Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Royal Historical Society of Victoria A significant collecting organisation that focuses on the history of Victoria and umbrella organisation for some 350 historical societies across Victoria.
(1)

A membership-based charity. We have a large public events program, publish books and enjoy history. The Society provides a full program of activities for the benefit of its members and the general public. This includes the publication of a newsletter, a peer-reviewed journal and books of historical interest. Its activities are available to all Victorians.

The Victorian Community History Awards 2026 are now open!If you've produced a community history project – or know someon...
29/05/2026

The Victorian Community History Awards 2026 are now open!

If you've produced a community history project – or know someone who has – now is the time to put in a submission. There are nine categories covering a wide range of history work:
- The Collaborative Community History Award
- The Community Diversity Award
- The Local History Project Award
- The Oral History Award
- The History Publication Award
- The History Interpretation Award
- The Digital Storytelling Award
- The History Article Award
- The Small History Publication Award

Submissions close Tuesday 30 June, and this year's awards cover work completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026 – so there's plenty to celebrate.

Head to https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/victorian-community-history-awards-2026/ for the submission form and full terms and conditions. Good luck to everyone entering! 🏆



(Image: "Two ladies dressed in long gowns on beach, Brighton.; c.1890"; object number PH-980268. The Royal Historical Society of Victoria has more than 100,000 licensable items in its archives. For a high-resolution copy of this image or others, contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria)

What a wonderful evening! On Tuesday 26 May we held our 2026 AGM followed by the Weston Bate Oration, which was well att...
28/05/2026

What a wonderful evening! On Tuesday 26 May we held our 2026 AGM followed by the Weston Bate Oration, which was well attended by members, friends and supporters.

At the AGM we welcomed new office bearers, elected council members, and celebrated some outstanding contributions to the RHSV and Victorian history. Highlights included the induction of four new members into the Victorian History Hall of Fame: Professor Weston Bate OAM, Tommy McRae (Yakaduna), Andrew Lemon AM, and Dr Dianne Reilly AM — as well as a Fellowship awarded to Margaret Anderson and a Barbara Nixon Volunteer Award to Vicki McNamara, among many others.

The evening concluded with the Weston Bate Oration, delivered by Professor Richard Broome AM. Speaking on National Sorry Day, Richard reflected on his journey into Aboriginal history since the 1970s and how the field has evolved — towards respect, consent, and centring traditional story-holders in the telling of these histories. A fitting and moving note to end on.

See full event recap and more photos on the RHSV website: https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/2026-agm-and-weston-bate-oration/

Local historians, archivists & heritage enthusiasts: this one's for you!The Association of Eastern Historical Societies ...
27/05/2026

Local historians, archivists & heritage enthusiasts: this one's for you!

The Association of Eastern Historical Societies presents their 2026 Conference:
Local History: Thinking Outside the Archival Box

Saturday 18 July 2026 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Yarra Ranges Civic Centre, Lilydale
$45 per person | Lunch and snacks included

This conference brings together some of Australia's leading historians, archivists, and heritage professionals for a full day of fresh ideas and practical insights.

Join an outstanding lineup of speakers including keynote Professor Sarah Baker (Griffith University), plus experts from Deakin University, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, AMaGA Victoria, and more, covering oral histories, community collections, exhibitions, succession planning, and beyond.

Register now at trybooking.com/DLLAE
Full program: aehs.org.au/index.php/2026conference/

🥳 We turned 117 years old this week.The Royal Historical Society of Victoria was founded in 1909, after an article in Th...
22/05/2026

🥳 We turned 117 years old this week.

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria was founded in 1909, after an article in The Argus made an urgent case: that Australia's history was slipping away, and someone needed to do something about it.

W.J. Hughston's 'Vanishing Records', published on 20 March 1909, moved reader Alfred Woolley Greig to track down the author, organise a public meeting, and invite anyone who cared about Victoria's past to join forces. On 21 May 1909, the Historical Society of Victoria was born (the 'Royal' came later).

In the 117 years since, we've lived through world wars and depressions, the arrival of television and the internet, waves of migration and moments of great celebration. Through all of it, we've been here, collecting and protecting the history of this state.

The work is never finished. Every year, more history is made, and more history is at risk of being lost.

Somewhere in our collection, there is a photograph of your suburb before it was your suburb. A diary written by someone who walked your street a century ago. We preserve these stories, support more than 350 local historical societies across Victoria, and make them available to anyone who wants them.

If you'd like to wish us a happy birthday with a donation, we'd be truly grateful. Every gift of $2 or more is tax-deductible. https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/2026-annual-appeal/ 🎂

Volunteers are what make the RHSV mission possible.From its founding in 1909, we have been a community-based organisatio...
20/05/2026

Volunteers are what make the RHSV mission possible.

From its founding in 1909, we have been a community-based organisation committed to collecting, researching and sharing an understanding of Victoria's history. Though we now employ a small skeleton staff, it is still the hands of our volunteers that carry the work forward.

This National Volunteer Week, we'd like to thank every one of our volunteers for the great and varied tasks they perform — digitising photographs, transcribing manuscripts, accessioning donated items, editing journals, and so much more. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

We're also delighted to announce that RHSV volunteer Vicki McNamara has been awarded the 2026 Barbara Nixon Award, given annually to recognise exceptional volunteer contributions.

The award is named for the late Barbara Nixon, who volunteered at the RHSV for over 40 years, serving as honorary librarian from 1976, on Council, and receiving a Fellowship in 1982 and an OAM in 2003.

Regular visitors will recognise Vicki as a friendly face at reception. Her nomination honoured her immeasurable contributions to the society's administrative, front of house and bookshop operations. In the words of nominator Henry Shand: "Tasks on the front desk are innumerable and Vicki approaches them with a deft hand and unshakable positivity… her relaxed demeanour and exceptional sense of humour raise the spirits of both staff and volunteers alike."

Three cheers for Vicki, and all RHSV volunteers. We couldn't do it without you.

Vicki will receive her award at the RHSV AGM on Tuesday 26 May, where Professor Richard Broome will deliver the 2026 Weston Bate Oration: "Finding Aboriginal History". Members and non-members welcome, in-person or online. Register at https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/event/rhsv-agm-2026-weston-bate-oration-professor-richard-broome-am/

Did you hear – the Victorian Community History Awards are BACK in 2026. Submissions will be open from 9am on Monday 25 M...
19/05/2026

Did you hear – the Victorian Community History Awards are BACK in 2026.

Submissions will be open from 9am on Monday 25 May and close on Tuesday 30 June.

To make up for the hiatus in 2025, the 2026 will encompass from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026.

You can find the form and full terms and conditions on the event website at https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/victorian-community-history-awards-2026/

Get ready to celebrate Victoria’s incredible history, community stories, and those who keep them alive.

Please join us in congratulating James Garner Lyttle, who, on 5 May, was awarded the Don Gibb RHSV Prize for achieving t...
19/05/2026

Please join us in congratulating James Garner Lyttle, who, on 5 May, was awarded the Don Gibb RHSV Prize for achieving the highest mark in the core third year Australian History subject, ‘Making History: Communicating the Past’ at La Trobe University.

His major essay explored how counterculture elements of punk music challenged racism and conservatism. The prize of $300 and three year’s membership of the RHSV was presented by Richard Broome and Don’s widow Ann Gibb.

Given in honour of the late historian, Don Gibb, this annual prize is award to the highest scoring student of Australian history at La Trobe University. We only wish we had a copy of the essay to share with you as it sounds truly fascinating.

Don Gibb became a teacher in 1960 and joined the History Teachers Association’s committee, soon becoming president (1973-75). He sat on Victorian History curriculum and examination committees and published three textbooks for senior secondary students. In 1971 he became a lecturer in History at the Monash Teachers College and completed his MA at Melbourne University on Sandringham under Weston Bate. He later taught history at Deakin University, where he retired as an Associate Professor.

Don was an RHSV Councillor from 1998‒2008, convenor of the Publications Committee for 11 years, and a judge of the Victorian Community History Awards for six years, and a former councillor of the Federation of Australian Historical Societies. He began a training program for History undergraduates working on projects at the RHSV. He was an editor of ‘Remembering Melbourne’ (2016). His book ‘Canterbury: a History’ (2019) was published after his death in 2017, with the help of his RHSV colleagues.

I was recently riding a tram when it experienced a minor prang. It was dusk and I was heading home with an armful of gro...
15/05/2026

I was recently riding a tram when it experienced a minor prang. It was dusk and I was heading home with an armful of grocery shopping when a driver in a small white car, attempting to turn from a side street, somehow did not see the tram in front of them. We all felt the "thump" as the car drove into the carriage.

Fortunately, there were no injuries or serious damage, but it is likely that the tram driver was required to submit an incident report detailing what happened.

This is not a new or unique occurrence. In the RHSV archive we have a set of incident reports from the Clifton Hill to Northcote and Preston cable tram line, 1890–1892. Cable trams began operating in Melbourne in 1885, and this line had only been running a matter of months when the reports begin. (As indicated by the writing on the carriage, the image that accompanies this post is not from the Clifton Hill to Preston line but of a North Carlton to St Kilda tram).

It was still a time of horses and carts, and trams were a new obstacle to navigate. In our bundle of 36 reports, we count 16 collisions with carts — a quarter of them involving carts hauling bricks from the nearby Northcote Brickworks.

Drink driving makes an appearance too: three collisions were attributed to an intoxicated cart driver, proof that this hazard has never needed a combustion engine to cause trouble.

The second most common incident was people falling from the dummy. Also known as the "grip car," dummies were open-air carriages at the front of the two-car setup - and were named in 12 incidents of a passenger falling from the tram, nearly always while attempting to disembark before it had stopped.

Other incidents include shying horses and a minor derailment.



(Images: 1. "Cable tram in Lonsdale Street passing the Queen Victoria Hospital, c. 1900"; object number GS-CS-45. 2. "Correspondence: construction of cable tramway, 1887-1890"; object number MS 000007 (Box 282-1). The Royal Historical Society of Victoria has more than 100,000 licensable items in its archives. For a high-resolution copy of these images or others, contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria)

We're taking part in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea!The RHSV turns 117 on Thursday May 21. To celebrate, we're raising ...
14/05/2026

We're taking part in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea!

The RHSV turns 117 on Thursday May 21. To celebrate, we're raising money for cancer research.

Join us for tea, nibbles, and a special birthday presentation on the history of our heritage-listed military drill hall at 239 A'Beckett Street in Melbourne.

Attendance is free – but let us know you're coming so we can save you a cuppa and a slice of cake. RSVP at https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/event/rhsv-birthday-x-biggest-morning-tea-fundraiser/

During the presentation, one of the images you'll see is the incredible hand-coloured isometric plan of Melbourne that accompanies this post. Produced in 1866 by lithography firm De Gruchy and Leigh, this image is courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.

You can see in the second image, zoomed right in and circled in red, the site where the RHSV now stands – but back in 1866, when the map was made, the Colonial Volunteer forces had just taken possession of the site, which was, until about 1900, home to a small weatherboard building called the West Melbourne Orderly Room and adjoining drill hall.

We hope you join us next week to learn more.

While completing an audit of the RHSV manuscript collection, our fabulous volunteer Kerryn Pilkington uncovered this inc...
12/05/2026

While completing an audit of the RHSV manuscript collection, our fabulous volunteer Kerryn Pilkington uncovered this incredible unpublished boardgame.

According to the associated documents, it was created in 1934 in honour of the 100-year anniversary of European settlement of Victoria. The brainchild of Andrew Shankland Knight and illustrated jointly by Mr Knight and his friend William Hankin Lawry, the game appears similar to Snakes & Ladders and includes two sheets of hand-typed rules of play.

Bundled with the boardgame is a receipt from the patent office, showing that Mr Knight submitted his game to be copyrighted in June 1934. Despite taking the effort to copyright his invention, it never went to market – so Victorians did not get to experience the thrill of landing on Kangaroo, which would require them to "Have a long hop to Public Library", or "Saluting the Flag" from the Union Jack square.

It’s been 92 years since Andrew Shankland Knight first dreamed up this boardgame – we're almost due for a bicentennial edition. I wonder which icons of Victoria would Mr Knight have considered for a 2034 version - the Metro Tunnel? The Phillip Island Penguin Parade? Perhaps a favourite cake from Brunetti?

What would you include?



(Images: "1834 Victorian centenary 1934" : board game; Knight, Andrew Shankland; MS 035958 (Box 278-4). The Royal Historical Society of Victoria has more than 100,000 licensable items in its archives. For a high-resolution copy of this image or others, contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria)

Address

239 A'Beckett Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+61393269288

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Royal Historical Society of Victoria posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Royal Historical Society of Victoria:

Shortcuts

Share