The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

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Balmain Colliery

Balmain Colliery c1920 by John Henry Harvey, courtesy State Library of VIctoria (H91.300/71) The deepest coal mine ever worked in Australia was on the waterfront in Sydney's inner western suburbs. This week we took a look into the pit of a…

Enmore Theatre: Sydney's longest running live entertainment venue

Children running into a school holiday matinee at Enmore Theatre 1951 by Bob Rice, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ON 388/Box 005/Item 047) Sometimes you are involved in making history without even realising it, and anyone who has seen something…

Here's one for all the (library) lovers out there

Preserve this as a bookmark / the property of the Free Public Library, Sydney c1880, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales (M 027.591/1A1) This coming Friday is Library Lovers Day, so today on 2SER Breakfast Dr Mark Dunn…

The Newcastle Hotel

Barmaids serving customers in the Newcastle Hotel 1968, National Archives of Australia (A1500, K19075) In honour of Clive James who died this week, today we're going to peek inside the doors of one of the Sydney establishments that helped him along,…

It's a sign

Traffic congestion in Pyrmont, August 1938. Note the 'silent cop' on the road in front of the policeman directing traffic. Courtesy ACP Magazines, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ON 388/Box 035/Item 098) Last week Lisa Murray mentioned a few of…

Rose Bay Airport

[Window Title] Seagate Dashboard [Main Instruction] Seagate Dashboard has stopped working [Content] Windows is checking for a solution to the problem... [Cancel]_blankrel="noopener"> Short Empire Flying Boat Cooee at Rose Bay 5 July 1939, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW…

Fifty years of Kaldor Public Art Projects

View of Project 32: Jonathan Jones' barrangal dyara (skin and bones), Photo by Peter Greig, courtesy: Kaldor Public Art Projects This year Kaldor Public Art Projects is marking fifty years of challenging and surprising Sydneysiders with large scale, public and interactive…

PN Russell

Mr PN Russell, a generous donor to the Sydney University 1895, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 7 December 1895, p1171 There is virtually nothing in Sydney that has not, at some stage, had the hand of an engineer…

Koori Knockout

PIX article on the Redfern All Blacks 'Aboriginal Footballers' 1946, PIX, 5 October 1946 p28   This week is NAIDOC week, and as it happens, the decider for the State of Origin rugby league, so what better topic then the Koori Knockout…

High rise living

Wyoming Chambers, Sydney's newest skyscraper 1911, Building Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 45 (12 May, 1911). p45 via Trove In the latest census data available, Sydney has over 450,000 flats, units or apartments making up 28% of the domestic buildings. This is…