Maps of Australia

Another excellent resource out of the National Library of Australia has just been released which will be of use to both family and local historians. Maps of Australia enables a geospatial search of catalogue records for over 100 000 maps of Australia held in Australia's libraries, from the earliest mapping to the present.
'Maps of Australia' provides a 'Define Area' search to find maps. By drawing your area of interest on the overview map, catalogue records and images may be found for that area. A keyword search is also provided to allow searching on known topics or place names. Once a map is located, it may be requested from the indicated library or reading room. To date, there are about 4 000
digitised maps on this new website which will be added to Libraries Australia in 2009.
Source: eNewsletter of the National Library of Australia December 2008

New items in the local history collections

New items recently added to the local history collections include:

Creative Spaces: 21 years of Open Studios in Nillumbik at Eltham Library

The First Ivanhoe Sea Scouts: a centenary history 1908-2008 compiled by Bruce G.Draper at Ivanhoe Library.
An article on the Ivanhoe Sea Scouts centenary based on this book by Bruce Draper is on Wikinorthia

Eltham Cemetery celebrates 150 years

The Eltham Cemetery was established in 1858 and is celebrating it's 150th anniversary this year. The site selected on Mount Pleasant Road at that time was on on high ground overlooking the village of Eltham.

The cemetery, set in natural bushland adjoining Montsalvat, is the resting place of Sir William Irvine, a former Premier and Chief justice of Victoria.

The cemetery contains a number of historic headstones and honours pioneers of the Eltham district including Thomas Sweeney and his family.

Local and family history researchers can search it's online database.