The Collection

Did you enjoy an Old Gold, Freddo Frog or Cherry Ripe chocolate over Easter?  These much-loved chocolates were first manufactured by MacRobertson’s Steam Confectionery Works. The company’s founder, MacPherson Robertson, was born in Ballarat in 1859. Robertson’s Scottish father and Irish mother were part of thousands of immigrants who flocked to Victoria during the Goldrush, […]

Old friends William ‘Bill’ Messer and Francis ‘Frank’ Opie first opened their tailors on Bridge Street in 1935. The two had first known each other through the Ballarat Harriers Athletic Club before the war. In 1915, they enlisted four days apart, both aged 18. At the time, Messer was working as a draper and Opie as

The Ballarat Railway Station! Ballarat West Railway Station was officially opened by Governor Sir Henry Barkly on the 11th April 1862, with four trains scheduled each way between Spencer Street Station (Southern Cross) and Ballarat per day.The initial route was vastly different to today, the train traveling from Melbourne to Geelong, then on to Ballarat

The history of the (now) Canberra Hotel on the corner of Creswick Road and Macarthur Street. The first hotel on the site was called The Cornubian Hotel, a single-storey timber building constructed in 1861. The first licensee was William Ball (or Bull), but following his death in 1863, the license was transferred to Margaret Maule,

Christmas time in Ballart allows us to feature the long-time producer of a Christmas banquet staple, George Farmer’s ham and bacon curing works on Eureka Street. George Farmer first set up his curing business in 1864. Farmer reportedly travelled to America and Europe to investigate curing methods and adapt his findings to “Australian tastes and