The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.
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Jill Roe, Miles Franklin: A Short Biography
Jill Roe, Miles Franklin: A Short Biography HarperCollins Australia (Fourth Estate), 417 pp., ISBN: 9781460755792, p/bk, AUS$32.99 The first edition of the late Jill Roe’s award-winning work Stella Miles Franklin: A Biography was published in 2008. A decade later, a new edition…
International Day for Monuments and Sites
The Parramatta River with Searle's monument c1915 by GN Wilson, courtesy National Library of Australia (nla.pic-an24616593) Today, April 18, is International Day for Monuments and Sites, a time when people around the world celebrate historical, spiritual , and cultural heritage. It's…
Australia’s First Bank Robbery
'Our first and gayest bank robbery', The Sun, 29 March 1948, p7 via Trove Did you know Australia’s first bank robbery occurred in Sydney in 1828 and most of the £14,000 was never recovered? This week we'll look at the crime that…
Women commemorated by Sydney's suburbs
Elizabeth Macquarie c1819, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (MIN 237) As an historian, I'm always interested in how we shape our cities and how we get the names we get. Earlier this week I was looking at the city's…
Meredith Lake, The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History
Meredith Lake, The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History NewSouth Publishers, 2018, 439 pp. ISBN: 9781742235714, p/bk, AUS$39.99 Meredith Lake’s latest book, The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History (2018), is extraordinary. Lake’s authority as an historian, her skills as a writer and…
Jamelle Wells, The Court Reporter
Jamelle Wells, The Court Reporter HarperCollins Australia (ABC Books), 309 pp., ISBN: 9780733337888, p/bk, AUS$32.99 The Court Reporter (2018), described by the publishers as “a tough and fearless journalist’s memoir that looks at the cases that have shocked, moved and never left us”, is equal parts personal reflection…
Maintenance
There's some essential maintenance being done on the Dictionary over the Easter long weekend, which might result in some delays or difficulties searching the site. You should still be able to use Browse menus and links within the site to…
William Castell: ‘professor of dancing’
Advertisement for Mr Cavendish de Castell's Dancing Academy, 9 March 1833, The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 9 March 1833, p3 One of the many fascinating people on the Dictionary of Sydney is William Castell, ‘professor of dancing’, musician…
History Council of NSW Awards and Prizes - closing soon!
Submissions close for the History Council of NSW's 2018 awards and prizes on 31 March 2018. Students and history professionals are invited to nominate their work for their chance to be a part of the annual awards program, totalling $6,500. Aboriginal History Prize -…
21st Biennale of Sydney
Ai Weiwei, Law of the Journey, 2017 reinforced PVC with aluminium frame, 312 figures 60 x 6 x 3 m Installation view (2018) at Cockatoo Island for the 21st Biennale of Sydney Courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin Presentation at the…