The cranes were originally purchased for WR Wilson’s St Albans’ Park homestead in around 1873 for £400. Mr Wilson was a race horse breeder and trainer with an appreciation for Asian cultures. The cranes were then purchased by City of Greater Geelong in 1929 and placed in the newly developed water fountain under the Eastern Beach Improvement scheme. The cranes were consistently vandalised therefore they were moved to the Geelong Botanical Gardens in the 1970’s and were replaced by replicas.
Presented to Dan-Dan-Nook, Wadawurrung man by the Comunn Na Feinne Society, 1860 the gorget is inscribed “KING DAN-DAN-NOOK” Best Runner Geelong 1860. Photo used with permission of Wadawurrung Traditional Owners.
The Sydney Cove started life as the ship Begum Shaw, she was renamed in 1796 when purchased and used to carry goods to Sydney Cove. She ran ashore on the 9th of February, 1797 on the so named Preservation Island, near Tasmania. She was among the first ships wrecked on the east coast of Australia.
This sample of woven fabric was recovered from the shipwreck nearly 200 years later. It was analysed by the CSRIO as wool with the fibre being rated at 25 microns and weaved in a 2/2 Hopsack structure. This information suggests that it formed part of a coat with an additional fibre identified as hemp also being found on the sample indicating that the jacket would have likely belonged to a member of the crew. The durability of the wool is unquestionable after surviving almost 200 years in the sea floor.
Also of note was the recovery from the shipwreck of the world’s oldest bottle of beer.
The West Geelong War Monument was erected by the citizens of Geelong West to commemorate those who served in World War I. The memorial was unveiled by the Governor, Lord Somers on 18 September 1927. The memorial was dedicated by the Reverend J.J. Booth.
These robes are thought to be the original ones purchased by Geelong Town Mayor Robert de Bruce Johnstone as he was preparing to receive Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, during his visit to Geelong in 1867. Formal dress by the mayor was regular practice for nearly a century.
The ‘Ozone’ was a paddle steamer built in Scotland in 1885. It was sailed to Australia and was used to transport passengers between Melbourne and Geelong. The ship officially retired in 1918 and was sunk off Indented Head in 1925 to create a safe harbour on a coastline badly affected by windstorms. In 1992 the anchor of the ‘Ozone’ wreck was retrieved from the bay and in 1995 was placed on The Esplanade as a commemorative monument.
This Wagga was made in 1945 in Kyabram, Victoria by Percy Perkins. Perkins was a police officer serving in regional towns in Victoria. He was a keen fisherman and hunter. Family camping trips were spent by the river where everyone slept on stretchers with several army blankets underneath and a wheat bag wagga on top. The green colour of this wagga is from “Dekkol” a preservative which Perkins used to protect his cotton fishing nets from rotting.
Details the recollections of George Mitchell during World War II and his time in the Newtown and Chilwell Kazoo Band. These stories were part of the “Memory Bank” project that recorded stories of changing places across Geelong and surrounding areas. Film by Malcolm McKinnon.
Shiv made from a Philips head screwdriver, bandage and sticky tape. The end has been sanded down to a point. It would have been used as a form of protection within the prison system. Seized from an inmate in around 1986 from the Geelong Gaol which was the oldest inhabited prison within Victoria. The Gaol was designed by Henry Ginn, the first colonial architect of Victoria. It was constructed between 1849 and 1864 using convict labour. The Gaol closed in July 1991.
Between the 1920’s and 1950’s the YWCA, Blue Triangle and local committee of representatives organised an Inter House Athletics Day for Girls in Geelong and Melbourne. Local Geelong businesses, such as the surrounding woollen mills, business firms and church clubs formed teams of seven women to compete in a variety of sports, such as bowls, basketball, hockey, cricket and soccer. Events such as these were organised to encourage women to participate in competitive sports and network with other women in the workforce.
Sea travel and transport was crucial in the early history of Geelong. Necessary stock and supplies were brought in by sea and exports left in the same way. Infrastructure such as buoys and beacons were placed within the in the bay to mark channels. The buoys that are placed on the Geelong Waterfront today are the original marker buoys that were placed in Corio Bay.
After migrating to Australia from England and working on the goldfields Snell settled in Geelong. Soon after arriving in Geelong, he painted this scene of the emerging city. He made his fortune as an engineer for the Geelong and Melbourne Railway. This painting was presented to Geelong Council in 1941. Photo courtesy Geelong Heritage Centre.
This trowel was presented to the Corporation of Geelong by Joseph Reed architect and Builders William Allen &William Cakebread on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Geelong Town Hall on 9 April 1855. It was presented to William Kingston Baylie, Mayor of Geelong.
Originally constructed in 1855, based on plans by architect Joseph Reed, the building remained with only a single southern wing until the turn of the century. In 1914 a referendum was held to decide whether to move town hall to another site on Moorabool Street (the former Geelong Grammar site). This was defeated. By 1917 the eastern and northern wings of the building were completed. This image was taken soon after the completion of the building.
The Geelong Harbour Trust leased the Western Beach sites to various boat-building and servicing companies, such as Higgs Brothers, Charlie Blunt’s Boatbuilders and Barrow’s Boatyard. Slipways were installed to winch boats up from the water for maintenance and repair works. The fishing boats currently on the winches were built by master shipwrights at Western Beach. Many boats were crafted in the area from the 1920’s as Western Beach became Geelong’s chief maritime focus.
Fred Murgatroyd studied at Leeds University before moving to Australia and becoming a loom tuner for various woollen mills in Victoria. During this time, he photographed and captured workers and machinery of the Federal Woollen Mills between 1918 and 1920. These photographs showcase the different processes of wool manufacturing during that time.
Such a book would work as a catalogue of a designer’s previous Mastercards. Mastercards are specification sheets that are sent to mills in order to produce commercial amounts of fabrics for tailoring into final products, such as suits. Keeping a catalogue of previous designs is useful for designers to take inspiration from and for re-releases of iconic designs. Interestingly the sample book was created during the Great Depression, there is a surprising amount of colour with many daring designs.
Details Patricia Gilham’s excitement in being a participant in the 1945 Miss Geelong competition. Film by Malcolm McKinnon.
The reflection seat sculpture by Jacinta Leitch was commissioned by the City of Greater Geelong in partnership with Care Leavers Australia Network in 2014. It serves to create a place of quiet reflection for all, and in particular for the thousands of children placed into Orphanages and children’s homes throughout the Geelong region.
Part of the Zakrzewski Collection of spinning wheels donated to the National Wool Museum by Mr Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski. For many years, Zakrzewski collected, researched and repaired spinning wheels from all over the world. This spinning wheel is from the Nepal/Tibet region. The hole in the crank which holds the stick to turn the wheel is extremely worn, demonstrating its use as a practical item as opposed to being a show piece.
Image showing HMAS Platypus (1917) with three of the Royal Australian Navy’s J class submarines. These submarines were based at Osborne House in Geelong between 1920-1922. The Platypus was an auxiliary ship used as a mobile base for submarines.
The Platypus was originally ordered prior to World War I to support the submarines AE1 and AE2, however, it was not completed until after both submarines had been lost. Therefore, the ship was lent to the British’s Royal Navy until the Australian Navy inherited 6 submarines from the British after the competition of World War I.
This Gin Still showcases the large distilling history within Geelong. Geelong once housed the largest whisky distillery in the southern hemisphere, The Corio Distillery. Built in 1928 and closed in 1989, the venture cost Scottish and Australian firms £200,000 (about $15 million at today’s prices) to pipe water from the Upper Barwon river to the distillery site. Today Geelong still produces a large amount of spirits.
Part of a tattoo gun made from a plastic toothbrush and pen. The gun is missing the motor, ink and power cord. The gun was used to make tattoos on inmates in Geelong Gaol. It was seized from an inmate of in the late 1980s. At the time the Gaol was the oldest inhabited prison in Victoria. The Gaol was designed by Henry Ginn, the first colonial architect of Victoria. It was constructed between 1849 and 1864 using convict labour. The Gaol closed in July 1991.
The fountain was revealed in 1929 under the Eastern Beach Improvement Scheme, designed to beautify the central Geelong waterfront which had been deemed an eyesore for many years. The iconic cranes in the centre of the fountain were purchased by City from a resident of St Albans’ Park homestead for £25. The cranes were moved to the botanical gardens in the 1970s after they were consistently vandalised. Replica cranes were made to replace the monument at Eastern Beach where they are found today.