ECRs! Don't forget that there's still time to apply for the 2026 Ann Curthoys Award, for unpublished work in Australian, feminist, Indigenous, transnational history, or history and theory! Follow the link for all the info: theaha.org.au/awards-and-p...
The Law Week program is out!
Our sold out tour from last year 'The Constitution, the Governor and Royal Assent' is back! events.humanitix.com/the-constitu...
Don't miss out on a great collection of events! www.viclawweek.org.au
Chinese petition
To celebrate Chinese Language Day we re-share episode 10 of our Look History in the Eye podcast. In this episode, Anna Kyi explains the importance of 19th Century Victorian Chinese petitions in understanding the Australian Chinese immigrant experience of the goldfields. go.vic.gov.au/4mBZpDA
Two people admire an exhibition display.
More tickets have been released for April's public tour! Discover the museum beyond the walls with one of our expert guides!
A reminder that we do not accept resale tickets.
Revisit our Auslan tour of the archives this #AuslanDay!
Our latest episode of Look History in the Eye, Melbourne follows Sean Reynolds into the archives, where his Melbourne Ghost Signs research leads him through criminal files and forgotten stories of women long overlooked. Listen through Spotify, Apple Podcasts or our website: go.vic.gov.au/4snv2SM
Historians -- entries to the the NSW History Awards close tomorrow! Check out all the details at the link and make sure to get your applications in! www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/nsw-h...
Happy #WorldHealthDay - the perfect opportunity to revisit the history of women working in nursing and midwifery in Australia. Settle in for this hour long talk by Odette Best, Dr Madonna Grehan and Penelope Lee.
A gallery installation with glass display cabinets in the front and a large black hanging cloth in the centre. Photographic, drawn and painted works are on the side walls.
Don’t miss the final weeks of ‘Rewind Forward’ at the Victorian Archives Centre! Drawing from the State’s rich archives, five artists reawaken Victoria’s historical narrative: Emile Zile, Sam Wallman, Shannon Slee, Susan Fitzgerald, and Queer-ways. bit.ly/4bWQgjX Photograph by Astrid Mulder.
Man standing in front of a brick wall.
Now available to watch online! In Names in the Margins, author and historian Sean Reynolds uncovers the hidden lives of women revealed through his Melbourne Ghost Signs research. Watch on our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3MZreZb
Perhaps the government photographer simply got bored of photographing plant machinery? Here’s our Imaging Specialist, Andy, in the process of digitisation. View the digitised records online: go.vic.gov.au/4sIccGZ
Black and white photograph in negative form of an early 20th century woman wearing a large hat.
Glass plate negatives and a cardboard box on a light-box.
Looking over the shoulder of a man at a computer. A black and white photograph of a woman from the early 20th century is on the computer screen.
It’s amazing what’s hidden in our glass plate negative collection! Our digitisation team have been busy scanning photographs of power stations, and they came across two beautiful portraits of an elegantly dressed woman. The images look slightly too casual to be official.
Row of old books. City of Bendigo is visible on the spine.
What can rate records reveal about your family history? So much more than you might think! On our blog, researcher Harry Firns shares the story of his ancestor George Firns using Bendigo rate records from the 1850s: go.vic.gov.au/4bvW3wL
Black and white studio portrait of a woman in a formal Victorian dress.
The man she had just read about in the paper was the man she was engaged to! Read The One Who Got Away in Provenance: bit.ly/40rK1iV
Black and white police photographs of a woman in the 1920s to 1930s wearing a felt hat and a long coat.
Whose histories endure, whose are erased and how should we reckon with them today? Join us at the Victorian Archives Centre or online for a panel talk hosted by Santilla Chingaipe. Book your ticket: bit.ly/4rHi0QB #womenshistorymonth #IWD2026
Black and white photograph of a women's rights protest in the 1970s.
In 1971, women in this country couldn’t even apply for a bank loan, and they’d had enough! Read our latest blog post:
go.vic.gov.au/4sQ7asr
Poster featuring a 19th century painting of a woman in profile wearing a pink silk dress. The text says 'She carried on: women's power, erasure, and legacy in Victoria's history'.
Hosted by Santilla Chingaipe, this Women's History Month talk brings together Dr Scarlette Nhi Do, Professor Zoë Laidlaw and PhD candidate Kacey Sinclair for a timely conversation about women’s influence in shaping Victoria’s past. Book your ticket: bit.ly/4rHi0QB
Bringing together historical and contemporary Australian artists and writers who have shaped how Antarctica is imagined, documented and understood, the RMIT Gallery and Design Hub Gallery presents Creative Antarctica: Australian Artists and Writers in the Far South.
artsreview.com.au/australias-l...
Brettena Smyth: Making it better for women
Tuesday, 10 March, 6pm
Fiona Gatt will speak on how Brettena Smyth used her North Melbourne shop to spearhead feminist and suffrage efforts in late 19th-century Australia.
www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/event/brette...
Quote that reads "We don't need a staircase to paradise. We want ramps to independence" Disability Activist Geoff Bell, 1978.
Geoff Bell, barely in his twenties, was placed in a nursing home - but he refused to accept it! Read our latest blog post:
go.vic.gov.au/4bDauRd
#disabilityinclusion #disabilityactivism #archives
The Winter Olympics celebrate sport on ice, these 1930s skate speak to the migrant experience
Packed by 13year old Rob Davids when he left Holland for Australia in 1952, the skate travelled across oceans as a reminder of home, grandparents and a life shaped by winter.
Ice skates 1930s 00046060
people waiting at a tram stop
Not a tram in sight this #TrainsPlanesAutomobiles Tuesday: go.vic.gov.au/3O8AB96
Special Damage by Jessica Lake book cover
HCV's first Book & Author chat is with Jessica Lake, the author of Special Damage: The Slander of Women and the Gendered History of Defamation Law.
Thursday, 5 March, 6 pm at Bard's Apothecary, 24 Crossley Street, Melbourne.
www.historycouncilvic.org.au/book_author_...
#vichistoryevents
Blue cotton 1850s crinoline dress.
1920s 'flapper' dress, cream with bead embroidery.
Did you know the OTB has a small collection of historic dresses? Your exclusive chance to view some of them in person is part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Independent Programme! events.humanitix.com/crinoline-fl...
Tired of a life lived in secret, Jamie Gardiner OAM studied the law so he could change it. Read our latest blog post: go.vic.gov.au/3Npo68K
#queerhistory #queerarchives #equality
Interview from Bent TV, 2024. The link to the full interview is in our article.
a final report cover
front page of a bill
In June 1983, the Victorian cabinet appointed a working party to investigate how brothels could be better regulated. As a result, in 1984 preparation began on a Bill to decriminalise prostitution in brothels with planning permits. Learn about 1980s sex work decriminalisation: go.vic.gov.au/4sT7Qx9
open handwritten recipe book
closed recipe book with blue cover
This small recipe book was compiled by Dr Snowball in 1883. His recipe for cheese biscuits states: Roll pastry and cut into rounds. Bake. Whip cream, add cheese, diced celery, salt and cayenne. Heap on biscuits. Serve on lettuce.
📖 VPRS 16797 P1. Find more of the Dr's records: go.vic.gov.au/3YOO6wQ
Image with text at the top that reads: "Wayback Machine Then and "WIKIPEDIA.ORG" at the bottom. Below is a Wayback Machine capture of the Cartoon Network website from JUN 8, 2003.
Wikipedia turns 25 today! 🎂📚
To celebrate, we’re looking back at its baby pictures—some of the earliest captures of the site, preserved in the #WaybackMachine.
Take a nostalgic peek at early Wikipedia ⤵️
web.archive.org/web/20030301...
#WikipediaDay #Wikipedia25 @wikipedia.org
OTB is excited to be joining the magnificent line up of events in this years PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Independent Programme!
Discover our events below:
"The reform record of Cain’s eight-year premiership was remarkable..." To mark the Cabinet records release of 1982-92, Paul Strangio reflects on the leadership, legacy and transformative impact of the Cain-Kirner era: go.vic.gov.au/49Hy1OA
📸 John Cain Jr's children James and Joanne with Paul.
