People & professions

Cremorne Gardens from South Side of Yarra nr Col- Andersons, ST Gill, 1855

On a visit to the Cremorne Gardens

June 13, 2018

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.

Eagle Hawk, Bendigo. 1852, ST Gill

An American on the goldfields of Victoria

May 22, 2018

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.

Love, conflict, religion, politics, tragedy…

Love, conflict, religion, politics, tragedy…

May 16, 2018

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.

The art of shadows: Andrew Macredie’s silhouettes

The art of shadows: Andrew Macredie’s silhouettes

December 1, 2017

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.

Fish named after men

Fish named after men

June 29, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

Melbourne in the 1850s had a small but ambitious scientific community. One particularly idiosyncratic member of that community was William Blandowski, a man often at odds with the scientific establishment. He found himself embroiled in controversy with his choice of names for newly described Murray River fish.

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

Australian ornithologists in Siberia

April 28, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

In 1903 the Australian ornithologist Robert Hall (1867-1949) embarked on his major expedition to Siberia (via Japan and Korea), to collect specimens and eggs of Siberian birds known to migrate… Read More ›

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

March 30, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection portrays Echuca in the 1950s and ’60s as a town driven by community spirit.

'Cruising in search of whales'

Castaway in the Siberian Arctic

January 31, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

David Wilkinson joined Victoria’s first whaling expedition, aboard the ship Japan under the command of Frederick Barker. On 5 March 1869 Japan weighed anchor in Hobson’s Bay and commenced a voyage from which she would never return.

A cargo of fallen angels

A cargo of fallen angels

November 30, 2016

People & professions, Such was life:

Children in detention. Stopping the boats. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was recent times but in fact, it was the 19th century.

The politics of poster making: the RedPlanet archive

The politics of poster making: the RedPlanet archive

November 11, 2016

People & professions, Such was life:

The years 1992 and 1993, when RedPlanet artists produced 24 house posters, can arguably be called the golden years of poster design in Australia.