There was a prelude to the 1912 robbery of the Bank of NSW in Newtown. Six months earlier the Hoskins Street site of the stationery company Penfold’s new building was broken into. The safe was already in place, and had been tampered with; Would the burglars dare
Read more →The luxurious Hotel Metropole was built at the intersection of Young, Bent and Philip Street, Sydney, opening on January 14 1890. The following image appeared in the Sydney Mail on January 18; Along with mosaic tiled floors in the entrance areas and lavish stained glass windows, the
Read more →Singing a song of Sixpence. 💛 During a major decluttering, some dusty life vests turned up at our Blue Mountains Home. Dear me, they were very bulky compared to modern ones. And as I was ripping up old diaries I found this gem from the early 1980s.
Read more →Historic York Street in the Sydney CBD was originally known as Barracks Row, because of its proximity to the military barracks parade ground. Governor Lachlan Macquarie renamed it after the Duke of York and Albany, second son of King Richard III. Below is an image looking south
Read more →What could be more wonderful than working at Sydney’s Mitchell Library then popping up to the roof for a drink….or two? 🍸🍹 The space was once used by library staff as a canteen and recreation area, but then just forgotten about. Apparently the young women are playing
Read more →Ceratopetalum gummiferum, is a small tree commonly known as the New South Wales Christmas Bush. Its sepals turn bright red/pink in December. In Victorian times, native foliage such as Christmas bush was very popular as a festive decoration in Sydney. It was growing in the heart of
Read more →Now I do like wearing a hat. I think this trait was inherited from both my mother and my paternal grandmother, particularly the latter. Buying a new one (even a basic sun hat) is the only ‘apparel shopping’ I enjoy. No need to struggle out of your
Read more →Stella and Reginald Harrison were married at Hawthorn, Victoria in May 1934. However, married life for the couple began in Sydney, where Reginald had been appointed Manager of the Mansion House Private Hotel in Elizabeth Street. The only shadow on their happiness was that in July Stella,
Read more →My partner and I were wandering through Sydney’s newly renovated Australian Museum recently, enjoying all the natural history treasures on display. I hardly gave the Victorian armchair pictured below a second glance until I overheard a staff member explaining it’s significance to another visitor. Oh my word,
Read more →In 1887 there was great excitement over a huge gold nugget found at Maitland Bar near Mudgee. The prize was unearthed on June 22, as three miners were working their claim; Jonathan Thorpe, Isaac Holmes and Fred Leeder. After washing two tubs of material Holmes and Leeder
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