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The Dugong and the Salamander
Excavation of dugong remains at Sheas Creek 1896 , Courtesy Australian Museum Archives (AMS351/V9817) It’s strange to think about what might be entombed in dirt beneath the pavements we walk on in Sydney. But the discoveries around 1900 of two particular…
Horse Drawn: John Rae and 'The Turning of the First Turf'
John Rae c1884, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ML MSS A807) John Rae is, perhaps, my favourite dead white male. On the surface, he’s really rather ordinary. An administrator who was meticulous and ambitious, he was a career public servant.…
Sydney's Lady Footballers
A high kick, The Australasian. 24 September 192, p67 via Trove Last week Australia and New Zealand won their joint bid to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on Friday, prompting us to think across codes about some other legendary…
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…
Putty Road
Mark's new book is available now. With Sydney surrounded by mountains on three out of four sides, getting out of the city area has, until fairly recently, been tricky. This was particularly the case in the colonial period. In the west…
Barney’s on Broadway
Sunday school, St Barnabas's Church, Broadway, December 1856, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (SPG/115) St Barnabas' Anglican Church on Broadway, affectionately known as Barney's, has catered to congregations of all sorts since it was established in the mid-nineteenth century. Listen…
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…
The camels at Government House
View of old Government House - Sydney - N.S.W. as it appeared when vacated by Sir George Gipps in 1845, painting by George Edwards Peacock, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW (ML 658) The State Library of New South Wales holds…
A Drama of Llamas
Social distancing measures with llamas, Durango Trails, Colorado These days we’re all talking about social distancing, or, more accurately, physical distancing but how far should we be staying away from each other? Some advice is 1.5 meters, some is 2 meters.…
An excellent establishment
Australian Medical Journal Vol 1 No 4, 2 November 1846, p46, via Trove City living in Sydney in the early part of the 19th century could be dangerous and insalubrious, especially for the poor. Adult hospitalisations were dominated by the complaints…