The Waratah – history and folklore.

The Waratah - history and folklore.

The spectacular  waratah (Telopea)  is the state emblem of New South Wales, and  so much a part of the beautiful  Blue Mountains, where I live.  The plants flower  both in our gardens and in the local bush. They are part of our identity. In 1912, an article

Read more

THE BLACKHEATH BROOM MAKER

THE BLACKHEATH BROOM MAKER

In 1918 an article in The Sydney Morning Herald reported on brooms being hand-made in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath; The brooms are manufactured under the most primitive conditions, the machine for binding them together being home-made, and it is contended by the maker that with

Read more

FIRE, & A MYSTERY ‘EPIDEMIC’ AT LITHGOW

FIRE, & A MYSTERY 'EPIDEMIC' AT LITHGOW

Fire created havoc in the Blue Mountains and Lithgow during the summer of 2019/20. The heat was extraordinary.  I am a firm believer in climate change, even though our beautiful Mountains have suffered very badly in years gone by. THE FURY OF FIRE The summer of 1952

Read more

THE SHOOTING OF DONALD BUNYAN

THE SHOOTING OF DONALD BUNYAN

On  the afternoon of August 18 1937, Mrs Dorothy Bunyan  of Lithgow attended a  funeral. It was a particularly  sad occasion; the child of Mr Brown,  of one of the  local  school teachers, had died. She hurried  home  because her nine year old son Donald was due home from primary school. 

Read more

TRAIN ROBBERY ON THE BLUE MOUNTAINS LINE

TRAIN ROBBERY ON THE BLUE MOUNTAINS LINE

Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, April 8 1930,   what has been described as the most daring robbery in the history of Australia took place.    The  heist  was conceived by Roy Wilkinson, a 24 year old  railway porter. Wilkinson had been  serving as  escort on the mail train from Sydney to Mudgee, which

Read more

MAIL COACH DRAMAS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND BEYOND

MAIL COACH  DRAMAS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND BEYOND

CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS  BY COACH AND HORSES In the 1850’s  the journey across the Blue Mountains of New South Wales  was truly daunting.    On Sunday, November 27 1853, Thomas Simons was driving the Bathurst mail coach from Sydney when he came to the top of Mount Victoria. Ahead was

Read more

LIVING IN A BLACKHEATH BIRD HIDE

LIVING IN A  BLACKHEATH BIRD HIDE

A little paradise in the Mountains. FEATHERING MY NEST Living in what very much resembles  a bird hide would not be to everyone’s taste, but it suits me.   My mini home is surrounded by trees and shrubs…predominantly  Australian natives, but certainly not exclusively. Is is actually a studio apartment,

Read more

LITHGOW SMALL ARMS FACTORY – STRANGE TALES

LITHGOW SMALL ARMS FACTORY - STRANGE TALES

On February 4  1908,  Australian military officials approved a site at  the coal mining town of Lithgow in New South Wales  for a small arms factory.  The fact that coal could be delivered to the site very cheaply  was an important factor in the choice. With the

Read more

The Strange Case of Mr and Mrs Joel in the Blue Mountains

The Strange Case of Mr and Mrs  Joel in the Blue Mountains

A CHANGE OF AIR FOR MRS JOEL On April 15 1918,  Mr David  Joel and his wife Emily  left Sydney by train  for the Blue Mountains village of Wentworth Falls, about  95km (60 miles) west of the city.  Forty seven year old.  Mr Joel was a  small

Read more