Now on the wall of Sebastopol Library is a snapshot of the unique history of Ballarat. A copy of a drawing made in the 1970s, the map shows mine shafts dotted around Sebastopol and Buninyong along with other fine details of the area.
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Drawn on a kitchen table with a fountain pen by artist Arthur Jenkins, it represents how the city would have looked towards the end of the 19th century - complete with some of the idiosyncratic mine names of the time such 40 Thieves Mine and Rose of The Hills.
Arthur Jenkins' nephew, Paul Jenkins - who was the state MP for Ballarat West during much of the 1990s - spoke at the opening on Wednesday. He described the style of the map as "naive" and said it represented many of the stories of the era.
The map's fantastic, from an historic point of view in the city, it's really unique.
- Ballarat mayor Cr Ben Taylor
He said that as the map was not a conventional one, it included many points of interest not shown on more official versions.
"I think we are lucky that he had the initiative to do this," Mr Jenkins said.
The Mayor of Ballarat Cr Ben Taylor was also there for the occasion. He said: "The map's fantastic, from an historic point of view in the city, it's really unique."
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