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Tavern which was situated just opposite Queen's Wharf Circular Quay on what was known as High Street, which later became George Street. William Chapman operated the tavern, and after his death, his wife Ann held the licence until about 1813. After a Samuel Fowler held a…

Former convict and thief who was transported for seven years at the age of 14 after being convicted at Middlesex in September 1796 for the theft of a table clock. Described as being 5'1" (approx 155cm) tall, with fair skin, brown hair and grey eyes, he arrived in Sydney on…

Two storey building opposite Hyde Park at 167 Liverpool Street and the corner of Nithdale Street. Built in 1873 as the home and a dance academy and ballroom of owner Frank Hillard Needs on the site of Figtree Cottage. Medical professionals also took rooms there in the 1890s.…

Fisherman and local identity who lived on the Wentworth estate in a hut at Parsley Bay. He would go outside the heads to fish, catching lobster in Broken Bay, and sell his catch at Circular Quay. In February 1857, he and other fishermen caught a 15ft (4.5m) long shark 'Big…

The shocking losses of Australian servicemen and women in the Great War prompted communities across Australia to find ways to memorialise those who died, and honour those who served. As no centralised authority drove or coordinated this task, the form of each memorial…

Faced with disabled returned soldiers from World War I, the New South Wales government sponsored group settlements on Sydney's fringes, hoping that the ex-soldiers would be able to support their families on small farms. The Bankstown settlement had 30 families by 1918, but…

Banker, charity worker and editor who used his editorial position as an advocate of a free press, representative government and trial by common jury.  In November 1819 he was appointed to the position of the coroner of the territory of New South Wales by Governor Lachlan…

Federation style mansion with views of the Gordons Bay and Coogee Bay area. It was built by Philip Wirth and is one of the few surviving large residences in the Coogee area. Each of the six bedrooms had an ensuite bathroom, one of the earliest homes in Sydney to have such…

Residence built by Joseph Hyde Potts in Potts Point. During James Martin's ownership, its surrounding garden was famed as one of the 'most architecturally elaborate gardens constructed in Australia'. The gardens were developed in 1853-68 and the novelist…

Pugilist who introduced the Queensberry rules into boxing in Australia and helped to revitalise the sport. A building contractor who joined the Catholic larrikin gang The Greens and as its leader he lasted 71 rounds in a fight with Sandy Ross, leader of the Orange Protestant…

One of the earliest hotels in Randwick, the former Star and Garter Inn building became known for its distinctive castellated sandstone tower. Built at the corner of Avoca Street and Belmore Road by the alderman, William Ellis, it was then acquired by Captain Thomas Watson, a…

Statue of Governor Sir Richard Bourke that was unveiled in 1842 'on the rising ground at the entrance of the Government Domain from Bent Street', five years after he had departed the colony. Australia's first monument, and the only statue of a British colonial governor built…

Bookshop and library established by Lucy R Peacock in 1906. After several changes in location the business was bought by Frances Zabel in 1923. In 1925 the shop moved to Rowe Street where she also sold pottery, glassware and art.  The shop's logo of two entwined fish was…

Building on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets constructed in 1845 to house the Australian Subscription Library. The subscription library ran into financial difficulties and was taken over by the state government to became the Sydney Free Public Library in 1869. An…

Traditional land of the Wallumedegal people, the area that became Melrose Park was granted to two ex-marines in 1792. Edmund Lockyer bought the land in 1826 and built a grand house and a private wharf. There was also a government wharf used to transport timber and produce to…

Surry Hills, on Cadigal land, provided grazing, garden produce, timber, stone and clay to the new colony, and wealthy colonists built country houses there. Subdivision from the 1830s made it one of Sydney's most populous districts by the 1890s. Poor drainage and building…

Had it not been for Kenneth Slessor's poem 'Five Bells', the death of Joe Lynch might have been just another drowning in Port Jackson, not the first, and regrettably not the last. Slessor's poem inspired John Olsen's 1963 painting, Five Bells, on permanent display at the Art…

Entrepreneur and bar owner who established two pioneering drag bars - Chez Ivy in Bondi Junction in 1962 and Ivy's Birdcage on Oxford Street in 1967. In an interview with Sydney's Pride History Group, Richter described the widespread homophobia experienced by her patrons in…

Exploratory expedition to the Antarctic led by Lieutenant Naoshi Shirase. The expedition sailed on a 204 ton, 100 feet long converted wooden fishing boat with an 18-horse-power auxiliary engine, the Kainan Maru, that was captained by Naokichi Nomura. The ship left…

English-born Thomas Ley came to Sydney as a child, and despite little formal education, became a solicitor in 1914, and a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly in 1917. He was minister for justice 1922-25. In the late twenties, a number of his opponents…