Clockwise from bottom left: View of the dock in which the The Polly Woodside: a step back in time Polly rests. Top left: Visitors explore the Polly Woodside’s Victorian Collections history through displays in a dockside shed before visiting the ship. Top centre: The rear of the Polly Woodside showing MARTIN GREEN, NATIONAL TRUST, Launch its position next to the Convention Centre. Top right: Visitors getting a taste of the manual labour required PETA KNOTT, MUSEUMS to operate a large ship. (VICTORIA)

Proudly announcing the launch of Victorian Collections at Museums Australia (Victoria)’s State Conference on the 29 March 2012. Penny Hutchinson (Director, Arts Victoria) will give a short presentation summarising how successful the project has already been thanks to the hard work of museum volunteers and workers from 140 organisations diligently cataloguing over “The Polly was a home…pert to Take yourself riverside along the Yarra, record such as America’s mighty USS (triangular sail) rig–designed to be 4,200 items on the Victorian Collections handle, nice to look at–and we past Crown Casino’s blinking lights, Constitution. She does not represent a efficient, fast and economic, requiring a website. Victorian Collections not only beyond the salute of the Melbourne pinnacle of innovation and technology small number of crew to carry and load provides an easy to use cataloguing got fresh bread every day. I Exhibition Centre and into the modernist such as the United Kingdom’s SS Great bulk cargoes like coal, timber and wheat. system but also showcases the heritage never knew anything like her, architectural adventure that is Britain. The Polly Woodside is remarkable She was designed to service the new collections of Victoria to an international Melbourne’s Convention Centre. There, because she was once commonplace: a steamship industry by carrying bulk coal audience. before or since.” Charles opposite laser cut granite, black deep water merchant vessel that traded from Britain to . In anticipation of more organisations Rouse, able-bodied seaman, aluminium and glass walls lies a ship cargo around the globe. Now she is one Polly Woodside carried coal for subscribing to the online cataloguing made of iron, the Polly Woodside afloat in of only a handful of ships remaining in refuelling steamships throughout her life. system, an extensive program of twenty- 1906. an old dock. the world that reveal the story of a She served the steam industry from her five workshops has been planned to allow Duke’s and Orr’s dock is a rare maritime culture that has almost days as a merchant vessel, tramping the organisations across Victoria to receive surviving remnant of the original Port of disappeared. oceans of the world, to her latter days as training and adopt Victorian Collections “The wind keeping us close Melbourne that served the burgeoning William Woodside was a bold shipping a dismasted coal barge shunted from as their collection management system. hauled and a real Atlantic roll on city of Melbourne from 1878-1975. The magnate in Belfast intent on building a dock to dock in Melbourne as a lighter A unique feature of Victorian Collections privately owned graving docks serviced fleet of merchant vessels for servicing steamships. is free training and ongoing support. Any our beam kept the decks well thousands of ships over a century by international trade between the United Fortunately the Polly Woodside was organisation interested in using Victorian filled with water, there were not providing a secure dry dock for ships to Kingdom and the new colonies in South rescued in 1968 from the oblivion of Collections as their catalogue is entitled be painted, scraped and repaired. The America. He named his ships after scuttling in Bass Strait, the fate of most and encouraged to send several of its many dry clothes aboard. I had docks were an integral part of the heavy women in the Woodside family. Polly of Melbourne’s redundant tall ship fleet. members to the statewide workshops. wet ones on for 6 days.” Sunday engineering and shipping industries Woodside was named William Woodside’s For over thirty years and at great cost and The workshops teach cataloguing basics spread all along this section of the Yarra. wife Marian Woodside whom he effort, the National Trust along with a from recording collection information to 17 April 1904. George Andrew’s With great skill, pilots, ship’s masters affectionately nicknamed ‘Polly’ because dedicated community of local volunteers assessing significant items. voyage on the Polly Woodside. and tug-masters could turn and line up a he thought that she talked a lot. worked to preserve and reconstruct the MA(Vic) has recently developed an ship with the thirty degree angle needed Built in Workman & Clark’s shipyards ship. advanced course for past participants to enter Duke’s Dock with just enough in Belfast in 1885 the Polly Woodside was Place your back to the Melbourne interested in developing a more thorough way to carry her before the need to use born in the declining days of sail. The Convention Centre. Take in the broad understanding of significance and mooring ropes to arrest the movement. golden days of tall ships racing the first lines of the Polly Woodside, her 109 foot copyright in the museum sphere. The half The mitre gates were closed with five or tea chests from China to England or masts strung with fluttering signal flags, day class concludes with a session on six men trudging the capstan winch carrying the pianos and fine furniture of the beautiful curve of her hull, ever so photographing difficult items. before the pumps in the pumphouse new settlers were disappearing. slightly rising on the slight swell in the swiftly emptied the docks. Steamships had been a steadily dock, the ring of her bell echoing across Any organisation interested in using Victorian Polly Woodside is permanently moored improving technology since the 1840s. the Yarra. Shut your eyes and imagine. Collections should email: in Duke’s Dock. She is unlike most other Despite their relative slow speed their [email protected] tallships on display in cities around the reliability and ability to sail the newly The Polly Woodside and new Visitor Centre is open To view the schedule of all workshops go to: world that are also winners of the opened Suez and later Panama canals daily and situated next to the Melbourne Convention www.mavic.asn.au/services/victorian-collections/ prestigious World Ship Trust medal. She dramatically changed the economic Centre, Melbourne. Visit: www.pollywoodside.com.au workshops has no connection with royalty as does balance in favour of steam. For fun visit: www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=M6_ Photo: Museum workers and volunteers from the Sweden’s splendid 17th Century warship Polly Woodside is a Barque–two square vHJmSpgE&feature=endscreen Melbourne area learn how to photograph collection Vasa. She has no illustrious military rigged masts and a rear mast with gaff and: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ncjhYPTm8A items.

4 February – April 2012 INSITE MAGAZINE www.mavic.asn.au 5