Such was life

The 1967 referendum

The 1967 referendum

May 26, 2017

Such was life:

On 27 May 1967, Australians voted in record numbers to alter two sections of the Constitution so it no longer discriminated against Aboriginal people. The landslide ‘yes’ vote was seen as a watershed moment in Australian political history.

Visions of fairyland: Herbert Swire’s watercolours

Visions of fairyland: Herbert Swire’s watercolours

May 19, 2017

Such was life:

Herbert Swire was 22 years old when he joined a scientific voyage to Antarctica on board the ship, HMS Challenger. He captured what he saw in two delicate watercolours that have recently been donated to the library.

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

April 28, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

In 1903 the Australian ornithologist Robert Hall (1867-1949) embarked on his major expedition to Siberia (via Japan and Korea), to collect specimens and eggs of Siberian birds known to migrate… Read More ›

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

March 30, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection portrays Echuca in the 1950s and ’60s as a town driven by community spirit.

The owl and the heiress: The life of one book over six centuries

The owl and the heiress: The life of one book over six centuries

March 29, 2017

Arts & literature, Our stories:

What do Athena’s little owl, an unashamedly unmarried Chicago heiress, and the Heide School of modernist Australian artists have in common? A book in our collection, as it turns out… Recently I… Read More ›

Federici’s ghost

Federici’s ghost

March 7, 2017

Arts & literature, Such was life:

Melbourne’s Princess Theatre has been host to many fine performers over the years, but the most famous performance of all belongs to its ghost, Federici.

'Cruising in search of whales'

Castaway in the Siberian Arctic

January 31, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

David Wilkinson joined Victoria’s first whaling expedition, aboard the ship Japan under the command of Frederick Barker. On 5 March 1869 Japan weighed anchor in Hobson’s Bay and commenced a voyage from which she would never return.

It’s just not cricket… or is it?

It’s just not cricket… or is it?

January 10, 2017

Sport, Such was life:

On Wednesday 23 March, 1895 a large crowd gathered at the East Melbourne cricket ground for an unusual event – a ladies’ cricket match. The ladies had been practising in secret and speculation was rife over what they would wear…

A cargo of fallen angels

A cargo of fallen angels

November 30, 2016

People & professions, Such was life:

Children in detention. Stopping the boats. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was recent times but in fact, it was the 19th century.

The politics of poster making: the RedPlanet archive

The politics of poster making: the RedPlanet archive

November 11, 2016

People & professions, Such was life:

The years 1992 and 1993, when RedPlanet artists produced 24 house posters, can arguably be called the golden years of poster design in Australia.