Historical information

The nine postcards in this set were donated together and date to the early 1900s. All but one postcard in this set shows images of Warrnambool, in the Western District of Victoria; the other has a London image. The postcards were all printed in Great Britain according to that country’s postal regulations. The fronts of all cards have titles printed in red. Most of the images on the cards are attributed to photographer Joseph Jordan and belong to the Jordan Series. The back of these cards has an outline for a postage stamp, a vertical dividing line and a heading on each side of the line to separate the Correspondence from the Address.

Postcards or ‘correspondence cards’ appeared in Britain in 1894. They were plain cards with a space for the message on one side and an address on the other; regulations didn’t allow anything but the address to be written on the ‘address’ side. In 1902 the British regulations then allowed a picture to be printed on the front and the address on the back, so messages had to be written on the picture side. Soon, the regulations changed and the back was divided for a message and the address.

Tower Hill and Lake, Warrnambool –
Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve is in the crater of a dormant volcano. In 1892 the area was declared a National Park, the first in Victoria, preserving native animals and Indigenous plants.

The rich volcanic soil in the area attracted early settlers including the families of Henry Giles, born at Tower Hill in 1858 and his wife Mary Jane (born Freckleton) born nearby at Cooramook in 1860. Henry and Mary worked in the local area where they also raised their six children. For a time, Henry was employed as a labourer on the Warrnambool Breakwater.

Joseph Jordan -
Joseph Jordan was born in 1841 in Leicester England. When he was 16 he joined the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and was sent to India at the outbreak of the mutiny. He took part in the relief of Lucknow and remained in India for eleven years. It was during this time that he became interested in photography. He was posted to New Zealand and later came to Victoria, becoming a sergeant major of the Mounted Rifles. In the mid-1880s he came to the Western district where he was responsible for establishing units of the Mounted Rifles in various country towns such as Dunkeld, Mortlake, Panmure, Bushfield, Koroit etc. He resigned from the army in 1889 and set up a professional photography studio in Liebig Street, Warrnambool. He became very well known in the Western District for family photographs, official photographs of local councillors and groups as well as views of local scenery. In 1891 he photographed the wrecked barque ‘Fiji’ at ‘Wrecks Beach’ near Princetown. His business was taken over by his son Arthur around 1917. Joseph was a keen rifle shot and in 1924 he donated the "Jordan Shield" as a prize to the Victorian Rifle Association. He was made a "Life Honorary Member" of the Warrnambool Returned Soldiers League and in 1933 he was recognised as being the oldest living soldier in Victoria. Joseph died in 1935 aged 95.

Significance

The postcard of Tower Hill and Lake is connected to the location near Warrnambool where many of our early settlers lived and worked. One of these settlers was the Giles family, whose son Henry was born at Tower Hill. His family has donated many Victorian-era items which are now on display at Flagstaff Hill.
Tower Hill National Park is the first place in Victoria to be named a National Park. As in the times when coastal trading ships brought passengers and cargo to the Port of Warrnambool, it continues to be a popular place to visit.
Joseph Jordan is a significant figure in Warrnambool history as he helped to establish early units of the Mounted Rifles (G Company) in local towns during the late 1880's and later, photographed local scenes, groups and citizens of early Warrnambool.

Physical description

Postcard, one of nine, landscape orientation, coloured print within a rectangle and an impressed line around the image on the front. The picture shows several islands close together with hills around them and bushland in the foreground. There are dead trees amongst the vegetation and a sandy shore at the foot of some of the hills. The lower left corner shows what appears to be two white rails, possibly a lookout fence. There is no correspondence written on the card. The title is printed in red on the front and the back has inscriptions and outlines for a postage stamp. Jordan Series, printed in Great Britain.

Inscriptions & markings

Front, in red: “Tower Hill Lake, Warrnambool”
Back in green: “Jordan Series” “POST CARD” “PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN” “For correspondence” “The Address only to be written here”