date from printing date on rear of photograph. Photographer unknown. .1 - No. 4 road pit base with formwork for pump pit. .2 - Pits excavated 4 and 5 road and sand base installed. .3 - Excavating pits etc from South West corner of shed. .4 - No. 4 road pit poured. .5 - Placing concrete in No. 4 road pit. btm depot, construction, buildings -
Running Rabbits Military Museum operated by the Upwey Belgrave RSL Sub Branch
Photo
WW2 Gun Pitphoto, ww2, army -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO PIPES
Pipes in pit - Location and Date UnknownKodakorganisation, industry, gas and fuel -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Rubber ball, 19th century
This rubber ball was part of the cargo from the Fiji and amongst the articles salvaged from the wreck. A press report notes that the balls collected from the Fiji’s cargo were originally red and white. The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The ship’s manifest shows that she was loaded with a cargo of 260 cases of dynamite, pig iron, steel goods, spirits (whisky, schnapps, gin, brandy), sailcloth, tobacco, coiled fencing wire, concrete, 400 German pianos (Sweet Hapsburg), concertinas and other musical instruments, artists supplies including brushes, porcelain, furniture, china, and general cargo including candles. There were also toys in anticipation for Christmas, including wooden rocking horses, miniature ships, dolls with china limbs and rubber balls. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers’ calculation of his position. At about 2:30am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17 year old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut lose with his sheath-knife when it become tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the steep cliffs in search of help. At about 10am on the Sunday morning a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stansmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. Gebauhr was lying in the scrub in a poor state, bleeding and dressed only in singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife, ready for all emergencies. At first they were concerned about his wild and shaggy looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after he threw his knife away and realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. (Peter Carmody was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield.) Arthur Wilkinson, a 29 year old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken. Plunken was attempting to swim from the Fiji to the shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck. A line was thrown to them and they were both hauled aboard. It was thought that Wilkinson struck his head on the anchor before s they were brought up. He remained unconscious. The carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson later died and his body was washed up the next day. It was 26 year old Bill Robe who hauled out the last man, the captain, who had become tangled in the kelp. The wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it settled in about 6m of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach and their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji. They were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were warmed by fires on the beach then taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by local communities soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was ‘detained’ for 14 days. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck “Fiji tobacco” was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a steep cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894 some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. (The pocket watch came with 2 winding keys, one to wind it and one to change the hands.) Years later Bill passed the watch to his brother-in-law Gib (Gilbert) Hulands as payment of a debt and it has been passed down the family to Gilbert Hulands’ grandson, John Hulands. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the 200m high cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach, west of Moonlight Head, paying tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Amongst the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji are bisque (or china) toys, (including miniature animals, limbs from small bisque dolls), rubber balls, a slate pencil, a glass bottle, sample of rope from the distress rocket and a candlestick holder. These items are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, along with Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife. This toy rubber ball is classified as Fiji 3 on the SWR Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The Fiji collection meets the following criteria for assessment: Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. Rubber ball salvaged from the wreck of the Fiji. The rubber is perishing and the surface is pitted and bumpy. The material is tan in colour with a slightly pitted surface. 1891, china, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwrecked artefact, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, porcelain, moonlight head, wreck bay, cargo, bisque, toys, miniature animals, rubber ball -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Rubber ball, 19th Century
This rubber ball was part of the cargo from the Fiji and amongst the articles salvaged from the wreck. A press report notes that the balls collected from the Fiji’s cargo were originally red and white. The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The ship’s manifest shows that she was loaded with a cargo of 260 cases of dynamite, pig iron, steel goods, spirits (whisky, schnapps, gin, brandy), sailcloth, tobacco, coiled fencing wire, concrete, 400 German pianos (Sweet Hapsburg), concertinas and other musical instruments, artists supplies including brushes, porcelain, furniture, china, and general cargo including candles. There were also toys in anticipation for Christmas, including wooden rocking horses, miniature ships, dolls with china limbs and rubber balls. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers’ calculation of his position. At about 2:30am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17 year old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut lose with his sheath-knife when it become tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the steep cliffs in search of help. At about 10am on the Sunday morning a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stansmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. Gebauhr was lying in the scrub in a poor state, bleeding and dressed only in singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife, ready for all emergencies. At first they were concerned about his wild and shaggy looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after he threw his knife away and realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. (Peter Carmody was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield.) Arthur Wilkinson, a 29 year old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken. Plunken was attempting to swim from the Fiji to the shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck. A line was thrown to them and they were both hauled aboard. It was thought that Wilkinson struck his head on the anchor before s they were brought up. He remained unconscious. The carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson later died and his body was washed up the next day. It was 26 year old Bill Robe who hauled out the last man, the captain, who had become tangled in the kelp. The wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it settled in about 6m of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach and their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji. They were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were warmed by fires on the beach then taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by local communities soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was ‘detained’ for 14 days. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck “Fiji tobacco” was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a steep cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894 some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. (The pocket watch came with 2 winding keys, one to wind it and one to change the hands.) Years later Bill passed the watch to his brother-in-law Gib (Gilbert) Hulands as payment of a debt and it has been passed down the family to Gilbert Hulands’ grandson, John Hulands. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the 200m high cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach, west of Moonlight Head, paying tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Amongst the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji are bisque (or china) toys, (including miniature animals, limbs from small bisque dolls), rubber balls, a slate pencil, a glass bottle, sample of rope from the distress rocket and a candlestick holder. These items are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, along with Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife. This toy rubber ball is classified as Fiji 3 on the SWR Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The Fiji collection meets the following criteria for assessment: Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. Rubber ball salvaged from the wreck of the Fiji. The rubber is perishing and the surface is pitted and bumpy. The material is tan in colour with a slightly pitted surface. warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwrecked artefact, wreck bay, moonlight head, 1891, cargo, rubber ball, toy, fiji, captain vickers, william vickers -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Slide - MOUAT CRAWFORD COLLECTION: FARMING IN THE WIMMERA, c1962
Mouat Collection - Farming in the Wimmera. An ensilage Pit has been dug and the tractor has been backed up and unloaded its load into it for storage. A boy is standing in the pit. Markings: Putting grass into an ensilage Pit. Used as a teaching aid.Kodakfarming -
Mont De Lancey
Domestic object - Fruit Pitter, D CARMICHAEL, c1920's
Used by Dianne McIntyre's grandmother c 1910 and possibly by an earlier generation too.Antique wooden handled metal fruit pitter with bevilled edges on both sides of the wedge shaped blade. Usually used for pitting peaches or apricots.D CARMICHAEL is stamped on the scoop.kitchen equipment, domestic equipment -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Mortice axe
Modern handle. Blacksmith made. some pitting.Long V decoration along head. -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Photograph
A black and white photograph of a Weapons Pit - 1965 - 1966photograph, charles (john) shay