The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

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Party like it's 1899

Sydneysiders love a party. Especially in summer. In recent years, New Year's Eve has become a huge celebration, complete with a theme, massive fireworks, music, and even an iPhone App. But this is not new. Hannah Forsyth's article, newly published…

The Yanks are coming

Life with the American Squadron, by Harry V Ingham, courtesy of the National Library of Australia nla.mus-an6964576 The first Americans arrived in Sydney with the First Fleet. They've been here ever since, as Margaret Park outlines in her new article on Americans,…

Walking a tightrope

One of the Dictionary's colourful characters  is Henri L'Estrange, showman, aeronaut and funambulist, who brought spectacle, danger and daring to Sydney on several occasions in the 1870s and 1880s. Mark Dunn, whose writing for the Dictionary is supported by the Sydney…

Shop until you drop

Christmas shopping crowd on Park St 1959, National Archives of Australia A1200, L29751 It's that time of year, and the streets outside our office near Sydney Town Hall are thronged with shoppers trying to find the perfect present. New to the Dictionary…

The Trials of Thomas Muir

Tune into ABC Radio National’s Hindsight Program this Sunday afternoon at 2 (or download the podcast) to hear Dictionary of Sydney author Dr Beverley Sherry talking about the life, letters and trial of Scottish political prisoner Thomas Muir with other…

The Dictionary of Sydney relies on support from donors and partners - it couldn't happen without you!

Make a tax deductible donation online, or send a cheque today.  You can also find out more about the Dictionary and who runs it here, or take a guided tour. Lucien Henry design for wallpaper, from The Australian Flora in Applied…

Make a donation to the Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney relies on support from donors and partners. Make a tax deductible donation online, or send a cheque today. Find out more about the Dictionary and who runs it here, or take a guided tour. 'Mackenzie's Point Stingray'…

Summer reading

It's time to unveil the latest version of the Dictionary of Sydney! Lots to read over the wet summer ahead. State Library of Victoria, H98.105/2 There are 42 new articles, covering the usual wide range of subjects and viewpoints. We’ll be taking…

Changing faces

Another of the many things we’ve been working on at the Dictionary is a redesign and rearrangement of our front page and better integration of our blog site and the Dictionary of Sydney Trust site into the main project. We’ve been…

And that’s not all…

As well as getting the material ready for the Dictionary’s regeneration (which is taking place now over at Arts eResearch), we’ve been working hard on our more academic outlet, the Sydney Journal. The new issue has just been published, with a…