As 1930 drew to a close, coal miner Arthur Mellor made a disconcerting discovery at Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of NSW. In the ground behind the great cliff known as Dogface Rock he came across a deep fissure measuring eight feet across. When a surveyor was
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This is the third episode in the Higgs brothers saga. Each part has to stand alone, so apologies for repeating some information. If you want to read the original story click on the following link. Murder in the Blue Mountains. Bruce Doubleday Higgs was a Sydney underworld
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On September 9 1922, twenty one year old William Guy Higgs married Helena Potter in a society wedding at Hunters Hill. The couple honeymooned in the beautiful Blue mountains. The groom was the fourth born of seven sons, and chose his older brother Hubert as best man.
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I am cheating here and listing the towns and villages of the Blue Mountains alphabetically rather than by elevation. This is pure indulgence on my part so that I can begin with; Blackheath, aka Bleakheath – Ranks first in this list and first in my own Blackheathen
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Mrs Eva Hallett arrived in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba by rail in the autumn of 1916, accompanied by her 16 year old daughter Violet. The pair were from Brunswick in Victoria. For a few days they stayed in a well known boarding house. However, Mrs
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In 1916 The Paragon Café was established at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales by Greek immigrant Theo Simos and his family. It became an enormous success, and far more than a café. The art-deco interior still features a banquet room, and a ballroom
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‘I did but see her passing by…’ Prime Minister of Australia R.M. Menzies. (1963) Early in February 1954, a group of WWI diggers travelled down to Sydney to see the young Queen Elizabeth. She was on her first tour of Australia, following the coronation. Describing the occasion
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WELL HELLO AUNTY JACK! The Blue Mountains town of Katoomba has always been a bit retro, so what better place to open a 1950’s themed restaurant/café? Aunty Jacks in Katoomba Street is sheer bliss for Baby Boomers like me, who grew up playing the juke box
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In 1928 the Sydney publishers Angus and Robertson received an enquiry letter and sample poem from a Mr F. C. Meyers of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. To say they were not impressed is something of an under-statement. Now you might imagine
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A LONG, HOT SUMMER. It has been such a dry winter here in the Blue Mountains. We have already had one total fire ban day and it’s only September. I notice my husband quietly clearing undergrowth, and testing the petrol fueled water pump. I’m glad he does
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