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‘Don’t pray for rain, dam it!’: A brief history of water conservation in Victoria

18 October 2021

In recognition of National Water Week 2021, Senior Curator Linda Short is turning to our recently re-imagined Changing face of Victoria exhibition for insight into the state’s relationship with water over the decades.

This section of the exhibition draws on items from different periods of Victoria’s history to trace the impact of drought and floods on the land and its inhabitants. It also in particular explores the influence of local historical figure James Moorhouse, who was bishop of Melbourne in the 1870s and became notorious for instructing people to stop praying for rain and start conserving it instead.

Watch the video above to discover how the state’s attitude and approach towards water conservation has changed over the years.

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