HotPress Images

Some of these images are rarely seen by anyone, and we have restored them and make them available for browsing, or for purchase. Our database includes ancient maps, plans, panoramas and photographs mainly of Victoria and New South Wales, and this database is continually growing and covering other areas of Australia. We have a small dedicated team of qualified in-house conservators in Melbourne who work tirelessly to find and restore each image to its original state, at least as much as is feasible. Our website allows visitors to search by town, decade, street, or even to search for icons and panoramas. We understand that with a large database it has to be easy for visitors to filter down to locate their desired subject.

Commercial photography really became popular after 1840, although the technologies involved were rudimentary and time-consuming compared to today’s point-and-click techniques. The gold rushes of the 1850s in Victoria and New South Wales attracted not only gold-diggers, but also a number of early photographers who were keen to capture the excitement and development of the tent-towns that sprang up along rivers and gullies in the ‘bush’. The influx of gold, along with the rapid rise in immigration, created booming economies throughout Victoria, and the towns changed dramatically, and we are fortunate that these photographers captured this metamorphosis. Our database allows visitors to examine these changing scenes in detail.

We use one of Australia’s biggest and best digital printing companies to transfer the restored images to paper. They offer a whole range of papers and canvasses including museum-grade Giclée prints that will last for decades. All of our work is 100% guaranteed to satisfy our customers.