Threads in the Archives

An artist's impression of Griffith and Leeton (along with plans, not shown here) was originally commissioned by the Department of Water Resources - Lands Administration Branch - Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission in 1913.

These plans were designed by architect Walter Burley Griffin, famous for his design of the Australian capital, Canberra. The drawings were prepared by his brother-in-law, Roy Alstan Lippincott and Walter's wife Marion Mahony Griffin prepared coloured sketches on silk for both towns.

The key landscape effect was to be achieved by the main irrigation channel, which Griffin saw as: 'a sweeping curve round the central portion of the city and by two enlargements of the waterway'. The plan envisaged Griffith as a significant railway focal point... The railway station was to be a prominent feature at the centre of the town and the yards were to be designed to achieve a minimum of switching and re-handling.

From the Walter Burley Griffin Society website.

From the catalogue of The Great Collection Exhibition, 2008. More information on the towns of Griffith and Leeton can be found on the Walter Burley Griffin Society website

• The Silkscreen Plan of Leeton, 1913 [Document No 224] is a design for a central plaza and shows large buildings surrounding a spacious, beautiful garden area complete with trees and a fountain.
• The Silkscreen Plan of Griffith, 1913 [Document No 225] shows the design for the whole layout of the city of Griffith.

You can see how fashion has changed over the years with this cap worn by women working in the Leeton cannery, 1925. The cap was found in a Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area file - NRS 14511, [17/633]

This red ribbon rosette was worn by train driver, Albert Arnold, who drove the first train over the Harbour Bridge after opening, 19 March 1932 - R479, [Item14]

Sample of fabric for Fire Brigade Uniform material, 1949 and 1952 [20/14738-39]. This sample was attached to a letter sent to the Board of Fire Commissioners from Federal Woolen Mills Ltd in Geelong as part of a quotation for the supply of material.