Federation Square — a brief history
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
A look back, tracing some of the history of Melbourne – on and around the site of Federation Square.
Victorian history
From Bavaria to Ballarat: wild times with Lola Montez
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
From love affairs with kings, to political intrigue, to wild times in the Australian goldfields and cities, few have lived lives as riotous or colourful as Lola Montez.
The family that grew up with the Melbourne Zoo
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Learn how one family’s singular obsession with the natural world contributed to the Melbourne Zoo we know today.
From Frankston to Melbourne on foot: marathon running in Victoria
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
On 10 October 1909, 54 runners lined up at Frankston to compete in the first ever Victorian Marathon. Since that date marathon races have been a constant, and much loved, feature of the Victorian sporting calendar.
Message in a bottle
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
There is always a romance to a bottle washed up on a lonely shore, containing a message from the past and from far away. This may be a message of greeting, of despair, for science or sometimes even a hoax.
Queen Victoria Market
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
The iconic Queen Victoria Market has been a central part of Melbourne life for 150 years. The Market’s social significance is a record of change and continuity in market activity over a long period
National Organic Week
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
The thrill – and challenge – of growing your own vegetables – from pots on a balcony to rural holdings can be given another dimension by growing organic. National Organic Week (12-18 September) is an opportunity to celebrate all things organic.
Marvellous Melbourne’s own Willy Wonka – E.W. Cole and his famous Book Arcade
Ask a librarian, Victorian history:
Meet Marvellous Melbourne’s own Willy Wonka, E.W. Cole, author of Cole’s Funny Picture Books and the man behind the famous Cole’s Book Arcade, once spanning all the way from Bourke St Mall to Collins St.
![The lighthouse, Cape Schanck, Vic., [ca.1917] Shirley Jones collection of Victorian postcards. H90.140/264.](https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TheLighthouseCape-SchanckVic.-120x120.jpg)
Beacons of hope: Victorian lighthouses
Standing tall on rugged coastlines, lighthouses captivate the imagination. Dotting the Victorian coastline, they were lifesavers for ships navigating treacherous seas, seeking a safe harbour.
Miss Anderson’s Motor Service
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
In 1918, at just 20 years of age, Alice Anderson founded what would go on to become Victoria’s first all-female motor garage. Her vision, as she would later tell magazine ‘Woman’s World’, was ‘to turn a trade into a profession for women.’
