Ned Kelly at the cinema
People & professions, Such was life:
The world’s first feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, premiered at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre on 26 December 1906, twenty-six years after Ned was hanged.
Such was life
Christmas and the Ashes
One of world sport’s most famous trophies, cricket’s Ashes urn, was presented for the first time on 24 December 1882.
‘Death ballots’: Australia’s World War I conscription referendums
On 28 October 1916 the first of two controversial conscription referendums was held in Australia. Military training for men between 18 and 60 had been compulsory since 1911, but the… Read More ›
18 years old and in charge of the ship
People & professions, Such was life:
The British barque Trafalgar docked at Williamstown on 16 December 1893 after a harrowing voyage. Several of the senior officers had died from fever on the journey, and the charge… Read More ›
Pioneer portraits
People & professions, Such was life:
Born in London, Thomas Chuck came to Melbourne in 1863 and opened a photography studio in Royal Arcade, Collins Street.
A Koori protest against the Nazis
Kristallachnacht (also known as ‘The night of broken glass’, 9-10 November 1938) was a major escalation in the persecution of the Jews in Germany by the Nazi government. Nearly 100… Read More ›
Secret histories of queer Melbourne
Social life & customs, Such was life:
This new publication from the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives is an eye-opening and immensely readable introduction to Melbourne’s queer scenes, both private and public.
Even in 1888 you needed a security ID photo!
People & professions, Such was life:
When the idea of celebrating a century of European settlement in Australia was first raised in 1886, Victoria volunteered to host an international exhibition of arts and industries. The resulting… Read More ›
What is Australia’s earliest surviving printed document?
Arts & literature, Such was life:
Australia’s earliest surviving printed document is a playbill which advertises a performance of the tragedy, Jane Shore, followed by a comic dance, The Wapping landlady and a farce, The miraculous… Read More ›
A marvellous mercantile map of Melbourne
Cities & towns, Such was life:
The most complete popular & mercantile map of Melbourne, Victoria was produced by Frederick Proeschel in the early 1850s. Proeschel describes the map as ‘giving most useful information as to… Read More ›
