DISCOVER THE RICH STORIES BEHIND OUR COLLECTION
Intern Lucy Hughes uncovers the stories behind our Miner’s Rights Interning at the Gold Museum has been an inspiring experience. It has enabled me to use what I have learnt at university in a practical work environment. It is fascinating to research the history behind a Miner’s Right as it gains a story that otherwise […]
Intern Charlottle Ford explores our Britt family collection I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to intern at the Gold Museum for two weeks. I was given the task of helping research the Britt family collection. John and Mary Britt migrated from Ireland to Ballarat in the 1860s. They became farmers in Dunnstown […]
Gold Museum’s stater coin from Ancient Greece. The Gold Museum has a collection of ancient coins from Greece and Rome collected by Ballarat philanthropist Paul Simon. One item from this collection includes the Greek stater coin from 359-336BC. Philip II of Macedon appears on this coin. Young […]
World War One artillery shells World War One is often characterised as an artillery war. Millions of rounds of shells were fired to devastating effect on troops and the countryside. Soldiers who escaped being blown up by high explosive or cut to pieces by shrapnel were still in danger of suffering shell shock. Repeated exposure […]
Horse Saddlebag, 1914-1918 World War One marked a transitional period in the use of the horse in warfare. Cavalry had limited use after 1914 on the Western Front, where entrenched positions, and extensive barbed wire and machine gun emplacements, prevented their traditional function of breaking up enemy infantry concentrations. After the Boer War (1899-1902) British […]
German gas mask and case, circa 1915-17 Gas masks provided some protection from the various types of deadly gas used by the opposing sides during World War One. Tear gas and the deadly chlorine and phosgene gases were widely used, but the irritant mustard gas was the most effective in disabling troops. Mustard gas had […]
Ballarat’s breweries and temperance movement. Breweries and other alcohol distilleries were established on Ballarat’s goldfields to meet diggers’ drinking needs. Alcohol was a particularly popular beverage as available water was polluted. Diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid were a serious threat to anyone drinking local creek water. [1] Warrenheip Brewery The Warrenheip Brewery was established in […]
Margaret McBean’s internship at the Gold Museum. I am a Deakin University Cultural Heritage student and have just completed an internship at the Gold Museum. I have been fortunate in having the opportunity to work alongside Collections Manager, Elizabeth Marsden, who generously shared her knowledge and provided many experiences in supporting my learning. My project […]
Early days of cycling in Ballarat Europeans had been developing variations of the modern-day bicycle since the 18th century. By the 1860s, a commercially successful and fully operational bicycle was taking Europe. Ballarat’s press closely followed the growing bicycle movement, reporting on the latest developments from overseas and locally. There was much interest in Ballarat […]
To celebrate Children’s Book Week, we have digitised a selection of children’s stories from the Gold Museum collection. This week our blog will showcase a few publications to highlight children’s literature from the past and may be even reignite some memories! Today, we highlight the Gold Museum’s collection of Tiger Tim’s Annual comic series from […]