Search the collections
Olive Oliver Collection
Image: Travel Diary – Olive Oliver, 1911
Source: Museum Victoria
In 1911 Miss Olive Oliver, a wealthy 32 year old woman from Melbourne, embarked on a round-the-world tour of the United States of America, Britain and Europe. The extensive journey took her to many grand cities and places of natural beauty. Olive travelled with her father, William Oliver, her brother, William Donald ('Don'), and her friend, Gretta Nicolls.
Throughout the trip, Olive kept a travel diary and collected brochures, postcards, menus, concert programs and maps from the places she visited. Museum Victoria has acquired these items as well as Olive's large wooden sea chest, and together these make up the Olive Oliver collection. The diary is a small, leather-bound paper diary in which Olive wrote of her daily activities from 9 March 1911 to 31 December 1911. As the trip lasted about a year, it is likely that there would have been a second diary covering the months of the trip during 1912 but unfortunately it has not survived.
The diary and colourful ephemera enable Olive's travels of almost a century ago to come to life. Yet more than simply recording the story of one woman's travels, the collection gives insights into early 20th century Australia and the cultural outlook and identity that Australians engaged with at this time. It demonstrates the desire among early and subsequent generations of Australian settlers to return 'home' to Britain and Europe, as well as visit other 'new world' countries, and it highlights the importance placed on gaining a cultural education outside of Australia through the 'grand tour'.
The collection is also a record of an era when the world was opening up to women, especially middle and upper class women, as they were granted new economic and legal rights, and presented with unheralded opportunities for travel and recreation, as well as for work.
Apart from the details of her journey, little is known of Olive except that she returned to Australia, did not marry or have children and died in Melbourne 1961. If anyone has any further information about Olive Oliver, please contact the Discovery Centre at Museum Victoria.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 61 - 70) 86 items
-
Booklet - 'Tacoma Eastern Railroad', Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A., 1911
'Tacoma Eastern Railroad', a booklet issued by Tacoma Eastern Railroad in Washington, U.S.A. in 1911, provides travel information about the journey from Tacoma to The National Park Inn, ...
Images: 1 -
Leaflet - 'Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway', Mill Valley, California, U.S.A., ...
'Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway' is a leaflet issued by Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway in Mill Valley, California, U.S.A in 1911. The leaflet provides travel informa ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'New York Central Lines', New York, U.S.A., 1911
'New York Central Lines' is a railway timetable issued by New York Central Lines in New York, U.S.A. in 1911. It details the timetables for trains to New York, Boston, Adirondack Mts., ...
Images: 1 -
Booklet - 'California the Campers' Paradise', California, U.S.A., 1911
'California the Campers' Paradise' is a booklet issued by Southern Pacific, a railroad company, in California, U.S.A. in 1911. It provides travel information about camping in California ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'New York Central Lines', New York, U.S.A.,1911
'New York Central Lines' is a railway timetable issued by New York Central Lines in New York, U.S.A. in 1911. It details the timetables for trains to Cincinnati, St.Louis, and Chicago. ...
Images: 1 -
Booklet - 'California, Summer Days in Winter', California, U.S.A., 1911
'California, Summer Days in Winter' is a booklet issued by Oregon & Washington Railroad in California, U.S.A. in 1911. It provides information about popular Californian tourist sites, i ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad', Summer Schedule, Boston, Massachu ...
'New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad' is a railway timetable issued by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. in 1911. It details the Summe ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'Southern Pacific, California, Valleys Coast Line', California, U.S.A., 1911
'Southern Pacific, California, Valleys Coast Line' is a railway timetable issued by Southern Pacific in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. in 1911. This is one of about eighty travel br ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'Northwestern Pacific California Official Time Schedule', California, U.S.A., ...
'Northwestern Pacific California Official Time Schedule', issued by Northwestern Pacific Railroad in California, U.S.A. in 1910, outlines timetables for San Francisco to Eureka, through ...
Images: 1 -
Timetable - 'Southern Pacific, Sunset Ogden & Shasta Routes', San Francisco, California, U ...
'Southern Pacific, Sunset Ogden & Shasta Routes' is a railway timetable issued by Southern Pacific in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. in May 1911. It details the time tables for the O ...
Images: 1
