VPRS 13255 Gas Industry Museum Collection

Full description

This is a series of items, including publications, which were collected for use in a proposed Gas Industry Museum.

A file found amongst the uncatalogued material of the Gas and Fuel Corporation (VPRS 13253 - Unserialised records associated with the Gas and Fuel Archival Collection) indicates that the Tooronga District Centre was proposed as the site for a Gas Industry Museum to contain customer, distribution and production memorabilia. The file indicates that the Special Projects Engineer, N.L. Thomas, first proposed the idea of a gas museum at this location in January 1978.

The file indicates that the District Centres Planning Committee were to ask departmental managers to select suitable items of equipment that were still available within the Corporation to stock the museum.

In February1980 the sites the Corporation was considering for the museum were North Melbourne, St Kilda Road and Tooronga. In a memo from the Property Manager in February 1980, it seems that the Historic Buildings Preservation Council were considering the St Kilda and North Melbourne outstation valve rooms for inclusion on the Register of Historic Buildings. This memo indicates that the Gas and Fuel Corporation did not want these structures included on the Register. The Corporation was planning to offer to preserve the Tooronga building and develop it for the purposes of a museum on the condition that these other buildings were not added to the Register.

Another memo indicates that in February 1980, the Disposals Division and Stores Department were about to commence demolition work at Tooronga, including removal of the old equipment in the valve house. However, some equipment was to be retained to give an authentic atmosphere to the museum and for its historical value

The file indicates that there was no plan to open the museum to the general public, rather it was to be shown only to special guests.

There is no evidence to suggest that a gas museum was ever opened on the site of the Tooronga outstation. Further research is required to establish why this project did not proceed.

It is unknown if the proposed Gas Industry Museum had any relationship to the Gas and Fuel Corporation Archival Collection (VPRS 13141). The only connection identified so far is that both sets of records were housed in a facility in Bendigo and were transferred to the Public Record Office Victoria at the same time. The Gas Industry Museum materials were placed with VPRS 13253 which comprises items that had not been arranged in any way and were either waiting to be accessioned into the Archive or were removed from the Gas and Fuel Corporation's premises when they moved from Flinders Street.