The transportation of thousands of men from Irish hulks to New South Wales is so crucial in the history of Ireland, Australia and the British Empire that you wonder why we’ve waited so long for the whole story of it. It illuminates much that has happened since in Australia and Ireland, as well as the mistakes, the successes and the…

a perfect gift for those about to go caravanning around Australia —Linda Ross, Talking Lifestyle Across Australia, bandstands, rotundas and pavilions showcase the history and character of big cities and tiny townships. They are a testament to boom times, when gold called people from afar to share the spoils, and also to times of woe, built as monuments to the…

  She has forced us to re-examine in some detail a largely forgotten figure in Australian art. For this we must be grateful. —Sasha Grishin (more…)

The Flag's Up by Peter Poland In the early days of the colony, ships from Russia, France, America and Spain anchored alongside British convict vessels in Sydney’s renowned harbour. Many famous figures sailed through the heads, such as Bligh, Bennelong, Flinders and Macquarie. The South Head Lookout Post which recorded these arrivals and departures has been manned since January 1790,…

The scale of the human tragedy there, especially with so many children killed, was almost beyond belief. – ABC’s Papua New Guinea correspondent Sean Dorney   In the years before the Boxing Day Tsunami wrought havoc across the Indian ocean, and Fukushima was demolished by enormous waves, Australia was alerted to these dangers by a disaster closer to home. (more…)

  This is not a quick fix program. There are no expensive gym memberships or equipment. You don’t need to find your “inner self” or walk on burning coals. – Dr Bryce Fleming (B.Chiro.SC M.Chiro) (more…)

  However modern we might feel, corruption is a pre-existing and ongoing fact of Sydney life. Certainly this is the implication of Lesley Muir’s marvellous book. – Elizabeth Farrelly (more…)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ERNEST SCOTT HISTORY PRIZE Over a century before the Mabo case recognised Native Title and rejected the doctrine of Terra Nullius, Aboriginal land rights were briefly acknowledged in two Australian colonies. Paved with Good Intentions, reveals the many strong declarations in favour of Aboriginal land rights in early Colonial times, and shows how this language was twisted…

A History of the Manning Valley This area lies about 300km north of Sydney, where the earliest European settlers first arrived in the late 1820s. The Manning River runs through this rugged, isolated terrain, and this was to become the region's main highway throughout the 19th Century. It is a valley with a rich history, a hidden gem with a…