Mineralogical Society
of Victoria Inc. |
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The Mineralogical Society of Victoria Incorporated was established in March 1976 with
the aim of fostering an interest in Mineralogy.
The Society has approximately 140 members with about 40% being country or interstate
residents.
We meet on the first Wednesday of the month (except January) at The Royal Society of
Victoria's Rooms, 9 Victoria Street, Melbourne. Meetings commence at 8:00 pm and
usually finish at about 10:00 pm after a light supper has been served. Visitors are most
welcome to attend.
The meeting format usually consists of a short information and report section followed by
a short talk from a member on a topic of mineralogical interest. The main talk is usually
a guest speaker on a subject of mineralogical or geological interest. Members are also
encouraged to bring along mineral specimens for viewing, particularly specimens
collected on recent field excursions.
The Society has a substantial reference library, which members can use at no cost, apart
from return postage from country areas.
Other activities include field excursions with several field trips held each year. The
majority are one day excursions, however, weekend or extended interstate trips are held
when possible
There are several sub-groups that meet regularly throughout the year. These include:
- The Photographic Group which has produced slide albums on selected Victorian sites
and a CD of species collected at the Pinnacles mine dumps at Broken Hill. Their
work forms and important photographic record of both Victorian and Broken Hill
species.
- The Micro-mineral Group meets at members homes and studies specimens based on
subjects selected by members of the group. A reference collection has been
established of Victorian, Broken Hill and Iron Monarch mine specimens. Donations
of specimens for these collections are always welcome.
- The Mineral Appreciation Group meets at the Nunawading Lapidary Club rooms and
studies specimens based on subjects selected by the members of the group. This
group normally concentrates on specimens that do not require the assistance of the
microscope to fully appreciate the specimen.
The Committee is keen to publicise the Society and attends gem and mineral exhibitions
during the year.
The Society publishes a regular
newsletter which is circulated to all financial members. This newsletter contains a
forward diary, reports from the Committee, a transcript of previous talks given at the
General Meetings and other articles of general interest.
The Society has also produced the
following Special Publications on Victorian minerals: The first book "The
Minerals of the Maldon Goldfield" is now out of print.
The second publication "Zeolites of Victoria" details the
zeolite mineral species and locations of species throughout Victoria. This book, with many
coloured photographs, is an excellent reference on many of the common zeolite minerals.
Copies of this soft cover publication may be purchased for a price of A$24.00 including
postage, (Australia); A$30.00 (overseas).
The third publication is on "Phosphate Minerals of Victoria". This
book details the phosphate mineral occurrences in detail with many coloured photographs.
It is still available at the attractive price of A$28.00 including postage (Australia);
A$33.00 (overseas).
Special Publication No. 4 is "Gem Minerals of Victoria". This is an
attractively presented full colour publication of 120 pages, providing
details on the gem minerals found in Victoria. The price of the
publication is A$37.95 including postage
within Australia, and A$43.00 for overseas.
"Broken Hill Mineral Album - Minerals
collected at the Pinnacles mine". is a CD produced to
assist collectors identify material collected from the Pinnacle mine
dumps. The dump material was extracted from the Block 14 and Kintore
opencuts between 1997 and 1998 and from the North mine opencut in the
early 1990s fro processing at the Pinnacles treatment plant.
Runs on PCs using a web
browser (eg Internet Explorer) an is available for A$23.00 including
postage with Australia and A$25.00 overseas.
Visit the Museum
Victoria Web site, that contains more details of these publications.
Joining Fee: A$
5.00
City Adult Member: A$25.00
City Family Membership: A$35.00 (2 adults
& children under 18)
Student Member: (Full Time) A$15.00
Country Adult Member: A$20.00
Country Family Membership: A$30.00
Postal Address:
The Secretary
PO Box 12162
A'Beckett Street
Melbourne, Vic 8006
Australia
You can also email
Dermot Henry, Society Member (dhenry@museum.vic.gov.au)
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