Melbourne Rare Book Week

A grant from the Public Records Office of Victoria funded the conservation of this rare and valuable work from Ballarat Libraries’ Rare Book Collection. Jacques Labillardiѐre’s Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen (1804–1806), in two volumes, was donated to the Ballarat Free Library in the early 1860s.

This illustrated botanical work, the most detailed record of Australian flora of its day, is a rare item to be in the possession of a public library. View the restored volumes in this exhibition, glimpse inside its pages, and learn about the conservation process that has made their exhibit possible.

Presented by: Ballarat Libraries

Ballarat Library Exhibition Space, 178 Doveton St, Ballarat

Open 23 July to 23 August 2025, Mon – Fri 9:30am – 6:00pm

Sat 9:30 – 4:00pm; Sun 1:00 – 4:00pm

Bookings not required