Wool was one of Australia's largest industries by the 1890s. But as the wool industry grew, so did the number and influence of shearers. By 1890, the Australian Shearers’ Union boasted tens of thousands of members, and at their annual conference in Bourke in 1890, the Union laid down a new rule, which prohibited members from working with [...]
From the 1870s fleets of paddle steamers laden with bales of wool began to wind their way down the famous Darling River. Wool transportation was at the core of river trade at this time, a sign of the flourishing wool industry in Australia and a good example of the large quantities of wool being exported [...]
Windmills, they are so much a part of our rural landscape. A vital source of power for pumping water they are also a monument to our pastoral development, to the tenacity of our pioneers and to the establishment of the iconic Southern Cross Windmill brand. In 1876 Griffiths Bros & Co of Toowoomba manufactured four [...]
The landscape is dominated by the presence of the rustic Windy Station Woolshed near Quirindi, a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales. Said to resemble the Finger Wharves of Sydney that were built around the same time, with its federation carpenter style construction and rich history it is one of the [...]
Women were granted the right to vote in Australia in 1902 - we were far more forward thinking than some of our Northern hemisphere contemporaries, and the wave of feminism that followed continued through the first and second world war and onwards. The Great War increased independence for some, with women taking on the roles [...]
The history of horses in Australia could fill volumes. From our first settlers, to the mounts of the Light Horse to Phar Lap, we are a culture that loves our nags, even if it just means having a flutter once a year on the Melbourne Cup. But that love affair that grew out of basic [...]
The original Ghan railway, camels, copper, Afghans, sheep and a starting point for major expeditions. Every year thousands of tourists flock to the iconic Flinders Ranges in South Australia attracted to the rugged mountains and dramatic landscape. But beyond the ranges, rests one of Australia’s most notable rural stations, a historic property that occupies a [...]
Stepping inside the Old Errowanbang Woolshed the sun filters through the dusty interior, shining light on the 130 year-old pinewood floors that have borne witness to years of hard labour. A network of cobwebs conceal the wall-mounted shearing machines that replaced the old blades from the late 1800s, acting as a storyboard for the transition [...]
As I look at the historical properties scattered across the Australian outback I’m constantly reminded of the brilliance in architecture and the quality of workmanship. It’s amazing that so many of these structures are still standing today, capturing a plethora of stories and memories, enabling us to share in the moments of time from our [...]
Australia’s first circus opened in Launceston, Tasmania in 1847. Three evenings a week, in the yard of Radford's Horse & Jockey Inn, Robert Radford's company presented feats of horsemanship, dancing, vaulting, gymnastics, acrobatics and clowning. Circus-like exhibitions had been given previously, however no-one had ever seen anything quite like this before. This circus launched the [...]
