Cities & towns, Exhibitions, People & professions:
Opened in 1853 on the banks of the Yarra River, the Cremorne Gardens was Melbourne’s first amusement park. Featuring fireworks displays, tightrope dancers and Australia’s first hot air balloon ascent, the gardens brought theatre and spectacle to the newly established British colony.
People & professions, Such was life:
The rich goldfields of Victoria attracted thousands of migrants and prospectors from all corners of the globe, but they were not rich for everyone.
People & professions, Such was life:
A minister of religion and a young lady confronted by a rejected suitor and his angry mother, a court case, battles over alcohol laws, fiery preaching, love, tragedy and death. Just one small story in the pages of Trove historical newspapers.
Arts, Arts & literature, Exhibitions:
Some books alter the course of history; others have profoundly influenced the way we see ourselves. Books can change the wider world, and also change our personal worlds; no two… Read More ›
This ANZAC Day we remember some Bendigo soldiers who are included in the Vincent Kelly photographic archive.
Arts & literature, Such was life:
Melbourne artist Sybil Craig became one of the first women war artists in Australia. The Library holds Sybil’s archive which contains over 1700 photographs and more than 280 works on paper, many of which are now online.
The Library has received a large donation of material documenting Victoria’s public transport, featuring some wonderful photographs of decorated trams.
Buildings & streets, Such was life:
‘The Elizabeth Street blot’, ‘unsightly’, ‘deplorable’, ‘an ancient eyesore’. Few buildings in our city’s history excited as much controversy as ‘the old tin shed’.
People & professions, Such was life:
In the 1850’s, cartoonist and illustrator Andrew Macredie created two volumes of beautiful silhouettes depicting his Banyenong neighbours, local pastoralists and their wives.
What do the following things have in common: candlesticks, beehives, cock fights, drinking glasses, swans, flowerpots, crucifixes, stags, comets, and roses? Give up? They’re all convict tattoos.
