Ladies in the lounge
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
These days, the idea of a hotel ‘ladies’ lounge’ seems archaic, but there was a time not so long ago when they were de rigueur…
Victorian history
Greater love hath no man. 90 years of the Shrine
Ask a librarian, Buildings & streets, Victorian history:
The eleventh hour, the eleventh day, the eleventh month. Every year at this exact time we remember those who gave us the greatest gift: freedom. On November 11, 2024 the Shrine of Remembrance will commemorate it’s 90th anniversary.
The clairvoyant and the magician: Mystic Mora and Doc Rowe
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
A clairvoyant and a magician – a magical pairing you might say. For the celebrated entertainment duo Mystic Mora and Doc Rowe, it was a union that brought extraordinary success and fame, and a life full of exotic travels and uncommon adventures.
Melbourne’s Marvellous Madame Weigel
Collections, People & professions, Such was life, Victorian history:
Madame Weigel’s Journal of Fashion became a staple of Australian life for those interested in being well dressed, well presented, and well informed. This treasure trove has recently been digitised and made available online.
Mary Fortune: pioneer of Australian detective stories
Arts & literature, Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Mary Fortune was the author of the longest running 19th-century crime fiction series published in a periodical and one of the earliest female crime writers in the world.
Students in the big time: University, the VFL and ‘Doc Park’
Our stories, Victorian history:
The AFL is huge business these days, but in 1908 the ninth club to join the competition was a team of students from Melbourne University. The amateur students couldn’t match the growing professionalism of the other clubs, but they did produce stars such as Roy Park.
Something to write home about: Melbourne in 1852
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Shipboard journals provide a fascinating insight into the migrant experience, and if we’re lucky they continue once the passenger stepped off the ship onto dry land. When John Askew arrived in Melbourne in 1852, he encountered a bustling city full of gold-diggers and the upwardly mobile. His impressions are both insightful and amusing.
How our ‘genies’ saved the census
Ask a librarian, Family matters, Our stories, Victorian history:
Researchers visiting the Library are often dismayed when they discover that prior to 2001, there are no surviving census returns for individuals in the Colony of Victoria. What were the reasons behind the destruction of our census records? And how did our ‘genies’ save the day?
Wycheproof: heart of Victoria’s wheat belt
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
Wycheproof is a tiny Wimmera town set amid wheat fields and flat plains. It’s famous for the railway line running down the middle of the main street. Mount Wycheproof, the lowest mountain in the world, rises above the town. Wycheproof is no stranger to flood and drought. Join us to learn more.
Pro Feminis a Feminis: Dr Constance Stone and her hospital ‘for women, run by women’
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
On the 125th anniversary of its opening, we take a look at the story of the Queen Victoria Hospital for Women and its founder, Constance Stone – the first woman to be registered as a doctor in Australia.
