Archaeology stories
Burke and Wills Fountain, Ballarat
A time capsule buried in a fountain commemorating explorers Burke and Wills has been recovered after almost 150 years. Valuable coins were found intact.
Chinese Brickmaking Kiln
In 2005, a section of a mid-19th century Chinese brickmaking kiln was unexpectedly discovered in Bendigo in an area known as Ironbark Chinese camp. The once thriving campsite later became a market garden. Excavation of the site provided insight into the kiln and its operation.
Viewbank
In 1996 archaeologists from Heritage Victoria unearthed the foundations of a forgotten colonial homestead at Heidelberg in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. Located at the junction of the Yarra and Plenty Rivers, Viewbank homestead offers up traces of a short-lived empire from the mid nineteenth century. Relics of pastoral grandeur evoke stories of a place abandoned and long forgotten.
Casselden Place
Every day we live and work in amongst Melbourne's history. We are surrounded by the bricks and mortar of our past, but how often do you stop to think about the fact that you are also walking over it?
Cable Tram Tracks
A 200 metre stretch of late 19th century cable tram infrastructure was unearthed along Abbotsford Street, North Melbourne
Melbourne CBD
Heritage Victoria created a plan of the Central Business District that identifies all sites that have the potential to contain archaeological remains.
Warrnambool
In April 29-30 2009, Heritage Victoria conducted an educational dig at a former 19th century rubbish tip in Warrnambool.
This exercise gave more than 150 primary school students from Warrnambool West Primary and Port Fairy Consolidated the chance to 'be an archaeologist for a day'.
Cohen Place
Thousands of historic artefacts and significant architectural remains were unearthed that have given an insight into the lives of the 19th century residents of Cohen Place.
Melting Pot
Beginning with the limited supplies carried on board during migration, the food industry rapidly increased towards the 1850s, with agriculture becoming an integral part of Victoria.
Through the migration boom after the Gold Rush, the dynamic of what was being eaten began to change, with Victoria’s growing multicultural community introducing many new recipes.