PAST PROGRAMS

Professor Diane Kirkby explores why and how pubs were a vital source of waged work for women, and the Australian pub’s fascinating history of cultural and social change.

Dr Janice Newton brings her recent book to life ‘The Woodlanders of Walden Hut’, which tells the story of three men inspired to write about the nature surrounding a hut in the Dandenongs between 1903-1907.

Dr Sue Reynolds explores the life of prominent citizen of the Victorian Colony and Supreme Court Judge, Sir Redmond Barry, and his passion and advocacy for libraries, from Melbourne to Ballarat. 

Josephine Rout explores the rich heritage and innovation of textiles in the Geelong Region, from the continuous evolution of possum fur cloaks to the research and development of frontier textiles. 

A public lecture by Cheryl Threadgold exploring amateur theatre in Victoria from the opening of the first theatre in 1842 through to the modern day.

A public lecture by Adrian Hem about Chinese migrants in the Victorian Goldfields.

A public lecture by Geoff Hocking for the 170th anniversary of the Red Ribbon Rebellion.

Talking History with Robyn Annear

Dive into the story of a long-forgotten Gold Rush with Dr Douglas Wilkie, exploring Colonial Victoria in the years before the well-known 1851 gold rushes.