MILES FRANKLIN AND HER BRILLIANT IDEA Many literary figures of the day visited Miles Franklin (1879-1954) at her home in the Sydney suburb of Carlton. The author of the beloved book My Brilliant Career, referred to the house as, ‘My old humpy.’ A delightful custom developed
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In February 1938, 15 countries from what was then known as The British Empire, assembled in Sydney for what would be the last Empire Games until well after the Second World War. It was a huge occasion, especially as the event coincided with Sydney’s 150th anniversary. After
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A WINDFALL FOLLOWING ON FROM WHEN THE BANK OF AUSTRALIA WENT BUST In 1848 Angus McDonald from Bolwarra (near Maitland) bought a ticket in New South Wales’ first official lottery. It was held as a means of dispersing the assets of the failed Bank of Australia. The
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THIS STORY FOLLOWS ON FROM AUSTRALIA’S FIRST BANK ROBBERY At the beginning of March, 1841 there was a devastating fire at the Albion Mills, in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The owners, Messrs Hughes and Hosking, were shipping agents and importers. Many Sydney merchants had produce stored at the
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The New Ivanhoe Hotel stands on the Great Western Highway at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It has changed very little over the years. There are still signs of its art-deco interior, albeit a bit faded. A NEW ATTRACTION AT THE IVANHOE
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The SS Waratah disappeared without trace enroute to London from Australia in July 1909. The full story can be read HERE. Among the 211 passengers and crew on board were six members of the Bowden family, travelling third class. Newspaper reports varyingly stated that Mr Bowden
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During the Christmas holidays in 1992, three primary school children in Western Australia came across a giant, fossilized egg in the sand dunes at Cervantes Beach. Jamie Andrich aged nine and his cousins Kelly (9) and Michelle Rew (7) had no idea of the importance of their
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In Sydney’s Botanic Gardens there is a very special Norfolk Island pine known as The Wishing Tree. It is a replacement of the original, which was planted in the early days of the colony. A sign explains its history, and its association with Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s
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Several years ago I had to spend a few weeks in a major Sydney hospital. I didn’t actually feel sick, and since I was editing a book I took along my notebooks and computer. There was no restriction at all on visitors. In fact, my husband Rob
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HOME FRONT IN THE HARBOUR CITY It’s easy to forget just how concerned ordinary Australians were for their safety during World War II. This was not without reason, given the bombing of Darwin and the arrival of Japanese midget submarines in Sydney Harbour. A giant metal
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