Geoffrey Blainey Research Centre
The Geoffrey Blainey Research Centre houses our mining, historical and art collections, and is open to Federation University staff, researchers and students.
About the Centre
The Geoffrey Blainey Research Centre houses a selection of the Library’s special collections and provides a dedicated reading room for students and researchers to access these materials.
Named in honour of Geoffrey Blainey, the foundation Chancellor of the University of Ballarat (now Federation University), the Centre recognises his long and distinguished academic career and his generous donation of books. In 2002, Professor Blainey was awarded a Doctor of Letters for his outstanding contribution to the University and the wider community.
The reading room is located on the ground floor of the Mt Helen Library.
Visit us
If you'd like to visit, book an appointment to arrange a time and request any items from the collection you'd like to view.
Have a specific item in mind? Search or browse the collection before you book. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for or have another question, email library@federation.edu.au.
Have a specific item in mind? Search or browse the collection before you book. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for or have another question, email library@federation.edu.au.
The collections
Items from these collections can be used on site but can’t be borrowed.
Explore historical books, papers and other material related to the early history of mining and the central Victorian Goldfields.
Find works by Federation staff and alumni, dating from 1909. The collection includes prints, ceramics, graphics, paintings and sculptures.
Find works about Australian mining, the Californian Gold Rush, the Klondike Rush and American, New Zealand and African mining history.
Explore works about economic history and theory, donated by Professor John Creedy, Truby Williams Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne.
This extensive collection of historical material relates to Federation University and its predecessors, from 1870 to today.
Explore works about central and western Victorian history, the Eureka Stockade, local industrial heritage and mining in Australia.