Picnic fun
Victorians of yesteryear loved their picnics: despite heavy clothing, horse-drawn transport and no refrigeration, they made treks to the bush to enjoy food and recreation. Enjoy these picnic images from our pictures collections.
Online Collection Spotlight: Australian Newspapers Collection (1831-2000)
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Australian Newspapers Collection (1831-2000) database has images of each page of the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald from when they were first published right up to the end of 2000.
1866 in 3D: the isometrical plan of Melbourne & suburbs
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Sometimes called ‘bird’s eye view’ maps, isometric maps depict a view ‘from above’. This plan, produced in 1866, shows a remarkable point-in-time layout of Melbourne streets, the Yarra, Port Phillip Bay, and parts of Collingwood and East Melbourne. A closer examination reveals some of the fledging city’s most important social, economic and civic locations and buildings, as well as parks and reserves, including many which remain today.
Vance and Nettie
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
For more than half a century, Vance and Nettie Palmer stood as beacons in the Australian literary landscape. In 1985, on the centenary of their births, the Victorian government established the annual Premier’s Literary Awards in their honour. Of particular note to us at the State Library is that it was here that Vance and Nettie first met.
It’s summer, let’s go to the drive-in!
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:
In the mid 1950s, the American craze of drive-in theatres took off in Australia. A night out for the whole family without leaving the car, dressed any old how, chatting, eating, and watching a movie. What’s not to like? By the early 1980s 20 acres of prime land, given over to a drive-in only operating at night, seemed an extravagance. Several drive-ins still survive though, attracting crowds eager for the unique ‘drive-in’ experience.
Cheap holiday fares… advertising posters of the Victorian Railways
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Social life & customs, Victorian history:
Let’s take a look at a selection of advertising posters used by the Victorian Railways in the 1930s and 1940s
‘Listen … quick. It’s Mr Whippy!’
Ask a librarian, Social life & customs, Such was life, Victorian history:
There are few sounds as synonymous with the beginning of summer as the strains of a Mr Whippy van floating on the breeze. But who was Mr Whippy really, and how did he get his start in Australia?
Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichova – a pioneer of the wordless form
Collection, New books, Rare Books & Arts, Visual arts:
The Library’s Rare Books Collection holds many wordless graphic novels by masters of the form, including the recent addition of the first wordless graphic novel by a woman.
Online Collection Spotlight: Australasian Literature Online
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Fascinated by literature? Want to find out more about Australia and explore the rich and diverse literature of Oceania? Then dive into Australasian literature online!
Wilsons Promontory – treasure trove and haven
Ask a librarian, Social life & customs, Victorian history:
Wilson’s Prom is a much loved holiday destination. Surrounding visitors with the natural world, a treasure trove and a haven.
Such was life
A passion for adventure: Agatha Christie in Victoria
In 1922 Agatha Christie accompanied her husband on an around the world tour to promote the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. On her travels, she spent 10 days in Victoria- find out what she thought…
Arts
Victoria’s State Artist: Harold Freedman
Cavalacde of Transport, The Story of Fire and The history of Australian thoroughbred racing are some of Melbourne’s largest and most seen artworks. These were from the hands of Harold Freedman, locally born and bred, whose exploration of monumental art came later in his life.
