The other side of Shackleton’s Antarctic adventure
When Ernest Shackleton’s 1915 Antarctic expedition ran into trouble, the Ross Sea party that was laying out stores for his team continued unawares, facing harrowing challenges of their own.
The map that changed the world
People & professions, Such was life:
This year marks the bicentenary of the publication of the first geological map of England and Wales, laying the foundations for geological surveys across the world.
New Listening: Broadway to La Scala, Brandenburg to Oz.
Some great new CD arrivals in pop, rock, rhythm & blues, film soundtracks, musical theatre, classical music and opera; something for just about everyone.
Well may we say, God save the Queen…
Forty years ago this week saw the climax of one of the most dramatic events in Australian political history when the Whitlam government was dismissed by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr.
Richard Flanagan appointed Australia’s inaugural Chair of Literature
News:
Internationally acclaimed Australian author Richard Flanagan has been appointed as the Boisbouvier Founding Chair of Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne, the first chair of its kind in Australia.
A little history of the humble lamp post
The humble lamp posts on either side of Redmond Barry’s statue might tend to be overlooked, but at 124 years, they are hardy survivors. This week our Pictures team take a closer look at some of Melbourne’s oldest working street fixtures.
New books: revolutions in England, Scotland at war and Mr Nolan transforms the Australian landscape
Painting, Rare Books & Arts, Visual arts:
A clutch of new books explore Turner’s “born again” vision, the back-to-the-future philosophy of William Morris, Scotland’s artists at war, and the remarkable life and art of Sidney Nolan (shown here in a photograph by Albert Tucker, c.1940s).
The race that stops a nation
Take a punt on Melbourne Cup Day and explore our wealth of Cup and horse racing resources online.
Andy Griffiths awarded the 2015 Dromkeen Medal
News:
State Library Victoria today awarded the 2015 Dromkeen Medal to Australia’s bestselling children’s author Andy Griffiths. The Library also presented this year’s Dromkeen Librarian’s Award to Rosario Martinez, the Children’s and Youth Services Librarian at the City of Darwin.
5 things you didn’t know about Australian animation
From the very first Australian animated film to our first Oscar for an animated short, this week we celebrate 100 years of Australian animation.
Such was life
On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics
The early 1900s was an exciting time to be a detective. Innovations in science and technology, combined with the popularity of detective stories shifted crime fighting away from the seedy world of informers, which had influenced the early years of policing, towards the detection of crime using scientific methods and forensic evidence. Find out about how one Victorian detective contributed to the development of police forensics.
Arts
Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios
John Hinds, an artist, photographer and active ROAR member from 1986 to 1992 spent time capturing artists he personally knew and the spaces that they used to create their works. His photographs captured a unique and often unseen time and place, creating an invaluable insight into the art scene in Melbourne.
