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From its beginnings as an adjunct to the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, Sydney Technical College provided the technical skills needed for Sydney's industrial development, as well as accessible and affordable higher and further education for Sydney's working people.

After George Street West was widened in the 1930s, the name Broadway soon caught on, though the road had been the gateway to Sydney since early colonial days. A microscosm of the city, this place has seen industry, poverty, religion, commerce and redevelopment and repurposing…

A businessman who married into the Terry family, John Hosking became the first mayor of Sydney.

Originally a swamp at the mouth of Blackwattle Creek, Wentworth Park has seen noxious industries, community celebrations, army camps and wool stores, and many sporting activities. Since the 1930s greyhound racing has dominated the park.

Glebe Courthouse was built in 1889 in recognition of a growing Sydney metropolitan area. However, its use as a courthouse was frustrated by the government's refusal to appoint additional stipendiary magistrates.

Home to the Gommerigal people until the 1830s, Pyrmont peninsula remained undeveloped until the 1840s despite its proximity to Sydney Town. Quarrying the Pyrmont sandstone became a major industry, changing the natural features of the place. Wharves, factories and haulage…

When Sydney was declared a town, Governor Bourke had eight stones erected to mark the boundaries. Less than a decade later, Governor Gipps declared Sydney to be a city, marking out the boundaries of the 1842 wards with a series of cast iron posts. Where are those early…

Growing out of the Sydney Technical College, the Erskineville Bootmaking School was a specialised trade training school, where the principles of bootmaking, and the maintenance of the machines used to make them, were taught to apprentices and returned servicemen from both…

Since 1857 Glebe Island bridge has facilitated development in the western and northern suburbs. The third bridge to have been constructed on the site, the Anzac Bridge is an icon of Sydney engineering.

Sydney's first Chinatown was in lower George St, The Rocks, where Chinese businessmen settled in the 1850s, providing services to Chinese goldseekers on their journey to the goldfields. By the 1870s, the Chinese part of the city had moved to Haymarket where Chinese…

Born the illegitimate son of a convict, Edward Flood rose to be rich and successful through his own efforts in business and was both Mayor of Sydney and a minister in the colonial government.

In operation from 1917 to 1984, the White Bay Power Station helped to power Sydney for most of the twentieth century. The site is now the last remaining example of a coal-dependent, harbourside, industrial complex, once common in Sydney.

Anna Wood was a 15 year old girl who died in October 1995 after taking an MDMA or ‘ecstasy’ tablet. The coroner's findings ended with a recommendation that young people be educated about the consequences of ingesting illegal drugs, with a section specifically addressing the…

Sydney's monorail was opposed from the moment its construction was announced. Derided as an eyesore and an ineffective solution for Sydney's growing transport needs, the passing of the monorail attracted over 1500 passengers for its final journey in July 2013. We explore the…

Set up as part of Sydney Technical College, the Tanning School aimed to raise the skill level of leatherworkers, so that the local industry could compete with higher quality imported goods. In the end the school outlived Sydney's leather industry, and closed in 1999.

Trams, like other forms of transport, can be dangerous.

Built on the original site of Paddy's Market, the Capitol Theatre was originally built as the New Belmore Markets, and converted into a Hippodrome for the Wirth Bros Circus when the markets moved to Thomas Street, closer to Darling Harbour. For 10 years the building was…

Across the world, steam railways and electric tramways facilitated the expansion of the small cities of pre-industrial times into vast metropolises. This essay explores the role of railways in shaping the Sydney metropolis we know today.