In The Past

Police Force in NSW - 150 years

2012-01-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

In 1862, the New South Wales Police Force officially became a single entity when the Police Regulation Act 1862 was passed. The Act unified the Metropolitan, Water, Rural, Native, Mounted Police and the Gold Escort under an Inspector-General, and created sub-districts across the state with a Police Inspectors in charge of each one.....early police force in NSW

Appointments under the new Act in 1862 included:

Inspector General - John McLerie

Superintendents - H. Zouch; D.H. Scott; W. Chatfield; J.A. McLerie; T.B. Carne; George Markham; E.V. Morisset; James Garland

Inspectors: Sir F.W. Pottinger; Critchett Walker; F.R. Wilshire; E.Marlay; E.M. Batty

Sub-Inspectors: W.Benson; F.A. Blake; A.A. Abbott; T.A. White; J.G. Hussey; Messrs Black, Singleton, Reed, O'Neill and Hogg

Sub-Inspector of Detectives: Mr. Harrison

Prior to 1862, Chief Constables in the Hunter and New England regions included:

Thomas Abbott at Dungog

George Allen, Wollombi

Thomas Birkley, Scone and Murrurundi

Richard Boddiley, Scone

Peter Byers, Tabulam

Samuel Caldwell, Muswellbrook

John Campbell, Muswellbrook, Tamworth

William Cooke, Patrick Plains

Dickson, Paterson

James Drew, Brisbane Water

James Dwyer, Tamworth

William Everness, Merton

Michael Fallon, Murrurundi

Timothy Ferry, Invermein

John Field, Port Stephens

Charles Fox, Muswellbrook

Garvin, Maitland

Jesse Hannell, Newcastle

Michael Joseph Harke, Paterson

Hobbs, Wollombi

Samuel Holt, Newcastle

Samuel Horne, Singleton

Thomas Jones, Raymond Terrace

Kerr, Cassilis

Robert Martin, Raymond Terrace

John McCrohan, Paterson

James McDonnell, Murrurundi

John McGivaney, Murrurundi

George Muir, Newcastle

H.B. Murray, Scone

Riley, Maitland

William Rouse, Newcastle

Anthony Sadleir, Scone

Robert Scott, Brisbane Water

William Shields, Murrurundi

William Shinkwin, Muswellbrook

John Smith, Newcastle

John Sullivan, Paterson

John Tracy, Tenterfield

Thomas Walker, Butterwick

George Wood, Maitland

James Young, Maitland

MEN WHO SERVED AS CONSTABLES IN THE HUNTER VALLEY PRIOR TO 1862

Australian Police Centenary, Sydney 1962

Arrival of the convict ship Minerva in 1800

2012-01-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

The convict ship Minerva arrived in Port Jackson on 11 January 1800.

Among those who were transported on the Minerva were political prisoners of the Irish Rebellion.

They included

General Joseph Holt

Thomas Brady

James Harold

Rev. Henry Fulton

Two British Army Officers William Henry Alcock and John Lindley St. Leger

Physician Bryan O'Connor

Peter Ivers;

Florence McCarty;

Schoolteachers Farrell Cuffe and William Maum;

and brothers Maurice and Michael Fitzgerald.

Arrival of the Convict Ship Ann and Amelia 1825

2012-01-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

The convict ship Ann and Amelia arrived in Port Jackson on 2nd January 1825.

'Bold Jack Donhoe' was one of 200 male convicts who arrived as a prisoner on the Ann and Amelia on that day.

Arrival of Governor Macquarie 28th December 1809

2011-12-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

After a voyage of 7 months and 6 days, Governor Lachlan Macquarie entered Port Jackson on the vessel Hindostan on Thursday 28th December 1809.

Lieutenant-Governor Paterson arrived from Parramatta for the occasion, the 102nd regiment formed in front of the Government wharf and most of the inhabitants of Sydney gathered as well to greet the new Governor, however the landing was deferred on this day because of unfavourable winds.

Great celebration and ceremony took place when he eventually landed on the following Sunday 31st December 1809. The Sydney Gazette reported that the 102nd regiment formed an open line extending from the Government landing Stairs to Government House; and that a salute was fired from the ships which was answered by the Battery at Dawes Point when His Excellency and Lady left the ship. They were received on shore by Lieut-Governor Paterson, Colonel Foveaux and all the principal Officers who then accompanied them to Government House.

John Verge

2011-12-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Architect John Verge arrived in Australia on the Clarkstone on 27th December 1828.

Aberglasslyn House.

Christmas - 100 years ago

2011-12-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Bush Christmas 100 years ago:

From Sunday Times (Perth) 3 December 1911 - Below we give the recipe for Bush Christmas Pudding, which was printed before in our issue of October 22:-

1 lb. flour

1 lb stale bread soaked

1 lb raisins stoned,

1lb currants

1 packet mixed spice

½ lb beef or mutton suet finely chopped,

½ Ib. dripping

1 cup black treacle

1 lb darkest sugar you can get

8 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder,

2 teaspoons salt

If eggs cannot be got you must use double quantity of the baking powder. –

Mix all the ingredients into a moist dough with milk or water, and boil in a cloth which has been dipped in hot water, then in cold, and then sprinkled with flour. Do not tie it too tightly, as it will swell a little. - Be sure the water is boiling hard be fore you put the pudding into the pot, and first put in a plate or saucer for the pudding to rest on, or it will burn to the bottom. The longer you cook it the better and richer it will look. If you can let it boil all day and then hang it up somewhere to drain, and put it on again in boiling water for an hour or two on the day you wish to eat it that win be enough. Remember that the water must not stop boiling at an. Keep a kettle of boiling water ready to fill up as it boils away; and when you dish it up first plunge the padding into a bucket of cold water for a second. This will prevent the cloth from sticking. Kerosene tin will do as well as anything else to boil the pudding in, especially if you can find something to form a lid, say a bit of board or tin.

Menu for Christmas Dinner for 10 in 1911. For the recipes see the Sunday Times 17 December 1911. Cost in 1911 £1/18/6d!

MENU

Carrot Soup

Boiled Fish and white sauce

ENTREE

Stuffed Tomatoes

POULTRY

Roast Duck and Apple Sauce

JOINTS

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Ox Tongue and Ham

SAVORY

Macaroni Cheese

PUDDING AND SWEETS

Plum Pudding and Brandy Sauce

Banana Cream

Pineapple Jelly

DESSERT

Almonds and Raisins. All fruit in season

Aussie Inventions

2011-12-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

Australian inventors have contributed to the health and well being of millions of people around the world.

The latest invention and 2011 winner of the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research has been awarded for the development of the Nanopatch - a stamp sized vaccination that delivers a needle free vaccine. The Nanopatch was developed by a team led by Professor Mark Kendall from the Australian Institute for Bio engineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.

Other Australian medical advances include:

The development of the first pacemaker in 1926 when Dr. Mark Lidwell and physicist Edgar Booth devised a portable apparatus that was used to revive a still born infant at the Crown Street Women's Hospital

Howeard Florey, a scientist from Adelaide who, in the 1940's developed a way for penicillin, the world's first antibiotic to be manufactured and processed so it could be used to treat infections in humans.

In 1960 the world's first plastic spectacle lenses, 60 per cent lighter than glass, were designed by Scientific Optical Laboratories in Adelaide.

In 1961, the development of the ultrasound enabled unborn babies to be monitored without the need of surgery.

A snake anti venom capable of acting against the poison from many Australian snakes was developed by CSIRO in 1968.

In 1970 Professor Earl Owen from Sydney pioneered microsurgery techniques by performing the first microsurgery operation when he rejoined an amputated index finger.

In 1973 the world's first pregnancy using IVF technology was reported from Monash medical Centre.

Cochlear Implants (bionic ear) were invented by Dr. Graeme Clarke in 1979. Thousands of children in Australian and New Zealand now have implants and people around the world have benefited from the device.

In 1984 the first frozen in-vitro fertilization baby was born in Melbourne Australian using a technique developed by Dr. Alan Trounson and Dr. Linda Mohr.

In 1985 Broncostat, an oral vaccine, was developed by Professor Robert Clancy at the University of Newcastle. Broncostat reduces attacks of acute bronchitis.

CPAP mask - Professor Colin Sullivan of Sydney University developed the continuous positive Airflow pressure mask which became the most common treatment for sleep disordered breathing.

The world's first multi-focal contact lens was invented by optical research scientist Stephen Newman in Queensland in 1992.

In 1998 Polartechnics, the Sydney Melanoma Unit and CSIRO developed the Solarscan, a device to scan the skin and quickly assess sunspots to determine if they are melanomas.

Spray on skin was developed by Dr. Fiona Wood at the Royal Perth Hospital in 1999.

In 2006 Professor Ian Frazer discovered how to create a vaccination for cervical cancer. The commercial application Gardasil is a vaccine to prevent certain types of human papillomavirus.

Find out more about amazing Aussie inventions

Pearl Harbour 7 December 1941

2011-12-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Pearl Harbour attacked

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British Pathe

Captain William Bligh

2011-12-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Captain William Bligh was appointed Governor of New South Wales in August 1806. His momentous tour of duty in the colonies caused great scandal and infamy, however it was only a brief interlude in what was an adventurous and eventful life.

He died on 7th December 1817.

Nora Head

2011-12-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

Norah Head, New South Wales

List of Articles to links about Norah Head lighthouse, shipwrecks and history from National Library of Australia Trove site.

Arrival of the Convict Ship Claudine 1829

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

The convict ship Claudine arrived in Port Jackson on 6th December 1829.

Two hundred and eighty one prisoners arrived under Surgeon Superintendent William Trotman.

Select here to find out more about the voyage of the Claudine.

Arrival of the Convict Ship Henry Porcher 1825

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Convict Ship Henry Porcher arrived in Port Jackson on 3rd December 1825.

Charles Carter was employed as Surgeon Superintendent. Select here to find out more about the voyage of the Henry Porcher

Surveyor Felton Matthew 1829

2011-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Felton Matthew arrived on the Morley on 3rd December 1829. He was appointed Assistant-Surveyor of New South Wales on 10th December 1829.

He accompanied Captain Hobson to New Zealand in 1840 became Surveyor-General of New Zealand

Read The Diary of Felton Matthew here

Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan - AWM

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Australian War Memorial’s exhibition Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan opens to the public on 2 December 2011. Australian nurses have been going to war for well over 100 years, but their important contribution to Australia’s overseas military operations often goes unreported. The exhibition explores the involvement of nurses from the first known Australian in the Zulu War of 1879, right up to the experiences of the male and female nurses serving in recent conflicts and peace keeping operations.

Newly restored Eureka Flag goes on display

2011-12-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

The Eureka Flag featuring stars on a cross against a blue background, was first flown by rebellious miners during the Eureka Stockade on 2nd - 3rd December 1854.

After 14 months of restoration work, the Eureka flag has been returned to the central Victorian city of Ballarat where it will do on display in time for the 157th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade rebellion.....ABC News

Sir Douglas Mawson - Mawson Huts Conservation Program

2011-12-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

1911

Part 1

Part 2

Arrival of the Convict Ship Lucy Davidson 1829

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Convict Ship Lucy Davidson departed England on 20th July 1829 and arrived in New South Wales on 29th November 1829.

Ninety-nine female prisoners arrived under the superintendence of surgeon John Osborne.

Find out more about the voyage of the Lucy Davidson here.

Arrival of the Convict Ship Speke 1826

2011-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Convict Ship Speke departed Sheerness on 8th August 1826 and arrived in New South Wales on 26th November 1826. One hundred and fifty-six male prisoners arrived under the superintendence of surgeon Alick Osborne.....Find out more about Alick Osborne and the voyage of the Speke

Images of World War 1 Australian Servicemen

2011-11-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

The National Archives is uploading 500 digital images of Australian World War 1 servicemen at their Mapping Our Anzacs website. The images were received from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).

The images were identified by DVA staff member Courtney Page-Allen, a recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship. To find them, she spent 18 months searching through the 16,000 World War I images held in the Bonds of Sacrifice collection of the Imperial War Museum, London.

The digital images provided to the National Archives include photographs taken in London studios while servicemen were on leave and occasional newspaper clippings.

Australian Cricket Team 1878

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

On 25th November 1878 the first Australian Cricket Team returned to Australia from a tour to England and the United States......find out more

Steamer William IV - Launched in November 1831

2011-11-24T15:18:00.000-08:00

The paddle wheel steamer William IV was launched from the Deptford Shipyards at Clarencetown one hundred and eighty years ago.

She was built by William Lowe and James Marshall for Joseph Hickey Grose.

John Taggart was her first Captain.

Find out more at Hunter Valley Steamers

Online Index to Chemists 1876 - 1920

2011-11-22T11:26:00.001-08:00

The State Records of New South Wales has released an Online Index to Chemists who were registered between 1876 - 1920. The index was a volunteer project and is compiled from Registers of Chemists and Druggists of New South Wales under the Sale and Use of the Poisons Act.

Thirty-two chemists were registered at Newcastle; five at Singleton; five in Scone; seven at Muswellbrook, and seventeen in the Maitland district.

Earlier apothecaries at Maitland included William Lipscombe, Charles Vavasour Earle, William Mutlow and William Townley Pinhey.

Arrival of the Convict Ship Larkins on 22nd November 1817

2011-11-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

The Convict Ship Larkins arrived in New South Wales from England on 22nd November 1817. (One hundred and ninety four years ago). Select here to find out more about the voyage of the Larkins.

Two hundred and forty seven prisoners arrived on the Larkins, three having died on the voyage out.

Select here to find some of the men who were assigned to the Hunter Valley district.

Beauty from Nature: art of the Scott Sisters

2011-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

Australian Museum Exhibition

With the encouragement of the father, Alexander Walker Scott, Harriet and Helena Scott became the most famous natural history illustrators working in Sydney in the last decades of the 19th century.

Before moving to Sydney they lived for twenty years at Ash Island near Newcastle.

The Scott sisters produced exquisite watercolours over a 20-year period for their father’s scientific publication on moths and butterflies. These rarely seen artworks are on display from the Australian Museum’s Archives for the first time in over 100 years! Take a personal journey into 19th century life with Harriet and Helena by viewing their notebooks, observational drawings, handwritten manuscripts, letters and real insect specimens, and inspecting the sisters' achievements – over 55 delicate watercolour illustrations.

The exhibition closes on 27th November 2011, so be quick!

Audience Type: General Event

Type: Special exhibition

Opens: 3 September 2011 Closes: 27 November 2011

Location: Level G, Special Exhibition Space

Burial of Captain Patrick Logan

2011-11-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Captain Patrick Logan arrived with the 57th Regiment on the vessel Hooghley in 1825. A year later a detachment of the 57th was posted to Moreton Bay penal colony and Logan was appointed commandant in March 1826. He sailed for Moreton Bay on the 8th March accompanied by his wife Letitia (nee O'Beirne) and two year old son Robert Abraham Logan.

Patrick Logan had a distinguished military career and during his tour of duty at Moreton Bay he made extensive explorations over vast areas of South-East Queensland. He also had the very difficult task of commanding a penal settlement filled with hardened, recalcitrant and desperate convicts. In dealing with the responsibilities that followed his appointment he gained an enduring reputation as a cruel tyrant who was hated and feared by the convicts under him.

Patrick Logan was murdered on or about the 17th October 1830 while on an expedition. The perpetrators were never found. He was buried in Sydney on the 23rd November 1830 with full military honors.

Robert Ballard - Railway Engineer

2011-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Robert Ballard was born on 28 March 1839 at Ledbury, Herefordshire, England, son of Robert Ballard, builder, and his wife Catherine Maria, née Pedlingham. He died in London ninety-nine years ago, on 22nd November 1912.

He first attended King Edward Grammar School, Ledbury; later he trained as a civil engineer under his uncle, Stephen Ballard, in Britain and Holland and under George Woodhouse in France. He became a member of the Institution of Engineers, England, and the American Society of Engineers. He was sent by Thomas Brassey of Peto, Brassey & Betts, railways contractors, to New South Wales in 1859 and supervised the construction of the railway from Maitland to Singleton.......Australian Dictionary of Biography

Select here to read a description of the construction of the railway in the vicinity of Black Creek in 1860.

Maitland Railway Station 1877 - State Records

Latest Australian History Books - Allen & Unwin

2011-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Great Moments in Australian History - Jonathon King

Great Moments in Australian History - Jonathon King From the early Dutch explorers to the gold rushes, Federation to the wars of the last century and the Victorian bushfires of recent times this magnificently illustrated volume details sixty-five of the most defining events in Australia's history.

The Biggest Estate on Earth

How Aborigines made Australia - Bill Gammage Explodes the myth that pre-settlement Australia was an untamed wilderness revealing the complex, country-wide systems of land management used by Aboriginal people.

Living in History -

Alice Bennett & George Warner

Tasmania's Historic Homes, the people who built them and those who live in them now.

Australians Volume 2 - Eureka to the Diggers - Thomas Keneally

In this companion volume of Thomas Keneally's widely acclaimed history of the Australian people, the vast range of characters who have formed our national story are brought vividly to life. Immigrants and Aboriginal resistance figures, bushrangers and pastoralists, working men and pioneering women, artists and hard-nosed radicals, politicians and soldiers all populate this richly drawn portrait of a vibrant land on the cusp of nationhood and social maturity.

Memory Lane is Wonderful - Maitland

2011-11-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

Back in the days of yore, dear reader, a day home from school was a timeless, strange event.......... Reminiscences of school days by Tim Mallon, Maitland Mercury

Death Register sheds light on those laid to rest

2011-11-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

The North Head Quarantine Station is situated on Sydney Harbour, at North Head near Manly. To protect Australia’s early settlers from ship-borne disease and epidemics, it was established in 1832 as a place of quarantine for people entering the colony.

The North Head Quarantine Station is one of the oldest surviving quarantine facilities in Australia. Between 1832 and 1984, thousands of people were quarantined at the station, isolated from their homes for an undefined period of time. More than 570 people died there.

The fever ship Minerva was placed in quarantine in 1838 after typhus had been discovered on board. Among the passengers was Missionary Rev. Christopher Eipper, who survived the ordeal, although several of his fellow passengers did not.

PhD scholar Carmel Kelleher has used records held by the National Archives to shed light on some of those buried at the quarantine station. .....National Archives of Australia - Your Memento

Australia's First Postal Act 1825

2011-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Australia's first regular postal service was instituted in Sydney in April 1809, when former convict Isaac Nichols was appointed postmaster.

On 22nd November 1825 the Legislative Council passed the Postal Act which set postage and allowed postmasters to be appointed outside Sydney.

Tenders were called from persons willing to contract for the Conveyance of the Mail to and from Sydney to Parramatta, Windsor, and Liverpool, either by the coaches passing between those Places, or by Gigs, or other light vehicles, travelling at the Rate of Seven Miles in the Hour; and a mounted Postman from Liverpool to Campbell Town and from Parramatta to Emu plains and Bathurst, was to be established for the Conveyance of the Letter Bags to and from those Places. The Letter Bags for Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Moreton Bay or any other Sea port, were to be given in Charge to the Masters of such Vessels, as may occasionally proceed to or from those Ports and Sydney; and they were to receive One Penny for each Letter so conveyed, and Two pence for each Parcel.....Sydney Gazette

Changi Quilts - Australian War Memorial

2011-11-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

The Australian War Memorial is interested in making contact with the relatives or contributors to the famous Changi quilts. If you can provide more information about the women who made these quilts contact sue.ducker@awm.gov.au

When Singapore fell on 15 February 1942, 400 women and children were interned. Dozens of women contributed to make quilts, embroidering or appliquéing small pieces of salvaged material which were then combined to create the three quilts.

Supposedly made for the wounded in Changi hospitals, the quilts were actually meant to relieve boredom, to boost morale, and to pass information to other camps. Three quilts were made, one each for the Red Cross organisations of Britain, Australia and Japan.

Select here to see an alphabetical listing of those who contributed to the quilts.

Sir Douglas Mawson - Blizzards and Bureaucracy

2011-11-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

New Digital Gallery from State Records of New South Wales

Australasian Antarctic Expedition

Celebrating the Centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14: The expedition provided the world with more than a truly heroic tale of survival against the odds. It left the legacy of a vast collection of valuable scientific data and specimens in the areas of geology, cartology, biology, meteorology and geo magnetism

Find & Connect Australia

2011-11-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

Find & Connect, is a resource for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants. The website contains information that is relevant to anyone who experienced out-of-home 'care' in Australia, not only the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants, but also members of the Stolen Generations, foster children, wards of the state and adopted children....Find & Connect Australia

Newcastle History Re-floated

2011-11-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Saved from the blade of a bulldozer, stowed away in a cupboard for three decades and close to deterioration, a lost treasure in Newcastle’s maritime history has been unearthed after a long journey....Newcastle Herald

Convict Ship Royal Admiral

2011-11-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

The Convict Ship Royal Admiral arrived in Australia 211 years ago, on the 20 November 1800. She departed England on 23 May 1800 with 300 prisoners. Forty three convicts died on the voyage out.....Find out more about the voyage of the Royal Admiral

An Australian Language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Lake Macquarie N.S.W. by Lancelot Threlkeld

2011-07-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Following is a list of geographical names used by the Awabakal, the people of the Lake Macquarie district as recorded by Rev. Lancelot Threlkeld in 1834. He recorded them in 'An Australian Grammar, The Principles and Natural Rules of the Language as Spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake Macquarie. Follow the link to find more about the Awabakal language.

Geographical names in the Lake Macquarie district

Awaba - Lake Macquarie; the word means 'a plain surface'

Biwogkula, the place of red ti-trees; from biwog, 'red ti-tree.'

Boikonumba, a place of ferns; from boikon, 'fern'

Boun, the site of Wallis Plains; from a bird of that name.

Bulba, an island; any place surrounded with water.

Bulkara, any mountain; from bulka, 'the back' of a man or a beast.

Buttaba, the name of a hill on the margin of the Lake

Garawantara, any plain, a flat.

Goloyauwe, a point of land on the south side of the lake.

Gorroinba, the female emu place; from gorroin, the female emu'; 'the male emu' is kogkorog, from his cry

Gurranba, a place of brambles; from gurran, an inferior sort of bramble.

Kaiaraba, a place of sea weeds

Karakunba, a place of swamp oaks, which is a species of pine.

Karakunba, a place of swamp oaks, which is a species of pine,

Keel-keelba, a place of grass tree

Kintiirrabin, the name of a small extinct volcano, on the sea coast near Red Head, north east of Lake Macuqarie

Koikaligba, a place of brambles; from Loikalig, a sort of bramble bearing a berry like a raspberry

Koiyog, the site of any native camp

Konakonaba, the name of the place where the stone called kona kona is found. There are veins in the stone, which contain a yellow substance used for paint in warlike expeditions. It is the name of a large mountain at the northern extremity of Lake Macquarie.

Kopurraba, the name of the place from which the blacks obtain the kopurra, a yellowish earth, which they wet, mound up into balls and then burn in a strong fire; the fire makes it change into a brilliant red, something like red ochre; the men and women paint themselves with it, after mixing it with the kidney fat of the kangaroo; this paint they use always at their dances.

Kurra burran, the name of a place in which there is almost a forest of petrifactions of wood, of various sizes, extremely well defined. It is in a bay at the north western extremity of Lake Macquarie. The tradition of the aborigines, is, that formerly it was one large rock which fell from the heavens and killed a number of blacks who were assembled there

Kittai, the site of Sydney Lighthouse; any peninsula

Mulbinba, the name of the site of Newcastle, from an indigenous fern named mulubin.

Mullug0bula, the name of two upright rocks about nine feet high, springing up from the side of a bluff head on the margin of the Lake. The blacks affirm, from tradition, that they are two women who were transformed into rocks in consequence of their being beaten to death by a black man Beneath the mountain on which the two pillars stand a seam of common coal is seen, many feet thick from which Reid obtained a cargho of coals when he mistook the entrance of this lake for Newcastle. A portion of a wharf built by him still exits at this place which is still called Reids Mistake (in 1834)

Manug-gurraba, the place to which sea snipe resort

Manukan is the name of a point under which is a seam of cannel coal and beneath that is a thick seam of superior common coal and both jut into thes sea betweixt three and four fathoms of water.

Nikkinba, a place of coals from Nikkin (coal). The whole Lake, twenty one miles long by eight broad, abounds with coal

Niritiba, the name of the island at the entrance of the lake; from niriti, the 'mutton bir' which abounds there

Pitoba, a place of pipe clay; from pito 'pipe clay' which is used at a death by the deceased relatives to paint their whole body, in token of mourning

Puntei, a narrow place; the name of any narrow point of land.

Purribag, the ant's nest place; from within these nests a yellow dusty substance is collected and used by the blacks as a point for their bodies called purribag. The ants gather the substance for some unknown purpose.

Tirabeenba, a tooth like point of land; from tira 'a ooth'

Tulkaba, the soft ti tree place

Tulkiriba, a place of brambles;

Tumpoaba, a clayey place

Warawallug, the name of a high mountain to the west of Lake Macquarie. This has been partly cleared of timber, by order of the Survey General; as a land mark it is seen from a considerable distance. The name is derived from wallug, the human head, from its appearance

Wanwaran, the name of a hole of fresh water in the vicinity of Lake Macquarie betwixt it and the mountains westerly; said by the blacks to be bottomless, and inhabited by a monster of a fish much larger than a shark called wauwai; it frequents the contiguous swamp and kills the aborigines. Ther is another resort for these fish near an island in Lake Macquarie named boroyirog, from the cliffs of which if stones be thrown down into the sea beneath, the ti tree bark floats up and then the monster is seen gradually arising from the deep; if any natives are a hand, he overturns their canoe, swallows the crew alive and then the enire canoe after which he descends to the depths below

Yirannalai, the name of a place near Newcastle on the sea beach beneath a high cliff; it is said that if any persons speak there, the stones fall down from the igh arched rocks above; for the crumbling state of these is such that the concussions of air from the voice cause the pieces of the loose rock to come down; this once occurred to myself when I was incompany with some blacks here.

SEARCH - South Eastern Australian Recent Climate History

2010-11-02T03:05:00.000-07:00

South Eastern Australian Recent Climate History,(SEARCH) need online volunteers to help them, by tagging and correcting relevant climate related articles in historic newspapers at Trove Australia

South Eastern Australian Recent Climate History (SEARCH) is a landmark project supported by the Australian Research Council and they are using Trove as a key part of the research path. The project spans the sciences and the humanities, drawing together a team of leading climate scientists, water managers and historians to better understand south-eastern Australian climate history over the past 200–500 years. Joelle Gergis the lead investigator said “Having all this information online and being able to quickly access it has been amazing. Being able to find weather tables from 1803 onwards in the Sydney Gazette is crucial to our research. Official records from the Bureau of Meteorology only began 100 years ago so being able to access the newspaper records which are earlier than this is really useful. The sources in Trove show how weather events have affected society, with eye witness accounts of floods and bushfires. For example we have been researching the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires in Victoria.”

For more information about the aims of the project and how to volunteer select HERE

Cemetery inscriptions in Sydney Branch Genealogical Library, 1800-1960

2010-10-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Search Index Cards of inscriptions found in cemeteries in New South Wales, Australia at FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch Wiki

Many of the entries are actual monumental inscriptions from cemeteries in New South Wales, but some entries were taken from burial registers. The majority of cemeteries are public ones. The cemeteries included were not necessarily transcribed completely. Cemeteries include Minmi, Mulbring, Mount Vincent, Maitland district and Newcastle. Link to film numbers

Use information from gravestones to locate death certificates which may have additional information. Also date of birth and names of parents and place of birth, if available, can be used to search for additional birth information. Information taken from the monuments is probably fairly reliable, although it is possible that some mistakes were made in transcription. Birth information on the monuments is only as reliable as the knowledge of the person responsible for the gravestone at the time of death.

Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time

2010-10-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time: containing the history of Australasia from 1542 to May, 1879, was first published in 1879, the author being John Henniker Heaton. The book can be read online at Internet Archives.

Part 1, Men of the Time, is a listing of biographies of men of note with connections to Australian, providing details such as full name, date and place of birth and history of their occupation. Select here to find an index to these Part 1 biographies.

Surgeons at Sea - Royal Navy Medical Officers' Journals

2010-10-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Surgeons at Sea series at The National Archives consists of journals and diaries compiled by Royal Navy surgeons and assistant surgeons who served on HM ships, hospitals, naval brigades, shore parties and on emigrant and convict ships in the period 1793 to 1880.

Medical officers serving in the Royal Navy were required to submit detailed records of the health, treatment and survival rates of their charges. This has provided us with journals which exhibit a completeness, consistency and coherence unlikely to exist elsewhere for this period.

In June 2008, The National Archives was successful in its bid for a grant under the Wellcome Trust’s Research Resources in Medical History programme, to catalogue the journals. The key objective of this funded project was to open up this under-utilised resource for researchers by fully cataloguing over a thousand journals.

As a result of this extensive work the records can be easily searched by the name of the medical officer, the patient, the ship or even by disease or ailment. The cataloguing also revealed some unexpected “bonus” material contained in the journals. For example, the presence of watercolour illustrations, sketches, hand-drawn maps, charts showing details of the climate, details about the lay-out of the vessels and ideas about ventilation, and details of the countries visited and people encountered.

The journals include a variety of colourful tales of 18th and 19th century ship life, from drunken rum-related incidents, venereal disease, scurvy, shark bites and tarantulas, to lightning strikes, gun fights, mutiny, arrests and court martial - not to mention ship wrecks and even murder.

London Lives 1690 - 1800 - Crime, Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis

2010-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Did your ancestors live in London in the 17th and 18th century?

A new site, London Lives to be launched at a conference on 5th July contains enough documentary material to reconstruct significant portions of the lives, of hundreds of thousands of Londoners who lived in the eighteenth century, including both plebeians and the officers who manned the institutions of government and social welfare.

London Lives makes available, in a fully digitised and searchable form, a wide range of primary sources about eighteenth-century London, with a particular focus on plebeian Londoners. This resource includes over 240,000 manuscript and printed pages from eight London archives, included are workhouse records, criminal registers, coroners’ reports, court orders and papers governing the dispensation of poor relief.

It provides access to historical records containing over 3.35 million name instances. Facilities are provided to allow users to link together records relating to the same individual, and to compile biographies of the best documented individuals

Check it out at London Lives

Missing Australian WWI soldier identified

2010-06-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Missing for almost a century, the remains of Private Alan James Mather of Inverell, NSW have finally been identified.

Private Mather was one of 216,000 men from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom who fought in the Battle of Messines against the German Empire in West Flanders, Belgium from June 7 to 14, 1917........Full Story and source

SepiaTown - Mapped historical photographs,film and audio

2010-06-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

SepiaTown combines Google Maps with historical images to present an historical map of various locations.

The objective of SepiaTown is to map a virtual past by collecting and mapping historical and vintage photographs, prints, film and audio.

SepiaTown lets you view and share thousands of mapped historical images from around the globe. Images from collections of all sizes, from libraries and historical societies to individuals with a boxful of cool old photos are all welcome.

Go to the SepiaTown site to view mapped historical photos, film, and audio

Lost Medals Australia

2010-06-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Glyn Llanwarne is the founder of Lost Medals Australia. His Blog complements the main website of Lost Medals Australia
The main site is dedicated to returning medals to the veteran's nearest kin. Since 2000 Glyn has been acquiring, researching and then returning lost medals to veterans or their families. Although he started out purchasing medals, he now is supported through donations of 'found' medals and no longer purchases them, enabling him to use all his resources for research and trying to locate families.

WW 1 Post Card Collection - Australian War Memorial

2010-06-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

The postcard concept had its origins in Germany and the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century. By the outbreak of the First World War, millions of postcards were being sent across the world via postal services. The phenomenon of collecting postcards was also well and truly established.

A new display featuring images of women from the First World War postcard collection, is currently showing in the Australian War Memorial’s Reading Room.

Take a look - Australian War Memorial Postcard Collection

Baseline Website Launched

2010-06-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

The NSW Land and Property Management Authority has a new web portal “Baseline” giving access to its online registers, maps and plans, its archival projects, and its cultural heritage sites and collections.

A virtual exhibition showcases the “1810: Expanding Sydney” Exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, and the “Collection Spotlight” this month shows some of the land grants signed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Other collection highlights include a tour of Sydney’s surveying heritage, and a selection of the LPMA’s collection of sales lithographs.

There are links to the LPMA’s excellent series of guides for researchers, which include A Guide to Searching New South Wales Land Title Records, detailed guides to Old System Title and Torrens Title, and a guide on the Use of the Parish Map and Crown Plan in Family History and Genealogical Research.

Check it out Baseline

Femme Fatale - The Female Criminal

2010-06-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Woman is rarely wicked, but when she is, she is worse than a man. Italian proverb

Wicked women, seductive sinners, vicious vixens – the female criminal is portrayed in many guises in popular culture, myth, literature and history, but what do these stereotypes tell us about women and crime?

This exhibition examines these extremes, traversing criminological theory, popular culture and case studies.

See treasures from the Justice & Police Museum’s collection including the Darlinghurst Gaol jacket sewn by female inmates around 1845, original criminal records, forensic images and confiscated weapons.

The gritty reality of these objects contrasts with rare movie posters, detective novels and popular ephemera from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Femme Fatale Opens 12 June 2010 and Closes 12 September 2010
Location - National Archives of Australia
Queen Victoria Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600

Polaroid Collection bankruptcy sale

2010-06-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Polaroid Collection bankruptcy sale

National Library of Australia Gateways

2010-06-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

National Library of Australia Gateways now Online

Gateways gives information about innovative activities of the library and its partners, projects of significance, international collaboratoins and technical advances. In Gateways you can also read articles about National Library services, new cquisitions to the collection, exhibitions, staff activites and other events.

The History of Australian Discovery & Colonisation

2010-04-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

Uprising at Castle Hill and the aftermath - Newcastle 1804

2010-02-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

Bloody battle . . . a painting by an unknown artist depicts the Battle of Vinegar Hill, where several hundred convicts broke out of Castle Hill prison farm to take on the British redcoats. Photo:National Library of Australia

The Government settlement at Newcastle was closed in 1802, however occasional supplies of coal and cedar for buildings were still sent to Sydney both by Government and private individuals. Governor King was reminded of this when on 22nd February 1804 the schooner 'Governor King' owned by Kable and Underwood arrived from the Hunter River with 6 tons of coal and 6 'fine logs of cedar'.

On 1st March 1804, Governor King wrote to Lord Hobart indicating his intention to re-open the settlement 'should any fit person present himself for managing a settlement of that kind, I shall renew it immediately'. Governor King wasn't to know it when he penned that letter but within a fortnight such a person would present himself.

Just three days after Governor King wrote to Lord Hobart, the colony was in an uproar and King's greatest fears were played out in the bloody and desperate convict uprising at Castle Hill.

The rebels were defeated, the leaders executed and major participants flogged without mercy. The Sydney Gazette gave this account of the battle -

REBELLION AT CASTLE HILL - Major Johnston on arriving at Toongabbee, received information that a considerable Body were on their way to the Hawkesbury: Notwithstanding the fatigue of his small Detachment in marching up from Sydney and the distance they had gone since, they immediately ran in good Order, with their followers, and after a pursuit of Seven Miles farther, Major Johnston and a Trooper, who had preceeded the Detachment came up with the rear of the Insurgents at 11 o'clock, whose number have since been ascertained to be 233 men, armed with Musquets, Pistols, Swords etc., and a number of followers which they had taken from the Settlers. After calling to them repeatedly they halted, and formed on the rise of a Hill: The Major and Trooper advanced within pistol shot, and endeavoured to persuade them to submit to the Mercy that was offered them by the Proclamation, which they refused. The Major required to see their Chiefs, who after some deliberation met them half way, between the Detachment and Insurgents, when by a great presence of mind and address the Major presented his pistol at the head of the Principal leader (Phillip Cunningham), and the Trooper following his motions, presented his Pistol also to the other leader's head, (Wm Johnston) and drove them into the Detachment without the least opposition from the body of the Insurgents. Major Johnston immediately ordered Quarter Master Laycock to advance with the Detachment etc. and cut the body to pieces, which immediately filed off and fled in all directions, pursued by the Detachment and followers, several shots were fired by the Insurgents without effect. As the pursuit was along the Road & on each side in the Woods, the number of dead are not yet ascertained; nine bodies were found above the Road, and several were known to be killed in the pursuit through the Woods. A number were overtaken and made prisoners, among whom was the Leader (Phillip Cunningham), who was to all appearance left dead on the road. The pursuit continued on to the Hawkesbury, where the Detachment arrived at 4 in the afternoon with several prisoners, after a forced march, or rather running 35 miles; Lieutenant Davis being joined by Lieutenant Brabyn with a reinforcement of thirty Soldiers joined the Major at 9 o'clock that night. Philip Cunningham the Principal leader, who was carried among the wounded to Hawkesbury being still alive, and very properly considered by Major Johnston as a proper object to make an immediate example of, by virtue of the Martial Law that then existed, and the discretionary power given him by His Excellency, and after taking the opinion of the Officers about him, directed him to be publicly executed on the Stair case of the Public Store, which he had boasted in his march he was going to plunder.
As the principal Body was dispersed, the Detachment returned to Parramatta on Wednesday morning with a great number of Prisoners taken in Arms; and on Thursday morning received His Excellency's personal Approbation and Thanks for their animated and Soldier Like conduct & great perseverance in the fatigues they had undergone.
Seventy of the Insurgents, armed with musquets of which they had stripped the settlers, commanded by Humes having missed joining the main body, were concealed about the Castle Hill Road, which occupied the attention of the Detachment and Association at Parramatta. After the defeat, the Insurgents took advantage of the Proclamation, which extended Grace to those who gave themselves up in 24 hours, and great numbers were constantly coming in and delivering themselves up from noon on Monday and others were brought in prisoners with their arms by Lieutenants Davis and Brabyn's Parties.
Several parties of Settlers and others now pursued the Insurgents in all directions; and from Monday noon to Friday evening upwards of 300 were taken or gave themselves up, most of whom were dismissed and sent to their respective labour, with a caution and reprimand. Ten of those who were selected from upwards of 200, as being most forward, including the two leaders Johnstone and Humes, were tried on Thursday at Parramatta by a General Court Martial, when they were all sentenced to be hanged - Johnstone and Humes to be hung in Chains: A part of the Sentence was carried into execution at 6 o'clock on Thursday evening, upon Humes, Charles Hill, and John Place, who acknowledged the justice of their sentence. Humes gave much important information, respecting the secret contrivers; and on Friday morning Johnston, Harrington, and Neale were executed at Castle Hill, Johnstone giving a similar information to Hume's; and on Saturday Brannan and Hogan suffered at Sydney, Burke and McCormick being Reprieved. Five others received Corporal Punishment; and about thirty were ordered to the different Gaol gangs until they can be otherwise disposed of.
Thus ended a sudden Insurrection, that was as unexpected as it is decidedly put an end to by the great assistance given to the measure which the exigency of the moment required.
On Friday afternoon Major Johnston's Detachment marched into Sydney, where they were received by the Regiment, and dismissed amidst the gratulations of their Comrades and Spectators; and
On Saturday morning His Excellency arrived at Sydney, after repealing Martial Law in the Interior. On his arrival at the Regimental Parade he was received by Lieut. Col Paterson at the head of the New South Wales Corps under arms, and received the Military Honours due to his Situation.

As punishment, and to remove the perpetrators from the general population it was decided to re-open the settlement at Newcastle. The rebels from the Castle Hill uprising would be used as labour to wrest coal from the cliffs and cedar from the banks of the Hunter River.

Twenty one year old Lieutenant Charles Menzies of the Royal Marines heard of King's intention to re-open the settlement from Captain Woodriffe of the 'Calcutta' and immediately offered his services to act as Superintendent at the new settlement.

Example of the uniform of the Marines from a painting by Charles C. Stadden on the jacket of 'The First Fleet Marines 1786 - 1792' by John Moore (ISBN 0 7 022 2 065 5)

A small fleet consisting of the Lady Nelson, the cutter Resource and the sloop James set sail for Newcastle on 28th March. On board the Lady Nelson were Lieutenant Menzies (Superintendent), James Mileham, (surgeon) Ferdinand Bauer,(Historical painter) John Tucker (storekeeper), an overseer, members of the NSW Corps and 22 convicts. On the Resource travelled J. Knight (superintendent of convicts), members of the NSW Corps and 12 convicts and the James conveyed George Caley (botanist) and 3 coal miners. The fleet arrived in Newcastle on 30th March and had with them all the stores, implements and provisions they would need for the next six months.

Select here to find out more about the prisoners who were sent to Newcastle in March 1804

Select here to find out more about early convict coal miners at Newcastle

Les Darcy - Saturday 19th February 1916

2010-02-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

Les Darcy giving demonstration of punches with his tutor Dave Smith - Courtesy National Library of Australia

Les Darcy was born in Maitland, NSW in October 1895, the 2nd of 12 children of Edward and Margaret Darcy. He began boxing at the age of fourteen, and within five years he had won the Australian middleweight title and become a contender for the world middleweight crown.

On 19th February 1916 he won the heavy weight champion of Australia title -

Darcy v. Hardwick
Sydney
Les Darcy, middleweight champion of Australia and the world, and heavy weight champion of Australia, won the latter title at the Sydney Stadium on Saturday night 19th February, in opposition to Harold Hardwick, ex-heavyweight champion of Australia. He had his man in a bad way in the sixth round and in the following round sent him to the boards three times, when the towel was thrown in. There was half a stone difference in weight. Hardwick 12.3; Darcy 11.9
The first tow rounds were all Darcy's. Hardwick, however surprised many by crossing his right splendidly to the side of the head. Although Darcy had the better of the third and fourth rounds, Hardwick had the satisfaction of knowing that he knocked two of Darcy's front teeth out with a couple of right upper cuts. Hardwick was taking his punishment splendidly, but at the end of the sixth round he went to the corner in a bad way. The finish came in the seventh round.
It is understood that Hardwick will now retire from the ring and will enter into the practice of his profession as chartered accountant. - The Mercury, Hobart 21st February 1916.

Darcy was under pressure to enlist to fight in the war and was denied a passport to go to the US to fight for the official world title. On the eve of the 1916 conscription referendum he stowed away on a ship in Newcastle harbour bound for New York.

After major fights were cancelled in the US, Darcy took up a United States citizenship. Soon after he volunteered for the US Army to avoid further criticism and began training for the world title, however he collapsed and was found to be suffering from an infected tooth. The infection spread to his bloodstream and he died on 24 May 1917.

NEWCASTLE RAIL: THE HIDDEN HISTORY

2010-02-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

150 years ago, Newcastle was a town divided over trains ... Take a Trip back with Greg Ray at Newcastle Herald Multimedia

Along Parallel Lines - A history of the railways of New South Wales - John Gunn

Community rallies to save Cooks Hill fig trees

2010-02-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

SUPPORTERS of a row of mature Hills figs in Laman Street, Newcastle, are putting their faith in a ground-penetrating radar survey they hope will show the trees have stronger roots than first thought...... Read more

Haitians fight to save historic archives

2010-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency, has launched a campaign to protect Haiti's heritage. Drawing on previous experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, the agency called for a temporary ban on the "trade or transfer of Haitian cultural property," to prevent looting from art galleries, museums and historical sites.

Archivist at La Bibliothèque Haitienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit, Mr. Tardieu, plans to return this week to the crumbling capital to save the collection of letters, manuscripts, newspapers and books spanning the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

Included in the archives are one-of-a-kind documents from the 13-year Haitian revolution from 1791-1804, which resulted in Haiti becoming the first independent Western nation ruled by people of African descent, and also the first to abolish. Read more at the National Post

California protects Apollo 11 landing site on Moon

2010-02-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

California has named a new site a state historical resource - despite the fact that it is not on Earth, never mind in the US state.
The site where Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in 1969, the first US landing, is now included on the state's register.
The unusual move by the California State Historical Resources Commission aims to protect more than 100 items left by US astronauts on the Moon. Find out more at BBC News

The Origins of 10 Winter Olympic Sports

2010-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the Winter Olympics - a rundown of The Origins of 10 Winter Olympic Sports

Shake Your Family Tree Day

2010-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

To encourage more Australians to unearth personal treasures, the National Archives is hosting a Shake Your Family Tree day in each capital city

Each Archives office will offer a range of activities including talks, preservation workshops, demonstrations and introductory research training. With expert family historians on hand, visitors will learn how to locate treasures such as letters, photographs, service records, immigration and citizenship applications, employment records, copyright registrations and other government records

Shake Your Family Tree Day

The War Graves Photographic Project

2010-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

The aim of The War Graves Photographic Project is to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day and make these available within a searchable database.
Now working as a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this will enable families, scholars and researchers to obtain, via the CWGC or TWGPP websites, a copy of the photograph of a grave or memorial which for many is impossible to visit due to the location. If you would like to use the service or volunteer your help please visit the site

Charles Darwin

2010-01-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

Charles Darwin arrived in Australia on the the Beagle on 12 January 1836. The Beagle was anchored at Sydney from 12 to 30 January 1836. During this time Darwin journeyed to Bathurst, making superficial observations on the geology of the Blue Mountains and collecting some native fauna and flora. He was 'rather disappointed in the state of society', and made the misjudgment that 'agriculture can never succeed on an extended scale'. His interest in Van Diemen's Land, where the Beagle stayed for ten days in February, was mostly geological and sociological: he gave a graphic account of the subjugation of the Aboriginals. On 6 March the Beagle arrived at King George Sound; Darwin was noticeably unimpressed: 'we did not during our voyage pass a more dull and uninteresting time'; though he did see a 'corrobery'. The Beagle left Australia on 14 March. He published an account of the voyage, Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries Visited by H.M.S. Beagle (London, 1839) which ran to several editions.

Read more about Charles Darwin at 'The Complete Work of Charles Darwin online' and at 'About Darwin'

Read an abridged verson of 'Voyage of the Beagle'

Commissioner John Thomas Bigge

2010-01-09T02:17:00.000-08:00

On 5th January 1819 John Thomas Bigge (1780–1843) was appointed by the Secretary of State Lord Bathurst as Commissioner to investigate complaints that transportation of prisoners was no longer an effective deterrent nor the means of reformation in the colonies.
Bigges arrived in Sydney on 26th September 1819 on the ship 'John Barry' and toured New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land between 1819 and 1821. When he finished gathering evidence in February 1821, he returned to England on the 'Dromedary'.

John Thomas Bigge (1780 - 1843), by unknown artist, courtesy of State Library of Queensland. 78178

Read a condensed form of his Report below.

Matthew Flinders

2010-01-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Read more about Matthew Flinders at the State Library and at

The National Maritime Museum (UK)

Matthew Flinders was the first man to circumnavigate Australia. His charts were so accurate that some are still in use to this day.
After sailing with the famous Captain Bligh on the Providence, Flinders' adventures brought him to Australia onboard the Reliance. In 1796 he explored the coastline around Sydney in a tiny open boat called Tom Thumb. He next proved that Tasmania was an island by finding and sailing through Bass Strait.
His most successful voyage came between 1801 and 1803 when he charted the coastline of Australia, completing and linking together other partial surveys to give us the first complete picture of our island nation.

Macquarie 2010 Bicentenary Commemorations

2010-01-06T02:51:00.000-08:00

Lachlan Macquarie was sworn in as Governor of New South Wales on 1st January 1810. The 200th anniversary of the event will be commemorated in 2010 with a statewide celebration program

Several key events throughout Sydney and Western Sydney, as well as community events run by government agencies, local councils and organisations will provide opportunities for everyone to part of this historic year.

Read a transcription of Macquarie's Tour of Inspection from Port Jackson to Port Macquarie and Newcastle in November 1821 at Journeys in Time

The Life and Adventures of John Nicol

2010-01-06T02:34:00.000-08:00

Read 'The Life and Adventures of John Nicol' at Google Books

This is the life of an ordinary seaman at the time of the beginning of scientific exploration. John Nicol a seaman on the voyages of discovery and later trade to Australia, the Americas and to Africa. He observed life of the captains, the ordinary men at sea and the people of the lands he visited. He went to sea at an early age was imprisoned, married and lived to 94 and died in England

Amazing WWII aerial reconnaissance photography

2010-01-06T02:26:00.000-08:00

World at war captured in aerial photographic archive

It is a landscape unseen for more than 60 years, wartime Germany captured from the cockpits of British pilots during treacherous aerial reconnaissance missionsAmazing WWII aerial reconnaissance photography

Sitting in freezing temperatures, at altitudes of more than 30,000ft for hours at a time the crew risked fierce anti-aircraft fire to bring back the vital images.
The result of the successful sorties remain today in a wealth of high-quality images of what the world looked like during the Second World War.

350 years of scientific discoveries online

2010-01-06T01:40:00.000-08:00

The "Trailblazing" website was created by Britain's influential science academy the Royal Society, and includes handwritten papers on some of the most important scientific discoveries of the past three and a half centuries.

Benjamin Franklin's studies on flying a kite in an electrical storm from 1752 show the first time anyone had proposed that lightning is electricity and not a supernatural force.

And Edward Stone's 1763 notes on the success of willow bark in treating fever document the beginnings of the discovery of salicylic acid and the production of aspirin -- now one of the world's most used medicines.

It also showcases instances of science that have come about almost unawares, like Captain James Cook who figured out way back in 1776 how to prevent scurvy in his men by feeding them pickled cabbage, lemons and malt.

The creators of Trailblazing say it is a "go-at-your-own-pace" virtual journey through science which the Royal Society hopes will inspire members of the public to see science as part of everyday life and culture.

Go to the Trailblazing site

Walk Down the Streets of Pompeii !

2010-01-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

Walk down the Streets of Pompeii or along the banks of the Seine.

UNESCO have partnered with Google, so that you can take a virtual walk around some of the world’s most remarkable natural and cultural landmarks with Google Maps and and Street View.

Here are just a few

Paris, Banks of the Seine
From the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, from the Place de la Concorde to the Grand and Petit Palais, the evolution of Paris and its history can be seen from the River Seine. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and the Sainte Chapelle are architectural masterpieces while Haussmann's wide squares and boulevards influenced late 19th- and 20th-century town planning the world over.

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompei contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the holiday resort of Herculaneum, while the superb wall paintings of the Villa Oplontis at Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthier citizens of the Early Roman Empire.

Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Stonehenge and Avebury, in Wiltshire, are among the most famous groups of megaliths in the world. The two sanctuaries consist of circles of menhirs arranged in a pattern whose astronomical significance is still being explored. These holy places and the nearby Neolithic sites are an incomparable testimony to prehistoric times.