Recent News

Curator’s Talks – Hoddle Grid: The Great Land Grab
Curator's Talks are back this May. Choose from a daytime or an evening session and enjoy some light refreshments as...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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

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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

  • RACS Tour: Changes Over Time

    April 28 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

    The tour will show how surgery has changed over the years through the evolution of ideas and discoveries in medicine. The tour tak...

    Black and white souvenir print of a drawing of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

  • Armadale Heritage Walk

    April 29 @ 10:30 am - 11:45 am

    Join us for an Australian Heritage Festival event! Join us for a captivating walking tour that blends history and exercise, perfec...

  • Princes Hill Walk

    May 2 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

    Join a local historian for a walk around this interesting part of Carlton, and hear of its history and the history of iconic place...

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Collection Spotlight

Visit the Collection Lounge
Group of men and women gathered outdoors at a military camp in Melbourne, 1914, with tents visible in the background. A young man in military uniform in the bottom of the photo is Brian Lyall, who the others were there to visit. He would die the following year in Gallipoli.
A pale blue handwritten ledger from October 17, 1854, showing financial accounts between Jo George Mugleston and the owners of the Eureka Hotel, the Bentleys. The document lists services rendered, cash loans, and bowling alley fees, with monetary amounts in pounds/shillings/pence format. This ledger is dated the same day of the historic Eureka Hotel riot that saw the hotel destroyed by fire.
Grayscale image showing Cremorne Gardens with statues
The Ancient Mariners of Victoria Logo

Find Your Local Historical Society

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