Treahna Hamm, Yorta Yorta Possum Skin Cloak, ARM 09.209

MUSEUM & SOCIAL HISTORY Online Collection

Our collection tells the stories of Albury and the surrounding region and contains over 30,000 images, objects, documents, textiles, and audio-visual items.Search for specific items, browse the collection, or narrow your search by material type or special collection.Explore highlights including new acquisitions and current items on display.

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Highlights

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Dean Street Images

First named in 1838, Albury’s main street is a tree lined boulevard in the central business and shopping district. Along with Swift Street, it may have been named after Jonathon “Dean” Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels. Subject of many postcards, photographs and artist’s impressions, Dean Street is home to many of Albury’s iconic buildings. These images reveal the changing face of Albury over time.

Albury Views

Many places are recognisable for their vistas and Albury is no different. Images of Albury’s streets, grand buildings, gardens and monuments have long been used to promote and celebrate the city. These views capture a community proud of their civic buildings and streetscapes, engineering achievements, monuments, amenities and setting on the Murray River. This imagery, repeated throughout the years on postcards and souvenirs, suggest a reinforcement of these values both within Albury and to its visitors.

Biking in and around Albury

Bicycles were a common and affordable form of transport in Albury at the turn of the last century. Their popularity led to the formation of the Albury Cycle Club in 1893, which held its first Great Bicycle Carnival that same year. Rallies and road races, including the 265-kilometre Dunlop Road Race from Warrnambool to Melbourne, were common. There were several cycling shops in Albury, including Lou Harris and James Scanlan’s Albury Cycle Agency. Scanlan was joined in business by a young Fred Blacklock in around 1892. Blacklock had a background as a carpenter and was among the first in Albury to own a pump-tyred bicycle. Scanlan and Blacklock rode to Melbourne together in 1894, a distance of more than 300 kilometres. Their locally built bicycle, first called the Scanlan-Blacklock, went on to become The Relay, which was sold regionally and across the country. They sold a range of imported bicycles in addition to the Hume Cycle, the Cameo and the Ladies Relay. In the 1950s, the Floral Festival was an annual Albury celebration. Part of the opening attractions on the Monday of Floral Festival Week and of the final parade on the Saturday, local children on their decorated bikes swarmed Dean Street. The decorated bikes were another cause for celebration, with children vying to win the competition for best-decorated bike and having a lot of fun in the process! Explore more of Albury’s bicycle history through highlights from the collection.

Uiver Collection

Albury achieved world attention during the running of the London to Melbourne MacRobertson International Centenary Air Race. The story of the Dutch DC-2 airliner 'Uiver' and the role Albury residents played in its rescue in 1934, is an important event in the city's history. The Uiver Collection is a NSW State Heritage listed collection (SHR No. 01995).

Bonegilla Collection

For over 25 years, AlburyCity has been collecting objects owned by former residents of the migrant reception centre; things that people brought from their homeland that gave them comfort, photographs, domestic appliances, children's toys, books and clothing. AlburyCity also actively collects written memories from those who passed through Bonegilla.