Captain Kenney’s bathing ship
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
There were several ‘sea baths’ at St Kilda in the 19th century, but none were more famous than Captain Kenney’s bathing ship, the Nancy.
Articles by: Sarah Matthews
Australia’s own car
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
On 29 November, 1948, the first Holden motor car was unveiled at General Motors Holden (GMH). The launch of the Holden was a watershed moment for the nation: it represented the first time a motor vehicle had been wholly built in Australia.
Victoria through the ages: the boom years
In the 1880s, Victoria experienced an unprecedented property bubble. When it eventually burst, it left the economy in tatters.
Read all about it!
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Victorian history:
From as far back as the 1850s, newsboys were a common sight on the streets of Melbourne. Most were poor and many were illiterate. But they were not without their friends and allies…
Canvas Town: ‘a floating city, devoured by the sun’
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
It was November, 1852, when almost overnight, a strange sight sprang up, near Princes Bridge, in Melbourne. Canvas Town, as it came to be known, was a large tent city, set up to accommodate people on their way to the goldfields…
Melbourne’s first newspaper
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
On New Year’s Day, 1838, pioneer John Pascoe Fawkner published Melbourne’s first newspaper. Printing presses were scarce in the colony, so Fawkner handwrote the newspaper himself…
Ania Walwicz: rebel with a cause
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
The Victorian literary community has lost one of its own, with the death of much-loved poet, performance artist and creative writing teacher, Ania Walwicz
The Show must go on!
Social life & customs, Such was life:
The Royal Melbourne Show has been cancelled this year so let’s look at how it came to be- and the fun times we can look forward to next year.
The riotous Williams
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Melbourne’s Elizabeth Street was once a waterway known as Williams Creek. Today, the creek runs underground, but every now and then, it returns with a vengeance…
Fireworks in Little Bourke street
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Victorian history:
There’s an air of intrigue around these deserted Chinese shopfronts, captured by artist Eric Thake in Melbourne during World War II
