Month: November 2016

  • Lavender Bay

    Many of us have heard of this bay, and seen it as we pass over the Harbour Bridge. The name Lavender Bay conjures up mental visions of a sweet-smelling flower; however, the naming of this bay was far from sweetness. In the later part of the 1780s a Royal Navy ship, the HM Bufallo, made…

  • Beer & Water

    THE Sydney Sun reports . . . . . . that the city council has placed a bubbling water fountain outside the main entrance to a large local brewery. Whether this is a hint on the part of the city council for the brewery employees to get on the ‘water- wagon’ is not known, but…

  • Bloomers and Bicycles

    What do bloomers and bicycles have in common? While today’s models parade the catwalk in panties and other underwear, this would have been unthinkable in the 1800s. So too would the wearing of panties themselves. Today’s panties originated from the various “bifurcated” undergarments known popularly in the 19th century as bloomers, knickers, drawers, pantaloons and…

  • Mortlake & Breakfast Point

    Captain John Hunter led the first British exploration of the Parramatta River in February 1788. On the 5th February, while having breakfast he made the first contact with local Aboriginals of the Wangal Clan. The location is referred to as Breakfast Point on the survey map of 1799. The Wangal called the area Booridiow-o-gule. The…

  • The Walker Crest/Motto

    On our open days we are often asked what is the meaning of the latin on  the Walker crest – “Per Varios Casus”. An approximate translation would be “Through diverse (or various) opportunities”, which would appear to be an indication of how his wealth was acquired. It’s not known if this was an old crest or whether it came…