Aus History

Snippets of Australia's forgotten past

High-country living, the Coolamine Homestead - Kosciuszko National Park [AH012] 03/15/2023

High-country living, the Coolamine Homestead - Kosciuszko National Park [AH012] Coolamine Homestead is a wonderful example of a heritage homestead and it can be found on the Cooleman Plains in Kosciuszko National Park. It is a rare, surviving example of a permanent pastoral outstation that retains hand built slab buildings and yards. National Parks info - Artisans of Australia, film about the restoration work - All modern photographs of the site © Andrew Hennell, used with permission. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/26198346

NSWGR 6029 Beyer Peacock Garratt steam locomotive [AH016] 03/13/2023

NSWGR 6029 Beyer Peacock Garratt steam locomotive [AH016] 6029 is a four-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, superheated, articulated 4-8-4+4-8-4 Garratt steam locomotive, of the AD60 class, built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, Manchester, England, for the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR). /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/26198331

Destroyed - The rise and fall of Australia's Wonderland theme park [AH015] 03/13/2023

Destroyed - The rise and fall of Australia's Wonderland theme park [AH015] Australia's Wonderland officially opened on 7 December 1985. Over the next 18 years it grew to be one of Sydney's most popular and loved attractions, before the new owners simply closed it. Find out how and why, and leave a comment if you ever visited Australia's Wonderland. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/26198328

War comes to Australia - the Japanese attack on Sydney and Newcastle [AH014] 03/12/2023

War comes to Australia - the Japanese attack on Sydney and Newcastle [AH014] In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, Imperial Japanese Navy submarines made a series of attacks on the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle. Visit Australian War Memorial - Royal Australian Navy Naval Heritage Centre - Fort Scratchley - More information Navy - Sea Museum - ANZAC Memorial - Woolahra council - A brilliant book on the subject is ‘A Very Rude Awakening - The Night The Japanese Midget Subs Came To Sydney Harbour’ by: Peter Grose - https://amzn.to/3HrFJy0 /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/26198325

From sheep farm to leading astronomy centre - Parkes radio telescope [AH013] 03/11/2023

From sheep farm to leading astronomy centre - Parkes radio telescope [AH013] The CSIRO's Parkes Radio Telescope was commissioned on a former sheep farm in 1961. It was the most advanced radio telescope on the planet at the time, with many innovative features that have since become standard in all large-dish antennas, and it has maintained it’s cutting edge technology and research ever since. Based in part on an article by John Sarkissian, CSIRO, first published in The Conversation, and on our own research. Visitors Centre - How the Parkes dish works - Parkes shire visitors centre - /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/26198313

Canberra Bushfires 2003 – how it happened 01/28/2023

Canberra Bushfires 2003 – how it happened The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week around the edges of the ACT, the fires entered the suburbs of Canberra on 18 January 2003. Over the next ten hours, four people died, over 490 were injured, and 470 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, requiring a significant relief and reconstruction effort. With actual video of firefighters dealing with the firestorm as it hit. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25757877

The day NASA hit Australia 01/28/2023

The day NASA hit Australia 12 July 1979, the burning wreckage of a space station the size of a three-bedroom house hurtled towards the west coast of Australia. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25757865

Australia’s homegrown fighter that couldn’t fight, the CAC boomerang 01/28/2023

Australia’s homegrown fighter that couldn’t fight, the CAC boomerang The Commonwealth Boomerang was designed and built in Australia in response to the impending Japanese invasion of the Australian mainland. It’s main issue was that it sucked as a fighter! But it could attack the ground, and found a use in the war. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25757856

Martha Rendell, serial child killer of Perth 01/15/2023

Martha Rendell, serial child killer of Perth Martha Rendell (10 August 1871 – 6 October 1909) was the last woman to be hanged in Western Australia, for the murder of her de facto husband's son, Arthur Morris, in 1908. She was also suspected of killing his two daughters, Annie and Olive, by swabbing their throats with hydrochloric acid. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25613457

The air crash that changed aviation safety 01/11/2023

The air crash that changed aviation safety The crash of TAA flight 538 near Mackay Queensland changed the way aviation accidents are investigated world-wide. Find out what this change was, and how the crash and loss of 29 lives made flying safer for everyone. Show less /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25568781

3801 - Australia's most famous steam locomotive 01/10/2023

3801 - Australia's most famous steam locomotive A brief history of Australia's famous steam locomotive the 3801, and the 38 class, along with plenty of shots of her in action. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25565880

Jessie Hickman - the Wild Woman of Wollemi - Australia's unknown outlaw 01/07/2023

Jessie Hickman - the Wild Woman of Wollemi - Australia's unknown outlaw Australia had several women bushrangers, and their stories are only now being told. Jessie Hickman (1890-1936) - also known as McIntyre, Bell, Hudson, and Murray, was one such outlaw. We've pieced together a brief account of her life. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25533381

Dulcie Markham, Angel of Death - Aus History 01/02/2023

Dulcie Markham, Angel of Death - Aus History Dulcie May Markham was variously known in the media as The Angel of Death, The Black Widow, Pretty Dulcie, Australia's most beautiful bad woman, Bad Luck Doll, and The One-Way Ticket. You see, of Markham’s lovers five were shot dead, while two were stabbed with one dying from those injuries. /episode/index/show/726384d3-045d-4324-a35c-1d6c043412e7/id/25478724

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