The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

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The squire of Enmore House - Joshua Frey Josephson

Croquet and archery in the grounds of Enmore House, Newtown c1865-70, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (SPF/389) Today I'm going to give you an insight into how my mind works and the connections I follow when I'm exploring the Dictionary…

Richard Dawson: Sydney's original iron man

Sign for Dawson's Foundry at Circular Quay c1854, detail of painting by Frederick Garling, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ML 88) Richard ‘Dicky’ Dawson was an entrepreneur whose early iron foundry located down at Circular Quay was a landmark business…

Sprucing up Sydney Town Hall

Sydney Town Hall under construction c1875, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (SPF/334) You know, we often take Sydney Town Hall for granted. It's undeniably a city landmark - we sit on its steps and watch the world go by, use…

Carangarang

Bennelong Point from Dawes Point c1804, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (V1/1810/1) Today is the start of National Reconciliation Week, so I thought we’d take a look at someone who was part of Sydney’s early history: Carangarang. Now I must confess…

Annie Wyatt, heritage warrior

Membership Card No 1, belonging to Annie Forsyth Wyatt, courtesy of National Trust of Australia (NSW) The National Trust of Australia is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week, so it seemed like a perfect time to talk about the inspiring woman…

'The difficulties that beset the paths of working mothers'

Arriving at nursery school, October 1939, courtesy National Library of Australia (nla.ms-ms2852-19-9x) It was International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March, so this week I thought we could reflect on how women have worked together to improve their lives in Sydney. …

Remove your dead! The exhumation of the Devonshire Street cemeteries

Headstones in Devonshire Street Cemetery, showing the tramline being constructed to remove them to Bunnerong Cemetery c1901, by Ethel Foster, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ON 146/373) Recently we have seen the New South Wales State Government resume whole streets…

Sound the alarm! Shark nets at Coogee

The first Coogee shark net, December 1922 by AE Foster, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ON 30/Box 55 No 675) It's summer, and for many of us, that means swimming in the sea. There has been a long tradition in…

James Waugh's Stranger's Guide to Sydney

The Stranger's Guide to Sydney,, courtesy Mitchell Library, State LIbrary of NSW (DSM/981.1/W) We've all used a tourist guide when we've visited a new city. They can help us orientate ourselves, to find the landmarks we want to see, and understand…

A decade of the Dictionary: the quintessential and the curious

Girl with birthday cake c1953, by Max Dupain, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ON 559/Box 9/705) This week the Dictionary of Sydney is celebrating 10 years since it went live! I am continually amazed by the content and connections…