Australian History Finds

Police Tracker Edgar Spring was buried a soldier in a simple grave in St John’s Churchyard, Reid, Canberra.  He served his state of NSW as a police tracker for nearly two decades in Cassilis, volunteered to serve his country in war, and…

In 1852 Thomas Chippendale snr left his four boys ranging in age from 11 to 18 years in charge of his newly acquired, and now famous NSW grazing property, Bolaro. What could possibly go wrong? Well a great deal in fact. The youngest brother…

Tracking down Ned Kelly and searching for the place where he murdered three policemen on 26 October 1878 ended in a history scoop.  Clouds hung low over the Wombat Ranges making visibility poor and driving conditions hazardous but this…

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot, Flying Officer Francis Ewen, was the first to die when his plane crashed while participating in a fly past for the afternoon military review on opening day. The second death occurred on 27 July 1927…

The Yarrangobilly bush cemetery is hidden away at the end of a bush track off the Snowy Mountains Highway in the Kosciusko National Park.  This quiet little patch in the Australian bush is the final resting place for some of the pioneers…

An air fatality in Canberra in 1927 left a permanent yet hidden scar on an historic day in Australia. Flying Officer Francis Ewen died tragically when his plane swept from a flying formation and nose-dived into the ground during a military…

A mystery memorial in Kosciuszko National Park has risen from the ashes of the 2020 summer bush fires in Denison, an area of dense bush land close to Adaminaby and favoured by fishing enthusiasts.

Combating Spanish flu in Australia was a massive challenge for government authorities, the medical profession and the population at large.  There was a steady stream of precautionary advice on what to do to avoid getting sick and what to do…

Local newspapers told the story of the Spanish influenza in Australia. Keeping people abreast of developments, dramas and deaths the newspapers performed a vital public service. There were reports on cases in Australia and overseas,…

'Advance Australia Fair' was officially proclaimed Australia's National Anthem in 1984 more than a century after it was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878, 83 years after Federation and seven years after a national song poll.