THE AURORA & THE ANTARCTIC BOTTLE – A MYSTERY

THE AURORA & THE  ANTARCTIC BOTTLE - A MYSTERY

On May  7 1927 a strange story appeared in the Newcastle Sun. It said that  a Mr George Bressington  had been walking along a beach at Tuggerah, on the NSW Central Coast, when he  unearthed a half buried wine bottle.  On one side  there was an etching

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MOLONG & THE EARL OF HARDWICKE – AN UPDATE

MOLONG & THE  EARL OF HARDWICKE - AN UPDATE

  STOP PRESS- THE STORY OF  MOLONG AND THE EARL HAS ANOTHER CHAPTER….SEE END OF THIS PIECE! It’s not often a small  outback town can boast of having an Earl open  their garden fete, but that’s what happened at Molong in 1897. The man  responsible for the

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ROBBERY AT THE HOBART MUSEUM

ROBBERY AT THE HOBART MUSEUM

A robbery occurred  at the Hobart Museum (now The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery)  on  the night of April 16 1905. It  was believed to have been the work of  mainland criminals, targeting items  which could be melted down and sold as bullion. Security at the institution

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DR BLAND & THE DAGUERREOTYPE

  Visitors to the new photography gallery at the Library of NSW in Sydney’s Macquarie Street will see a tiny portrait of Dr William Bland (1789-1868). Dating from  1844 0r 1845, it is believed to be the earliest existing  photo taken in Australia. Dr Bland was the

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THE RAJAH QUILT…AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED!

THE RAJAH QUILT...AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED!

  From The Hobart Town Advertiser, July 20 1841.  The Rajah, female convict ship, from England, 5th April, arrived last night. Any important news will be given in our 2nd edition.   Farewell to old England forever. From The Australasian, February 9 1935 E. Winifred Ure, of

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SWAN, SORRY…’SNAKE’ ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

SWAN, SORRY...'SNAKE'  ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

As a born and bred Tasmanian I’m ashamed to admit that  I had never heard of  remote Swan Island and its lighthouse. It is located  five miles off the north-east coast of Tasmania. The tower was built in 1845 using convict labour, poor souls. An unusual feature

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ADELAIDE IRONSIDE AND THE ‘THREE NODDIES’

ADELAIDE IRONSIDE AND THE 'THREE NODDIES'

Adelaide Ironside  (1831-1867) was a Sydney girl, considered to be a child genius. She   was taken under the wing of the Reverend John Dunmore Lang; clergyman, educator and  politician. Adelaide Ironside became the first Australian born woman to study art abroad. In her case this was to

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