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A grand mansion in Randwick that was the official residence of the Anglican Bishop of Sydney. Constructed in 1859 for a total of 7,000 pounds, it was built for Bishop Frederic Barker. The official residence was moved to Bishopscourt, Darling Point in 1911 and the mansion was…

Boilermaker who enlisted in the 38th Battalion, attached to the Cyclist Company Reinforcements who proceeded to Rouelles, France in August 1917. He was wounded in action in November and reprimanded in July 1918 for neglecting to obey an order. In August he was wounded in…

Midwife and farmer who emigrated from England to Sydney as one of Australia's first free settlers after her spouse had been sentenced to transportation for assault and highway robbery. She was part of a small group of women who accepted a government offer of a free passage.…

Pimp, thief and gang leader who became one of Sydney's most notorious gunmen and razor slashers. He was 'short, thickset, foul-mouthed' and was in trouble with the law from the age of 10. By 25 he led the Darlinghurst Push, a gang of street brawlers and stand-over men. He…

Sailor who died in the wreck of the Edward Lombe in Sydney Harbour in August 1834. His body was washed up near the wreck, at Mr Bass's shipyard, and was identified at an inquest by Thomas Marshall, the ship's first mate. A stout and athletic man between 40 and 50…

Freight line that ran from Dulwich Hill to Rozelle and Darling Harbour. The first part of the line between the Sydney yards and Darling Harbour was built in 1855, with extensions built between 1913 and 1922. After many years of disuse, much of the corridor is now used by the…

Built as 'the finest house in Sydney' this two storey Georgian home of eight rooms had a cellar, stables and servant's quarters. Known between 1831 and 1945 as Ormond House. By 1852 it was a home for destitute children and then a children's court. Almost demolished in 1921,a…

Cartoonist and black & white artist for Smith's Weekly and Melbourne Punch, whose death in Sydney Harbour in 1927 at the age of 29 inspired Kenneth Slessor's poem 'Five Bells'. He was the model for his brother Guy (Frank) Lynch's sculpture 'The Satyr', a bronze casting of…

Built on the land granted to William Redfern by Governor Macquarie, Minto was a dairying and farming village for many decades, until post-World War II development began to encroach on Sydney's rural fringe. New suburban development in the 1980s led to an influx of young…

Named for its traditional owners, the Burramattagal, Parramatta was the site of the second European settlement in Sydney, and an early successful farm. Until the 1850s many governors preferred to live in Parramatta Government House. The railway arrived in 1857 and the town…

Commemorative plaque that was installed on the site of the Mitchell wing of the State Library between 1984 and 1988 as part of the Sydney Green Plaques Bicentennial project. The text on the plaque, which is on a stone balustrade facing Shakespeare Place to the west of the…

Commemorative plaque that was installed between 1984 and 1988 as part of the Sydney Green Plaques Bicentennial project on the site of the Royal Society of NSW's lecture room at 5 Elizabeth Street North. The plaque commemorates the first public demonstration of wireless…

Fashion designer recognised as 'Australia's first queen of haute couture'. She specialised in evening and bridal wear and first learnt dressmaking by assisting her mother as a young girl, designing and sewing her first gown at age nine. By age 12, she entered…

Clerk who enlisted in the A Company, 20th Battalion and served in the Gallipoli peninsula in August 1915. His battalion was responsible for the defence of Russell's Top until their withdrawal from the peninsula in December 1915. He arrived in Egypt in January 1916, after…

Two-storey Victorian style sandstone mansion in Vaucluse. John Reeve purchased the land from William Charles Wentworth and commissioned John Hilly to build the property. It was completed at a cost of 5,000 pounds. He and his wife never lived there. In 1897, the property was…

Initially a stonemason by trade, Edward Dawson became involved in the Wesleyan Church in Sydney shortly after arriving from England, teaching Sunday school in York Street before setting up a drapery business. His business evolved into J and E Dawson which he operated with his…

Chief commissioner of the New South Wales Railways and key figure in the development of the railway in the colony. He wrote: 'I take so much delight in my work, and I can see how, in a country which will owe much to the judicious management and extension of its railways…

Daughter of Thomas and Mary Reibey who married Thomas Wills. She died a few months after she gave birth to her daughter. The Sydney Gazette reported she had 'caught a violent cold, which fastened on the lungs, and originated a rapid consumption' which suggests she…

Survivor of the wreck of the Edward Lombe in Sydney Harbour in 1834. A passenger on the ship, his older brother was a member of the crew and was killed in the wreck. In the 1870s he described himself as have been 'a mere lad' at the time of the disaster, and…

Baggara (Bagara, Baggarra) or Boggora, was from Broken Bay.  In 1804 British botanist Robert Brown on the HMS Investigator obtained a list of the Aboriginal names of plants from him, and described him as 'very intelligent Native of Broken Bay - he appeared to be about 22 or…