Author's posts
Mar 11
NSWGR 6029 Beyer Peacock Garratt steam locomotive [AH016]
6029 is a four-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, superheated, articulated 4-8-4+4-8-4 Garratt steam locomotive, of the AD60 class, built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, Manchester, England, for the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR). Vision used courtesy of: – NFSA (Steam on the main north line; R McKensie and B Kent 1968), – Transport Heritage NSW – …
Feb 01
Japanese attack on Sydney and Newcastle
In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, Imperial Japanese Navy submarines made a series of attacks on the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle. Visit Australian War Memorial – https://www.awm.gov.au/visit Royal Australian Navy Naval Heritage Centre – https://www.navy.gov.au/ran-heritage-centre Fort Scratchley – https://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/fort-scratchley/fort-scratchley-home More information Navy – https://www.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/japanese-midget-submarine-attack-sydney-harbour Sea Museum – https://www.sea.museum/2017/06/14/midget-submarine-attack-on-sydney-31-may-1-june-1942 …
Jan 26
How a sheep farm became a leading astronomy centre
The CSIRO’s Parkes Radio Telescope was commissioned on a former sheep farm in 1961. It was the most advanced radio telescope on the planet at the time, with many innovative features that have since become standard in all large-dish antennas, and it has maintained it’s cutting edge technology and research ever since. Based in part …
Jan 22
Coolamine Homestead – Kosciuszko National Park
Coolamine Homestead is a wonderful example of a heritage homestead and it can be found on the Cooleman Plains in Kosciuszko National Park. It is a rare, surviving example of a permanent pastoral outstation that retains hand-built slab buildings and yards. National Parks info – https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/historic-buildings-places/coolamine-homestead Artisans of Australia, film about the restoration work – …
Jan 19
Canberra Bushfires 2003 – how it happened
The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week …
Jan 15
Martha Rendell, serial child killer of Perth
Martha Rendell (10 August 1871 – 6 October 1909) was the last woman to be hanged in Western Australia, for the murder of her de facto husband’s son, Arthur Morris, in 1908. She was also suspected of killing his two daughters, Annie and Olive, by swabbing their throats with hydrochloric acid.
Jan 11
Australia’s homegrown fighter that couldn’t fight, the CAC boomerang
The Commonwealth Boomerang was designed and built in Australia in response to the impending Japanese invasion of the Australian mainland. It’s main issue was that it sucked as a fighter! But it could attack the ground, and found a use in the war.
Jan 08
Jessie Hickman – the Wild Woman of Wollemi – Australia’s unknown outlaw
Australia had several women bushrangers, and their stories are only now being told. Jessie Hickman (1890-1936) – also known as McIntyre, Bell, Hudson, and Murray, was one such outlaw. We’ve pieced together a brief account of her life.
Jan 04
Cara Southern, Australian Impressionist pioneer
Her landscapes are truly poems, full of sentiment and feeling – this early pioneer impressionist artist laid the foundations of Australian Impressionism and for women artists who followed.
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