Recent News

Sold: The Auction That Made Melbourne

In 1837, the area known as the Hoddle Grid went under the auction hammer. 271 individuals made successful bids and...

Media release: Free Toolkit Empowers Communities to Reclaim Women’s Place in History

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria and Gender Equity Victoria's Put Her Name On It campaign have released a free,...

Reclaim Her Name: addressing the gender place-name gap

Reclaim Her Name: A collaboration between RHSV and Put Her Name On It Despite making up more than half of...

Urgent: Protect the State Library of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria’s leaders have decreed it shall now be a pleasure dome (‘State Library to slash staff,...

Spotlight

Explore our Journals and Diaries

A mix of primary source manuscripts and publications, our diaries and journals collection contain unique and important documents from Australia's early social history.

Dive into our catalogue list

What's on at the RHSV

AGL Shaw Lecture: The Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate – Compassionate Protection or Temporising Quackery?
April 21 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Cataloguing Clinics 2026
April 30 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, each month in this informative and easy-going Zoom forum on all aspects of cat...
RHSV AGM + 2026 Weston Bate Oration: Professor Richard Broome AM
May 26 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
AGM: 5pm – 6.10pm Break: 6.10pm – 6.30pm Weston Bate Oration: 6.30pm – 7.30pm The Weston Bate Oration follows the RHSV’s A...

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Current Exhibition

Hoddle Grid: The great land grab - 26 March 2026 to 11 November 2026

On June 1, 1837, surveyor Robert Hoddle stood on a log and began auctioning off the very first blocks of land in Hoddle Grid, what we now call Melbourne’s CBD. This exhibition tells the story of the dreamers, risk-takers, and opportunists who first bought into the city.

Upcoming Victorian History Events

Submit your local history event

Making a Biography of Place: the History of Old North Melbourne
April 14 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
In this talk, historian Dr Fiona Gatt presents a history of old North Melbourne while reflecting on the process of ‘making’ th...
PMI Library Book Sale
April 18 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
The PMI Victorian History Library will soon be hosting another book sale! Continuing our well-received book sale, we have invited ...
Chapel Street Walk
April 22 @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Around Prahran’s Iconic Buildings Join us for an Australian Heritage Festival event! Step back in time and explore the golde...