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The melancholy wreck of the Dunbar
Wreck of Dunbar, South Head c1862-1863, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (a939035 / PXA 1983, f.34) One hundred and sixty years ago, a large sailing vessel called the Dunbar was wrecked near the Gap, just south of Sydney Heads,…
Aging gracefully
Feast Day at Liverpool Asylum 24 July 1886, Illustrated Sydney News, 14 August 1886, p16 July marks the start of the new financial year, and for many reliant upon the government for support, this often means a change in pensions and…
A Humorous Rollerskater
The Patineur Grotesque in Prince Alfred Park in 1896. To wrap up the Sydney Film Festival, I thought today we could look at the origins of cinema in Sydney. Listen now In 1896, in the early days of moving pictures, the innovative Lumière…
Atmospheric cinema
The Sydney Film Festival starts tonight so I thought we'd talk about recreating an authentic early cinema experience! Frontage to Market Street of the State Theatre and shopping block, Sydney, Australia, c1929 Courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (PXA…
Letters of Complaint
2SER Breakfast listeners had a special treat today as Lisa talked about Letters of Complaint, just one of the projects she's been working on in her role as the City Historian at the City of Sydney. A cliff-face stair-way, Darlinghurst…
Bricks!
Brick chimneys St Peters 2008 by Paul Howard They are one of the most ubiquitous building materials in Sydney, so you probably haven't given them much thought, but the history of bricks in Sydney is actually rather fascinating! Listen…
The Art of the Scott Sisters
Helena Forde, nee Scott c1866 Pic: © Australian Museum Harriet Scott, Ash Island 1856 Pic: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (a9971002 / MLMSS 1694, 23b) A few weeks ago Nicole talked about The Australian Museum which is 190 years old this…
The old Commodore, Billy Blue
Billy Blue 1834 by JB East Courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales (a928634 / ML 560) 29 March 2017 Lisa Murray A few weeks back, we looked at the early history of Americans in Sydney. At the time, I…
Sydney's gas history
Gas works, Millers Point. 1873 by Samuel Elyard, Courtesy: Dixson Galleries, State Library of NSW (DGD 5, 14 / a2085014) Energy supply and gas has been in the news a lot lately, so I thought it would be timely to take…
Rowe Street
Rowe Street 1929 Courtesy: City of Sydney Archives (SRC11469) This Sunday, I am on a panel discussing Rowe Street as part of the public program for the Sydney Living Museums' exhibition Demolished Sydney. Nicole mentioned the street when talking about the exhibition a few weeks…