Innovation Stories

Museums Victoria / Article / Innovation Stories
Men standing on top of a loaded rail carriage

Ground-breaking Victorian inventions

Victoria maintains a long and proud history of innovation. Many ideas and products developed in the State have had global impacts.

This digital project showcases Stories of Victorian innovation, drawing on Museums Victoria’s collection and in the words of ground-breaking innovators.

Red and yellow harvester on a museum trolley

The Combine Harvester

Can one person’s innovation really define a worldwide revolution? If you believe the legend of Hugh Victor McKay, then yes.
Men standing on top of a loaded rail carriage

The World's First Minimum Wage

The cost of living: it’s a phrase we hear almost every day. But workers’ pay didn’t always factor in just how much it actually cost to live.
Two people in lab coats, gloves and safety glasses guiding a film through a machine

Solar Power

What if you could print out a solar panel, like you print an image on a sheet of paper?
Metal box with two wheels attach to the front

The Black Box Flight Recorder

In the early years of mass passenger flight, flying was not always safe. Catastrophic accidents prompted the development of a life-saving innovation.

Partners

This project has been made possible through the generous support of the The HV McKay Charitable Trust.

 
 
 

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