Inside The Penal Establishment at Pentridge in 1867

July 10, 2020.Reading time 12 minutes.

Flashback to 1867 and read about the internal arrangements and discipline of the Pentridge Stockade, in which the convicts were subjected to punishment for offences of a serious nature.

Darlinghurst Prison 1840-1866

July 10, 2020.Reading time 12 minutes.

The first wings of Darlinghurst Prison were constructed in 1840. On 7th July 1841 the first prisoners were transferred from the old gaol to Darlinghurst Prison.

The Nashville Diggings – The Gympie Goldfields – Queensland

July 10, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

Gold was first discovered Nashville in October 1867, now known as Gympie.

A Trip to Launceston in 1869

July 10, 2020.Reading time 11 minutes.

An account of a trip taken to Launceston in 1869.

The Asylum for Destitute Children, Randwick (NSW) – A Short History 1852-1868

July 10, 2020.Reading time 21 minutes.

The first 16 years of the running of the Asylum for Destitute Children in Randwick NSW, from its inception in 1852.

The Riots at Lambing Flat 1861

April 4, 2020.Reading time 16 minutes.

It was in the year 1861 that the events known in the history of New South Wales as the Lambing Flat Riots happened. It was an occurrence which is interesting on account of its being the only time when a large body of men in this colony went into open rebellion against the Government.

Glimpses of Early Victoria in 1855 – Ballarat – Castlemaine – Williamstown – Geelong

February 29, 2020.Reading time 16 minutes.

A wonderful set of historic illustrations from 1855 of early Victoria (Australia)

Sports in Australia – The Emu Hunt

February 22, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

IN the absence of more legitimate sport, the emu, the largest of the Australian feathered tribes, forms an object of chase amongst the bushmen of the far interior, and a good run after an emu is by no means uninteresting or uninviting.

The Landing Place of Captain Cook at Botany Bay as Depicted in 1862

February 18, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

An illustration from 1862 depicting the landing place of Captain Cook at Botany Bay.

Reader Discretion: The following article contains certain descriptions that may be culturally sensitive and may be considered inappropriate today, but may have reflected the author’s attitude or that of the period in which they were written.

Historic Event – Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Freemason’s Almshouses, Melbourne 17 July 1867

January 5, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

A Contemporary Account and Illustration of the Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Freemason’s Almshouses – 17 July 1867

Samuel Ramsden’s Paper Mill, Yarra Bank Melbourne 1868

January 5, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

Historical Illustration of Samuel Ramsden’s Paper Mill on the Yarra Bank Melbourne in 1868 and a contemporary account of the beginnings of the Mill.

A Colonial Love Story – The Maid of the Inn

January 5, 2020.Reading time 22 minutes.

Story of an early colonialist’s misfortune in a Sydney Inn in the 1820/30s, and the barmaid who saved him.

Ann Rumsby 1802-1850

October 27, 2019.Reading time 40 minutes.

The story of Ann Rumsby – All through a convict girl – A leading Navy doctor was censured. Rev. Samuel Marsden was fined, and five members of the Parramatta Bench were dismissed. Indirectly she was also responsible, to a large extent, for radical changes in the system of government. She was the keystone of one of Parramatta’s greatest feasts of scandal and rumour. The happenings caused a sensation throughout the country, and Parramatta, where the scene was laid, was the centre of a maelstrom of indictment and recrimination.