Pinchgut Island became Sydney’s Fort Denison.
In 1788, the convict Thomas Hill was rowed out to a 49 foot high sandstone islet in the middle of Sydney harbour. He was left there for a week in irons, subsisting on bread and [...]
Luminous writing & a bounty of authors. Making a noise about Historical Fiction.
What an honour it has been to be Chair of judging for this years ARA Historical Novel Prize. Along with fellow judges Carmel Bird and Roanna Gonsalves it has been a fiendishly difficult task. The [...]
A writer’s thoughts: March
A writer's thoughts: I've never been one for soppy love stories. Unless you count the first couple of series of Outlander which matched love and adventure and damn good story-telling. However after the author scurried [...]
The Great Escapologist-Harry Houdini in Australia
The man who defied shackles, chains, heights, padlocks, earth and water nearly suffocated to death when he was restrained in a coffin and buried six feet underground. Harry Houdini the supreme escapologist, survived to tour [...]
Historic Murki Homestead destroyed by fire (Boomi, NSW. Australia)
Yesterday morning the Murki Homestead burnt to the ground. Four generations of Alexanders lived there, from my great-grandfather’s time through to my generation; 1893-2016. It was here that the early beginnings of our business were [...]
History of patchwork in Australia
Quilting and patchwork have long been associated with Europe and the Americas, and the arrival of this particular brand of needlework from the northern hemisphere to Australia came with the transportation of convicts in the [...]
The worlds most beautiful war memorial – The Great Ocean Road
The world’s most beautiful war memorial spans 243 kms and was built by men who served during the Great War. The Great Ocean Road was first planned towards the end of World War I, when [...]
How Flinders missed the mouth of the Murray River.
When English explorer Matthew Flinders unexpectedly sighted Frenchman Nicolas Baudin’s vessel at sea near the South Australian coastline on the 8th April 1802, both men were probably a little wary. As far as they knew, Britain [...]