Historical information

The Churchill Island collection includes objects from the late 1800s. The collection is presented in sets and series, of which this horse-drawn grader represents the Jenkins era.

Significance

Churchill Island has been variously imagined and used to make a permanent settler colonial space since the mid-1800s. The history of the island offers a rich example of the complexity of private settlement in Victoria up until 1976 when it was sold to the Victorian Government.

Physical description

Yellow and red horse-drawn grader attached to an unpainted wooden pole. Four steel wheels connected into pairs by axles are linked through the long arched metal piece, where a seat, crank, and levers are attached. The grader itself sits directly below the seat, and consists of a length of metal perpendicular to the ground, designed to move and level the ground.