Welcome!

Welcome to the Maldon (Victoria, Australia) Archives website covering both the Maldon Museum and Maldon Historical Research Society.  Both these groups share the old Maldon Shire Hall as their respective workplaces and updates on both teams will be published here regularly.

Aside from keeping readers up to date, the aims of this site include:

• A behind the scenes look at museum operations
• A place to collate historic information on the Maldon district
• Information on how to get involved and help out our groups
• Links through to other Maldon historic resources
• The ability to purchase publications from the museum online

Stay tuned for further info!

 

Henry Handel Richardson & Maldon

Ethel Richardson back right. Photo: The Age

For anyone who enjoys the literacy works of Henry Handel Richardson, the non-de-plume of Ethel Richardson who spent some of her childhood in Maldon, a wealth of information can be found here.  Lisa Hill writes about the first Henry Handel Richardson (HHR) festival held in Maldon ~ even the museum’s own published author, Peter Cuffley, gets a mention!

Note:  The full lecture Lisa references in her article can be found here.

 

Museum Update 26 April 2010

Museum Refurbishment

We now have categories of all cabinets settled and artifacts mainly chosen for exhibit.  The categories now include a chronology covering:

• Jarra people
• Squatting settlement
• Early alluvial gold discovery
• Page’s Royal Hotel [1]
• Maldons’ commercial life
• Maldons’ company mines
• Town amenities
• Agriculture
• Heritage/Tourism

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[1] Pages Hotel fits here as it spans from the late 1850’s through to the 1920’s.

We also have several displays talking about the Maldon Shire Council as well as the history of the building (Old Shire Hall).

Workers are currently restoring items for display and are using the services of the Castlemaine Art Gallery as well as conservators from Museums Australia for advice and guidance. 

Some cabinets need minor restoration work which has been scheduled over the next couple of weeks.  Certain items need specialized mounting equipment which has been measured up and is being donated to the Museum. 

We currently are aiming at formally reopening the Museum toward the end of May.

 

New Heritage Advisor – Mt Alexander Shire Council

The Maldon Museum welcomes the appointment of Louise Honman as the public consultant of the Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Heritage Advisory Service.  Citing a wealth of credentials, Louise is a registered architect with over twenty years experience specialising in heritage and conservation projects. She has extensive experience in heritage assessment, preparation of conservation management plans, principles of building conservation, architectural design and heritage advisory roles within local government.

Louise’s predecessor Ian Coleman is currently working as a consultant for the Maldon Museum and Archives and the Mount Alexander Shire Council  by creating a heritage architects report on the Maldon Shire Hall.  This report will enable the museum to apply for building funds over the next 5-10 years.

Good luck Louise!

 

Tarrangower Times Index 3 Launched!

The Maldon Museum and Archives Inc is proud to announce the launch of Volume 3 – Tarrangower Times Index.  The Tarrangower Times is Maldon’s local newspaper, in operation since 1858 which covers information across the Maldon and Barringhup areas.

The index has been compiled by Carol Woolman and Lesley Burgoyne and will allow the Times to be more accessable for historical research.  The index covers the time between June 1875 to December 1878 which contains approximately 20,000 entries!

The Index is currently for sale in our bookshop here along with volumes 1 & 2.  The Maldon Museum and Archives Inc would like to express its thanks to both Carol & Lesley for undertaking this mammoth task!

 

Old Postcard Images of Maldon

Maldon Main Street c.1910

Local Maldon resident Keith Harper has an extensive collection of postcard images of the Maldon online .  Postcards are an important historical resource not only for the images they portray but also the messages attached.  The philatelic database has regular articles on postcard history from a philatelic and ethnographic perspectives.

The Maldon Museum currently holds a great number of postcards in its archival images collection and hopes to have some rare examples on display as part of the refurbishment of the Maldon Museum collection.  Details can be found here.

 

Maldon Museum Blog Update

Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who has provided feedback on the blog.  People seem to be grateful for a place to collate the numerous online archives of Maldon’s history in one place.  If you have any suggestions or comments please let us know, don’t be shy!

We’ve just spent a few hours doing some behind the scenes coding for search engine optimisation and hope to see some results soon.  Come in Google!

 

Maldon Bank Controversy

An article in the Bendigo Advertiser 10 April 2010 gives an insight into the balance between heritage values and town progress in a unique town such as Maldon. 

A BATTLE is brewing in the historic town of Maldon between heritage values and progress.

The Maldon Community Bank’s planning application, which proposes a 5m by 16m bank in High Street, has upset residents who believe the building flies in the face of the town’s proud heritage.  READ MORE

Any ideas expressed in this article are not representative of the Maldon Museum.