General

Following the death of Alfred Llewellyn Bray, the first Mayor of Concord, his home “Braygrove” was purchased by R. Tulloch & Company and in 1915 the Iron Works transferred from its original site at Pyrmont to Rhodes. “Braygrove” was incorporated into the Tulloch administrative complex but fell into disrepair and was finally completely demolished in…

The Atlas of the Suburbs of Sydney is a series of late-nineteenth-century commercial maps that provides a portrait of the city during a period of rapid growth and suburbanisation. It was created by Higinbotham, Robinson and Harrison, map publishers and lithographers, established in 1882 with premises in Macquarie Place. They had obtained permission to produce…

Jack, age 87, and Jill, age 79, are excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a chemist shop and Jack suggests they go in. Jack addresses the man behind the counter: “We’re about to get married. Do you sell heart…

We’d like to share with you a couple of items from David Sansome’s talk at our map unveiling. The photograph, circa 1900, is of Parramatta Road, Five Dock.   The 8-mile signpost can be seen on the left of the pole.   As one of our guests informed us, it is close to the intersection…

Catering for the swimming fraternity in the days before Environmental Impact Statements were invented wasn’t a difficult matter if the enterpreneurial activities of the Fisher family at Five Dock Bay are any indication. The fabulous story of Five Dock Bay’s famous floating baths has been told before in District News, however the full photographic splendour…

Cavill migrated to Australia, reaching Melbourne with his family in February 1879.  He soon moved to Sydney and set up as a ‘professor of swimming’ at his Lavender Bay Baths.  In 1884 he published a pamphlet How to Learn to Swim which outlined his theories on ‘natations’. Cavill’s name looms large in the history of Australian swimming. …

For many years one of the Blue Mountains’ most distinctive landmarks was a large white cross on the cliff-edge at Mount York which could be glimpsed from the highway between Little Hartley and Victoria Pass. Although now removed, the cross has been a continuing source of speculation and enquiry since its erection early in the…

At 16 I left home in Balgownie to live with my grandmother in Darlinghurst so I could get a job. I had developed into a fine young woman, the change having done me good and plenty of good food and rest. With my honest face and good looks I had no trouble at all. I…

Found in our collection was this stunning outfit.   Unfortunately we don’t know anything about it. The only clue we have is an attached piece of paper saying it was an ‘Italian Judge’s Cloak, WWII’.   Can you help? Special thanks to our wonderful model, Patricio, who also helps out as our brilliant clever handyman.

If you didn’t attend our August event you missed a great day.  Betty Candy’s talk was a great success bringing over 60 guests to hear her. It’s amazing how many people didn’t know about this part of our history. Don’t miss out on future talks.

With the invention of the pendulum clock in 1656, Christiaan Huygens increased the best accuracy of clocks from 15 minutes deviation a day to around 15 seconds a day An Institute in Colorado created a clock so accurate it won’t lose/gain a second in 20 million years. This is the clock used for internet time….

In the 1840’s the most select residences in Sydney were a row of five houses in Liverpool Street called Lyons Terrace, facing the south end of Hyde Park. Elegantly attractive, they cost builder Samuel Lyons £5,000 each. Their early tenants included the Chief Justice, Sir Alfred Stephen, and the family of Major-General Edward Wynyard, commander…