This delightful free exhibition celebrates holidays and leisure in Victoria since the 19th century – from sea-bathing in St Kilda to skiing and boating, bush-camping and caravanning. It showcases a fascinating selection of historical and contemporary material from the Library's collections, including evocative photographs, colourful travel posters and postcards, maps and guidebooks. A highlight is a multimedia display of early-1900s slides and 1940s-50s nostalgic home movies.
Victorians on Vacation reveals how our holiday habits have changed over time, reflecting changes in our society, lifestyles and tastes. It traces the postwar rise of the affordable family car, which enabled Victorians to venture further afield, and compares styles of holiday accommodation, from grand 19th-century hotels to fibro beach-shacks and the popular Don caravans.
The exhibition brings to life many individual characters and their stories:
- St Kilda sea-bathing - Captain William Kenney opened his Bathing Ship for Gentlemen, moored at the end of St Kilda Pier, in 1854. Until 1917, open sea-bathing was illegal and the sexes were strictly confined to separate baths.
- Alice Manfield – The early-20th-century alpine tour-leader and naturalist Alice Manfield, known as 'Guide Alice', earned fame for her lyrebird studies and caused a stir with her mountaineering trouser-suit.
- Don Caravans – 1934 heralded the arrival of the Don Caravan, designed and produced by R Donald Robinson and his family at their factory in Oakleigh. The ‘Don’ soon became a household name and in 1953 the family opened Greenacres Caravan Park in suburban Springvale.
Victorians on Vacation will tour to Victorian regional galleries in 2008-09:
Program of events
The exhibition is complemented by a program of talks, tours and activities at the Library and at regional galleries.
Interactive extras
A range of online interactive extras, comprising an audio tour (available online and onsite), a gallery of images, an education kit and an online photo competition add to the exhibition experience.
Sponsors
Victorians on Vacation is supported by a range of sponsors.
A State Library of Victoria touring exhibition managed by NETS Victoria. This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria's Major Touring Initiative.
Illustration
Detail from Brighton Beach, by Dacre Stubbs, 1967, colour transparency, gift of Mr Martin Stubbs, 2005, H2006.111/153 |
