National Museum - seeking bicycles for travelling show

[doakman1]

The National Museum of Australia is currently preparing a travelling exhibition about the history of cycling in Australia, due to go on the road in mid-2014. As the Senior Curator for the project, I am very keen to fill a couple of gaps in Museum’s cycling related collections.
I am looking for three particular bicycles with great provenance, solid documentation and, importantly, in unrestored condition, or with only minor restoration work.
1. A bicycle ridden by the great Sir Hubert Opperman
2. A penny farthing, ridden in Australia and with a compelling provenance
3. A children’s bicycle from the 1960s or 1970s, again, with a good story and documentation

I must stress that we are looking for donations or sales, not loans. If you have something that you think might fit the bill, then I would love to hear from you. Please email in the first instance daniel.oakman@nma.gov.au
Many thanks,
Daniel Oakman, Senior Curator, National Museum of Australia
GPO Box 1901, Canberra 2601

[rollin]

What about a 70s bmx or dragster for the children's bike an important era in cycling was the birth of bmx in the early 70s, there was a couple of Aussie manufactures although the majority came from the USA till the late 70s when some really nice bmx's were built here..anyway the lads at http://www.ozbmx.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . Might have something your interested in...

[stevendavid75]

I believe the oppy museum at Rochester Victoria may have a bike ridden by oppy.
I haven't been there for sometime and I am not sure if this was impacted by floods in recent years . Others may know ?
Regards
Steve

[feelthewheel]

I think there is a 5-Star hanging in a pub in Geelong (Norlane) called 'Oppies' named after the great man. I haven't seen it or know about its provenance, just a lead to be helpful, that's all. Good luck finding something interesting!

[dayne]

This sounds like it could be great but,
What happens to the bikes after the show do they just go down into the basement of the museum?

[doakman1]

This sounds like it could be great but,
What happens to the bikes after the show do they just go down into the basement of the museum?

It's complicated. Some objects might go on permanent display, maybe in a temporary exhibition, others into storage. It all depends on the condition, light sensitivity and future exhibition plans. We can display only a small percentage of our collections at any one time (3-4%). This is just a reality but preserving the condition and longevity of the collection is the top priority and we take it seriously.