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Barangaroo was one of the powerful figures in Sydney's early history. She had knowledge of laws, teaching and women's rituals and held the respect of Governor Phillip and his officers who were fascinated by the Eora women and their formidable fishing skills.

Mothers in Sydney have given birth in a multitude of settings, from traditional Aboriginal environs, to the most technologically advanced hospital. From the women's business of Aboriginal mothers and grandmothers, and the traditional knowledge of white midwives, birth in…

As the first Colonial Engineer, Captain George Barney aimed to strengthen Sydney's harbour defences, overseeing the design and construction of many major infrastructure projects, some of which still stand today, including Circular Quay and Fort Denison.

Shark attacks were recorded in Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River from 1791 onwards. Early diarists remarked on the ' voracious fury' of these 'terrible fish' and the 'horror' that Aboriginal people, so accustomed to river life, experienced on encountering sharks. Yet…

Residential suburb located adjacent to Parramatta, which was one of the first settlements in Sydney's west. It was the site of James Ruse's Experiment Farm, later purchased by New South Wales Corps surgeon John Harris.

Zoo on Sydney's north shore, opened in 1916, which housed the animals from the earlier Moore Park Zoo, and developed new attractions. From the 1970s the zoo focused more on education and research than entertainment.

Suburb located north of the central business district on the western shore of Sydney Cove. Characterised by a precinct of restored nineteenth-century buildings which are a major tourist attraction, it was recognised as a separate suburb in 1993.

Pony track opened in 1906 which became extremely popular during the 1920s. Converted to an army camp during World War I and World War II, it was later used as a training track by Sydney Turf Club.

Western residential suburb built on a reclaimed industrial site on the southern shore of Parramatta River. It became a suburb in 2009 when the suburb of Homebush Bay was divided between Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point.

Constructed in 1821-22 for Sir Thomas Brisbane and the astronomers Carl Rumker and James Dunlop, it operated until 1847 and many of the instruments were then re-used when the Sydney observatory was opened in 1858.

Coastal Aboriginal people who are the traditional custodians of the land and waters around South Head in Sydney's east. Possibly associated with Birra Birra, a rocky reef in the lower harbour now known as Sow and Pigs.

Nine portions of land around Sydney inherited under entail by Katherine Wentworth from her father D'Arcy Wentworth, which became the subject of litigation and an Act of Parliament to remove the legal impediments to their sale.

Scottish civil engineer who became a leader in railway construction in England and the rest of Europe before coming to Sydney to oversee its first railway construction. He was the second Engineer-in-Chief of the NSW Government Railway.

Sydney's City Engineer and Surveyor who, between 1856 and 1870, was responsible for the design and management of construction on a wide variety of projects including water and sewerage systems, pedestrian and vehicular circulation and public buildings.

Convict who arrived in Sydney with the First Fleet who became one of the earliest, if not the first, to brew beer in the colony and the first to successfully cultivate the hop plant in Australia.

Built on a munitions factory site, the Villawood detention centre started out as a migrant hostel, welcoming postwar immigrants to Sydney.

Wyatt was a tireless advocate for heritage protection and conservation who believed that women could make a difference in community issues. She helped found the National Trust and save some of Sydney's most iconic buildings.

Landings and steps between Harrington and Cumberland streets which is the oldest known pedestrian street in The Rocks. In use since 1807 it illustrates the close urban character of early Sydney and its rocky topography.

One of three boundary posts remaining on the streets of Sydney, as of 2011 it was still in its original location on the north-west corner of the intersection of Cleveland Street and South Dowling Street.

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, about 140 schools of arts or mechanics' institutes were established in Sydney by volunteers. They were independent community organisations, assisted by a small government subsidy, and they thrived as centres of local…