Search

Slow growing plant known commonly as 'grass tree' that is native to the Sydney area and the central coastal area of New South Wales. In the Sydney language it is called 'gulgadya' or 'gadi', and the word Gadigal, meaning 'people of the grass tree', is derived from it. Part of…

Engineer, naval architect, inventor, urban visionary and advocate of technical education, Norman Selfe was one of Sydney's most energetic and civic-minded citizens. His vision for Sydney included a harbour crossing decades before the Harbour Bridge was built, and an…

Art college that grew out of the drawing and art classes of the Technical and Working Men's College and has nurtured some of Sydney's most famous artists.

Tenor who made his first operatic appearance in Sydney in November 1863 and subsequently joined Fred Lyster's opera company. He joined WS Lyster's opera company in 1870.

Dams and canals constructed on the Nepean and Cataract Rivers after a Royal Commission in 1867 sought a solution to Sydney's water shortages. The scheme remains in use today.

Charity established by the Rotary Club of Sydney in response to the growing number of children left with disabilities caused by illnesses such as polio and tuberculosis.

Sequel to Ruth Park's 'The Harp in the South' about the Darcy family growing up in a Sydney slum in the years immediately following the Second World War.

Missionary who worked with Pacific Islanders and Aborigines in Queensland before she was invited to help with Aboriginal children in Sydney, establishing a home for girls at Homebush.

Anglican bishop who was elected Archbishop of Sydney and also served as Primate of the Church of England in Australia between 1959 and 1966, when he resigned.

Mariner, merchant and settler who became a successful shipping agent before moving to western Sydney to manage his extensive pastoral portfolio in the Illawarra and Lake George districts.

Engineer and surveyor who became engineer of Sydney's water supply in 1877 in addition to his duties across the state in road design, harbours and river navigation.

Architect and public servant responsible for many public buildings in Melbourne and Sydney, whilst in private practice he designed many Gothic Revival churches including St Mary's Cathedral.

Established as a joint enterprise by the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, the Trades and Labour Council and the Engineering Association, and run by the School of Arts, Sydney's first technical college opened its doors in 1878. Its immediate success with students,…

Almost-deserted Sydney beach (except for pretty, dark-haired Joan Francis) was chosen by bodgie David Roper, 17, to air leopard-skin trunks, with tail.

Dr Jennifer Preston is a registered architect in both New South Wales and Victoria and a member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. She has taught in the Architecture Faculty at the University of Technology Sydney, been a guest lecturer in accessible design at…

Architect, historian and author who, after working with the Allied Works Council during World War II, established his own architectural practice and taught at Sydney Technical College.

Lawyer, reformer and stalwart of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, George Kenyon Holden presided over its reinvention in the 1860s.

This engraving, published in the Illustrated Sydney News in 1864, shows a recently demolished cottage in Pitt Street, erroneously titled ''Government House' in the days of Phillip'. This was incorrect, and the building never functioned as Government House.

The Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS), Australia's oldest historical organisation founded in Sydney in 1901, exists to encourage the study of and interest in Australian history.

Born in New Zealand and raised in Adelaide, Harold Cazneaux became one of Sydney's pre-eminent photographers, documenting its changing face and different moods.