Talking History

Talking History is a forum for the sharing of research into the history of Eureka and the Ballarat region, with a special focus on the colonial period.

Talks are held monthly from March to November on the first Thursday of each month at 5.30pm at the Eureka Centre.

Note: Please refer to specific event listings for details of individual talks. Past events can be viewed on our YouTube channel. 
Category
Francis Cogne, Part of Main Road & Victoria St, 1859, Ballaarat East, 1859, State Library of Victoria, H1854.

Architecture of the Victorian Gold Rush

Thursday April 03, 2025
5.30pm

A public lecture by Louis Wyatt about the architecture of the Victoria Goldrush, and the growth of a local architectural community that dominated the urban landscape. 

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Fletcher Jones Pastoralist Coverdines, Fletcher Jones Business and Family Records, University of Melbourne Archives, UMA-ITE-2012003100708. Courtesy of the Fletcher Jones Family Foundations. Rose Stereograph Co., ‘Fletcher Jones Factory, Warrnambool, Vic.’, 1920/1954. State Library of Victoria, H32492/8559.

Fletcher Jones: a history of wearing Australian wool

Thursday May 01, 2025
5.30pm

A public lecture by Dr Lorinda Cramer on the significance of Fletcher Jones to Australia’s dress history.

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Richard Pope (second from left) and his extended family photographed in Broken Hill in the 1890s. Provided by Dr Charles Fahey.

From Ballarat to Sandhurst: A Cornish miner’s life through the diary of Richard Pope, 1869-1886

Thursday June 05, 2025
5.30pm

A public lecture by Dr Charles Fahey on the life of intrepid miner Richard Pope, as detailed in his diary.

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F W Niven (publisher), Ballarat Punch (cover page), 9 January 1868. Ballarat Libraries, Australiana Research Collection.

Ballarat Punch Magazine: an insight into colonial cultural values

Thursday July 03, 2025
5.30pm

A public lecture by Dr Annie Thomas about Ballarat Punch magazine and the insight it gives us into colonial views on nationalism, race and gender.

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US Civil War Overcoat (detail), courtesy of the US Army Quartermasters Museum.

Fleeced: Unravelling the History of Wool and War

Thursday August 07, 2025
5.30pm

A public lecture Madelyn Shaw and Dr Trish FitzSimons titled ‘Fleeced: Unravelling the History of Wool and War’

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Three participants on stage at a Public Program at Eureka Centre Ballarat

Looking for information on past programs?

Explore our archive of past programs

Explore Past Events