Category: Recent History

Kunmunya Mission, Western Australia

Originally established by the Presbyterian Church in 1913 at Port George IV Port, in 1920 the mission moved to Kunmunya for more arable land and a better water supply. Here it existed until 1951, when the residents agreed to relocate to Wotjulum Mission.

Pastoral Pioneers of the Kimberley, Western Australia

In 1880 news reached the little town of Pinjarah, Western Australia (then the Swan River Colony), of the wonderful, rich, extensive land in the Kimberly recently explored by Alexander Forrest and party. Upon hearing the news, pioneer Hamlet Cornish, along with A. R. Richardson, W. Paterson, G. Paterson and S.R. Elliott quickly formed a syndicate, the “Murray Squatting Company”, and set out to adventure in the new country. They secured a schooner, “Mary Smith”, and in October 1880, with 700 sheep, seven horses, nine men in total, and enough supplies for twelve months, set sail from Fremantle.

Cape York, Queensland

Cape York Peninsula, located in Far North Queensland, is the northern-most extremity of Australia. Consisting of an area of about 220,000 sq km, the landmass extends northwards into the Torres Strait, surrounded by the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west and the Coral Sea to the east. It is renowned for its vast areas of unspoiled wildness, including eucalyptus-wooded savannahs, tropical rainforests, rugged mountains, large sand dunes, perched lakes, and more, all preserved for their global environmental significance.

Cobar visited, New South Wales

a fascinating town filled with cultural, historic and natural attractions. On a trip here you can explore museums, colonial 19th century architecture, lush wetlands, some of Australia’s largest and most important Aboriginal rock paintings, and the region’s rich mining history.

France and an Australian Colony

Colonial Australia could quite easily have been split between Great Britain and France. In 1772, an explorer called Louis Aleno de St Aloüarn landed at Shark Bay and claimed Western Australia for the French, just two years after Captain Cook

Sydney learning for tours

Phillip’s choice of the settlement site fitted well with an officer of naval background as first of all soundings taken in the harbour revealed it to be deep and apparently with hidden shoals or rocks. A fresh water stream ran down to the harbour front while the reports speak of little undergrowth and numerous large trees indicating a fertile soil.

John Eales: King of the Hunter

John Eales’ Life & Legacy By Marco Stojanovik When John Eales died at Duckenfield in 1871, he was reputed to have been one the wealthiest men in New South Wales. From the moment he set foot in the colony, arriving from England in 1823, he had been determined to make his mark. Originally taking up […]

Charles Sturt and the search for the inland sea

In 1844, the explorer Captain Charles Sturt set out with a large party into the central Australia to find what he believed would be the Australia inland sea. This latest course of exploration had begun at Narrandera, onto Balranald where the party crossed the Murrumbidgee river towards the Simpson desert.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service History

May 1928, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was born, taking its first flight across the skies of Cloncurry, Queensland, on a life-saving mission.

Australian Bushfires

The Black Summer: An Unprecedented Australian Bushfire Season Fire and fire management has historically been part of the this continents fabric. Ecosystems have adapted to fire from the regeneration of Eucalpyt forests to triggers for Leptospermum seeds to germinate after a fire event. However, Australia experienced unprecedented fires during the 2019-20 bushfire season, September to […]

Alice Springs, Australia

Alice Springs is home to a thriving hub of Aboriginal culture and art, with the town’s cultural infrastructure and renown illustrating a national profile that far outsizes the town’s relatively small size.

The Yarra Valley, Victoria

The Yarra Valley is one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations, with its rich culinary and wine culture attracting visitors from the busy city, as well as from all over the country. For the avid wine lover, or epicurean, the Yarra Valley is definitely one of Australia’s must see destinations, with over 80 wineries in the Yarra Valley wine region.

Menzies, Western Australia

Menzies By Marco Stojanovik The historic mining town of Menzies thrived during its heyday at the turn of the previous century, riding the wave of the Western Australian gold rush. With several successful mines in its vicinity, and as the final stop on the rail link to Kalgoorlie, it acted as the unofficial capital of the […]

Cunnamulla

Within the Murray-Darling basin on the Warrego River, 750 km due west of Brisbane, lies the celebrated town of Cunnamulla.  In the Gunya (or Kunja) dialect of the original inhabitants – an offshoot of the Bidjara language, which is being revitalised and taught in local schools – “Cunnamulla” referred to a deep waterhole in the Warrego River, the northernmost tributary of the Darling river.

Argyle Diamond Mine

Amongst a wealth of natural wonders in the Kimberley region of Western Australia sits one of the state’s most unique tourist attractions – the Argyle Diamond Mine – until recently the world’s largest single producer of natural-coloured diamonds.

Stranded in the Kimberley, Western Australia

In the early hours of 16 October 1920, a small pearling lugger named Henry departed from the wharf at Wyndham, in Western Australia’s far north, destined for the pearling port of Broome. Onboard, Captain John Morgan Johnston and his crew five had little idea that they were in store for an epic Kimberley adventure.

Hermannsburg, Northern Territory

Hermannsburg By Marco Stojanovik The Western Arrernte community of Hermannsburg, also known as Ntaria, is located on the remote foothills of the majestic Western MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory, 130 kilometres southwest of Alice Springs. Established as a Lutheran Aboriginal mission in 1877, the land was handed back to traditional owners in 1982 and […]

John Eyre Colonial explorer of South Australia

Edward John Eyre, one of Australia’s youngest and most fearless explorers, is immortalized in the names of the South Australian landscape, most notably Lake Eyre and the Eyre Peninsula.

Moonta, South Australia

Moonta, located on the Yorke Peninsular of South Australia, 165 kilometres from Adelaide, is steeped in history. Following the discovery of copper in the area in 1861, both the Moonta Mine and town developed rapidly and prospered.

Kadina, South Australia

Kadina By Marco Stojanovik Kadina is the largest town on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, only 148 kilometres from Adelaide. Along with the nearby towns of Moonta and Wallaroo, it was established as a direct result of copper mining in the early 1860s, servicing the nearby Wallaroo and Moonta Mines, which were worked continuously for […]

19th Century South Australian Copper Triangle

The Leyshon Joneses and the South Australian Copper Smelting Industry By Marco Stojanovik The early mining industry in South Australia during the second half of the 19th century could not have prospered without the decisive role played by Welsh smeltermen. Coming to Australia during an industrial period known as the Swansea Moment, they introduced the […]