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Ocean baths were established south of Coogee beach in 1907 by Henry Wylie, father of Australia's first champion woman swimmer, Mina Wylie. They have been inspirational to swimmers, painters and filmmakers, and are still open.

The 'pub on the point' entertained patrons for over eighty years. Transformed from a grand house in 1866, the Prince of Wales Hotel was known for its concerts, picnics, social events and sporting games. The hotel made national news on several occasions as the site for two…

Two watermills existed on the Georges River in the 1820s. In 2013 a research team sought to discover how the maritime landscape of the Georges River and its tributaries sustained the transport of wheat, flour and manpower between the two mills in order to better understand…

Palm Beach became a haunt of smugglers and fishermen after Europeans arrived, until the customs house, and subsequently the lighthouse, brought shipping under more control. In the early twentieth century the land was sold for holiday and second homes, reached by ferry. It…

Built on the site of the NSW Fresh Food and Ice Company, the Chinese Garden was a Bicentennial project, opened in 1988.

Still bearing the traces of its traditional Cammeraygal owners, Waverton became part of Alexander Berry's estate and later an industrial area.

Built on the traditional country of the Cammeraygal people, Neutral Bay was part of the Thrupp Estate bought in 1816, and sold to Daniel Cooper in 1827. Until the 1860s houses were built on the waterfront, but spread up the hill after Military Road was built along the ridge…

In the aftermath of World War I, and with the onset of the Great Depression, concern over the high levels of infant morality in Australia led the drive to develop locally made, affordable baby care products.

In 1889 the enterprising Joseph Barracluff and his wife Jane established an ostrich farm at South Head. Over the years Barracluff's farm became a well-known tourist destination where patrons could select feathers to be cut directly from the flock. The business thrived until…

Built on the western shore of Circular Quay, King's Dockyard was the centre of the boom in boatbuilding between 1803 and 1807 and played its part in the use of native timbers in English naval yards. Its demise after 36 years reflected the end of the era of wooden ships…

A trained architect who became a dancer and teacher, Louise Lightfoot made major contributions to two forms of dance, classical ballet and Indian dance. She founded the First Australian Ballet, and later was an advocate, teacher and entrepreneur of Indian dance forms.

Tied closely to the 1798 rebellion in Ireland, and sparked by news of further uprisings in Ireland in 1803, the Castle Hill rebellion was a serious threat to the government of New South Wales and was quickly crushed.

Roseneath, an elegant Colonial Georgian style residence, was built between 1835 and 1837 as a family home for Scottish emigrant, Janet Templeton and her children. Overlooking the northern section of Parramatta Park (formerly Governor's Domain), the building housed…

For local Aboriginal people, 'koojah' or Coogee, was a rich source of food, abundant with fish, wallaby and kangaroo. In the nineteenth century the area became a popular weekend destination for picnics, cricket, collecting shells along the beach and swimming. It wasn't until…

The size and complexity of health and welfare services has increased exponentially since the early years of colonial settlement, but the partnership between governments and charities has remained at the heart of solutions to the problem of misfortune.

A big tree in the 1880s when it was noted in a census of plants, the Boundary Tree still stands at Mona Vale Road, St Ives.

William James Chidley was a regular speaker in the Domain in the early twentieth century. His odd dress and eccentric views led to his repeated arrest and confinement in mental institutions. Considered a social and moral menace by the authorities of the day, Chidley's…

Rushcutters Bay Park, a popular recreational reserve, has long associations with the Royal Australian Navy and civilian sailing.