Dan Morgan: bushranger
People & professions, Such was life, Uncategorized:
It is 150 years since the death of the bushranger known as Dan Morgan.
People & professions
Making an exhibition of yourself
People & professions, Such was life:
Want to meet some ordinary Melbournians from the 1880s? About 500 of them lurk in the pages of a ‘security album’ from the spectacular Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, held in 1888.
Does my bustle look big in this?
People & professions, Such was life:
The Centennial Exhibition of 1888 at Melbourne’s Exhibition Buildings was a motza for women. Posh citizens complained about the lack of servants – young women had flocked to the better pay and free fun down at the exhibition.
Matthew Flinders’ cat
People & professions, Such was life:
One of my favourite books in our children’s collection is a story written by explorer Matthew Flinders about his cat, Trim. This story languished for many years in the archives of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, until it was discovered and published in the literary magazine Overland in 1973.
Martha Needle – Melbourne’s 19th century serial poisoner
People & professions, Such was life:
In 1894, Martha Needle was sentenced to death for the murder of her prospective brother in law, Louis Juncken, and executed in the Old Melbourne Gaol. She was also said to have poisoned her husband Henry, their three daughters Mabel, Elsie and May, as well as attempting to murder Herman Juncken.
Prince down a mine shaft!
People & professions, Such was life:
The most conservative of commentators would describe the 1867-8 Australian visit of the Duke of Edinburgh as ‘eventful’. Even before the Duke survived an assassination attempt, he raised eyebrows by voyaging… Read More ›
Tales of crime in Australia
People & professions, Such was life:
The 1894 book Tales of crime and criminals in Australia, which can be viewed online, is an absorbing look at Victoria’s early criminal history. Far from being just a record of… Read More ›
Keening Kellys
People & professions, Such was life:
The State Library has been given an extraordinary letter that gives an eyewitness account of the aftermath of the 1880 Glenrowan siege, where bushranger Ned Kelly was captured by police.… Read More ›
Love and larceny at the Melbourne Hospital
People & professions, Such was life:
The winter of 1849 was an exciting time at the Melbourne Hospital as love blossomed between the resident apothecary and matron.
Bella Guerin: first female university graduate in Australia
People & professions, Such was life:
Julia Margaret Guerin, known as Bella Guerin, became the first woman to graduate from a university in Australia, when she graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1883.
