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With the arrival of Europeans, the traditional economy of Aboriginal clans was disrupted, and gave way to the convict economy of the Commissariat and government stores. But this closed economy was soon opened by free settlement, whaling and sealing, shipping and farming…

The Woodford Academy, a National Trust property at Woodford, is the oldest surviving group of buildings in the Blue Mountains and one of the largest nineteenth century inn complexes in Australia. Starting as an inn in 1834, the buildings have been adapted and repurposed as a…

A pioneer in Australian radio and electrical engineering, Violet McKenzie had a lifetime commitment to technical education and training, especially for women.

Published by commercial map makers Higinbotham, Robinson and Harrison in the late nineteenth century, the maps of the Atlas of the Suburbs of Sydney provide a portrait of the city's municipalities during a period of rapid growth and suburbanisation.

Engineer, naval architect, inventor, urban visionary and advocate of technical education, Norman Selfe was one of Sydney's most energetic and civic-minded citizens. His vision for Sydney included a harbour crossing decades before the Harbour Bridge was built, and an…

Chinese settlers arrived in Sydney from 1818 and their compatriots followed, especially after gold was discovered in New South Wales. Despite harrassment from governments and intimidation from other Sydneysiders, Chinese immigrants continued to come and to stay throughout the…

From an accidental city without a plan, Sydney has become a city with many plans. The early town grew without controls, but later governments tried to regulate building and development, and keep up with necessary services and infrastructure. From 1900, resumptions, zoning and…

Founded by Europeans as a social experiment, Sydney's beginnings brought death and dispossession to the original inhabitants of the place, as well as surprising freedom and prosperity to many of the convicts. Over its history, the city's growth has been shaped by factors that…