Start planning for History Week 2010 - Sunday 24 October to Sunday 31 October!

History Week 2009 was a fantastic success and we hope you were able to join the many Victorians who travelled back in time, discovering Victoria’s wide and wonderful past.

From fascinating walking tours and engaging discussions, to exhibitions and ‘history in the making’ events - there really was something in store for everyone to enjoy.

Have a look around the History Week 2009 site and read about some of the exciting events that were held around the State. To give you a taste of some of them, this History Week Victorians could…

  • take part in the Beechworth Committal and Supreme Court trials of Ned Kelly, on the same site and day of his sentencing in 1880;
  • relive the fur, feathers and flappers of 1920s Melbourne fashion;
  • meet Wendy Lee, St Kilda's Neon Ice Skating Girl (Little Audrey's
    lesser-known cousin!);
  • explore the oldest area of continuous Chinese settlement in the western world, meeting Dai Loong (the Big Dragon) and enjoying a Chinese feast;
  • go trick or treating on a guided Halloween tour of the Melbourne General Cemetery;
  • research your family history with the experts at the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies and the Immigration Museum;
  • spend a spine tingling night out for kids at one of Melbourne’s oldest cultural institutions – the State Library;
  • find out whether the kitsch crockery from Aunty Myrtle in Harrietville is worth anything at the Williamstown Antique Roadshow;
  • enjoy a taste of the Empire at a twilight dinner complete with 1850s etiquette and fashion at Sovereign Hill;
  • get a bird’s eye view of Melbourne from the top of the Melbourne High School tower;
  • explore the historic town of Walhalla at the Walhalla Heritage Weekend;
  • celebrate 75 years of the Shine of Remembrance, with an engaging discussion on the Shrine’s past, present and plans for the future;
  • get a dose of Batmania and ponder the question of who founded Melbourne - Batman, his bitter rival John Pascoe Fawkner, or pioneer Captain John Lancey?
  • don your hiking boots and set off on a guided tour exploring the Tanunda Wetlands and a host of historically significant sites along the Plenty River;
  • enjoy a ride on a model steam train and check out historical vehicles in action;
  • travel back in time to Melbourne’s 19th century, exploring numerous artefacts unearthed by the biggest archaeological dig ever carried out in Victoria;
  • gain a fascinating insight into the future of history in our schools, with an informative lecture by Professor Stuart Macintyre;
  • discover the smelly side of Melbourne’s history at the Pumping Station and marvel at the engineering feat that helped overcome the stench of 19th century Melbourne;
  • see some of the State Library’s most precious collection items as the collection experts take to the road and visit regional Victoria;
  • and much, much more!