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.
Buildings & streets, Cities & towns, Such was life:
Creative fellow and author, Dr David Sornig, shows us how the library’s maps and manuscripts chart the demise of West Melbourne’s wetlands in his special guest blog this week. Welcome David.
Cities & towns, Such was life:
Victoria is celebrating the 165th anniversary of its own Brexit, the day colonists won independence from the British colony of NSW. To mark the occasion, an exhibition of rare historical artwork and records has gone on display at the Library.
Cities & towns, Such was life:
Was the British settlement of Sorrento in 1803 Victoria’s first attempt at a desalinisation plant?
Cities & towns, Such was life:
‘I can readily imagine why most people speak of this part of the country with a certain dread for there is actually no grass and no water to be found.’
Cities & towns, Such was life:
On the Library’s 160th birthday we look at events which have shaped Victoria since 1856.
Cities & towns, Such was life:
In 1864 the railway connecting Melbourne to Echuca opened. This had an enormous effect on the town, with the resultant increase in trade turning Echuca into Australia’s largest inland port.
Cities & towns, Such was life:
On a very hot Friday, 7 February, 1969, just after 7.00am, the Southern Aurora, Australia’s overnight express passenger train between Sydney and Melbourne, collided head-on with an Albury-bound goods train, 174km north of Melbourne. The Melbourne-bound Southern Aurora ran through the Violet Town crossing loop where it should have waited for the goods train to pass.
Cities & towns, Such was life:
Here’s a test of your local history knowledge: where is Emerald Hill? What about Sandhurst, Sandridge, Hotham or Phillipstown? If you’re not sure, don’t worry! Gazetteers and atlases are rich… Read More ›
Cities & towns, Such was life:
The cyclorama emerged in the 1700s and became a popular form of entertainment at the turn of the 20th century before cinema rendered the genre obsolete.
