This dance card was used by a Miss M. Webb at an event held by the Ancient Order of Foresters (A.O.F.) in September 1900. The A.O.F. was founded as the Royal Foresters at Knaresborough Castle in North Yorkshire, England in 1745 and exported to Australia in 1840 when the first ‘Court’ (chapter) was established in […]
The orchard at the Bathurst Experiment Farm was well-known for its fruit research especially on apple varieties. Research into the possibility of producing nuts commercially is less well-known. The plan of the Farm’s orchard includes walnuts and filberts and these displays of nuts grown at the Farm demonstrate that almonds and macadamia nuts were also […]
When your orchard covers about fifteen hectares and contains 2,690 trees – half of which are apple trees – you need some way to find any individual tree. This plan of the Bathurst Experiment Farm orchard was devised and used just for this purpose. Until each tree was tagged with their variety in the 1960s, […]
The establishment of the Bathurst Experiment Farm in 1895 (later the Bathurst Agricultural Research Station) was part of a move by the New South Wales Government to increase agricultural capacity through the systematic application of science and education to agriculture. The rather gruesome looking device in the first photograph is the grinding gear of a […]
Although students at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, may not know it (and may not want to know), their accommodation is situated where the piggery of the Bathurst Experiment Farm was formerly located. The piggery was just one of the studs kept at the Farm and this book records the number of horses, sheep and pigs […]
Adorned with carvings of long-necked birds and twisted foliage, this wooden rack was customised by Frances Mary White (1882-1848 – known as Mary), the eldest daughter of Margaret and Francis White of Saumarez Homestead, Armidale. Mary was a skilled chip work carver in the Arts and Crafts style, having learned the art at Ascham boarding […]
Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922) was a prolific Australian artist who painted flora and fauna. Born into a well-connected family, her husband encouraged her painting. Although she was not professionally trained, she produced artistic, botanically accurate work by using watercolour techniques with opaque paints, often without any pre-sketching. Ellis exhibited extensively Australia-wide and overseas, including North […]
The Arts and Crafts movement, spanning from 1880 to 1920, saw many women broaden their creative repertoire from traditional home and sewing-based crafts to woodcarving, ceramics, and painting. As women became more visible, country shows offered a way to exhibit, be noted and awarded for their work. One unusual craft done by women, seemingly only […]
At one stage, those gathering in the grand drawing room at Saumarez Homestead in Armidale would enter to the sound of music. Alternating between a gramophone, piano, and radio, music would pleasantly fill the space and resonate throughout the home. However, one of the more curious music-makers was this exquisite music box. It was likely […]
The rhythmic tap of heels on lino floors, the soft beeps of monitors, and the murmur of hushed voices – the Glen Innes hospital has been a place of care for more than 130 years. First established in 1887 after petitioning from the local community, the hospital has continued to grow from its humble beginnings […]
Museums & Galleries of NSW acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands that comprise the state now known as NSW.
We pay respect to them as First Nations people with a continuing connection to land, place, waters and community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this site contains stories, images, voices, and video of people who have died.
Some material may contain terms that reflect common usage of the period in which it was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. Such terms do not reflect the views of Museums and Galleries of NSW and are provided only to reflect historical context.