Discover surprising connections between extraordinary people, events and icons from Victoria’s history in Velvet, Iron, Ashes.

Find out how the armour of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly is connected to cricket’s celebrated Ashes Urn, how fairy floss is connected to Victoria’s Latrobe Valley electricity industry, and why the granddaughter of one of our prime ministers once wore a glittering velvet cloak symbolising the Murray–Darling irrigation scheme.

Spend time with our retro-style Map-o-matic – custom-made for Velvet, Iron, Ashes – to create and print your very own personalised tour map of the exhibition.

Showcasing treasures from the Library’s collection and from other major institutions and private collections, this captivating exhibition will inspire you to follow your own path of discovery on a trail of unexpected, intertwined stories.

Velvet, Iron, Ashes was the inaugural exhibition in the new Victoria Gallery endowed by the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation and established as part of the Library’s transformative $88.1 million Vision 2020 redevelopment. The exhibition ran from 24 October 2019 until 15 July 2020.