Thru My Lens

What Happened To Summer?

2012-01-27T14:59:00.006+11:00

What happened to summer?

When I was a kid growing up in one of the sprawling suburbs on Australia's east coast, our summer started for us kids on the Labor Day Long Weekend which is celebrated on the first weekend in October and from that weekend on it was Stubbies (a popular kind of shorts), thongs (double pluggers), surf, sand, sunburn, Beach Boys tunes and girls. This Australian rite of passage usually continued right up until Easter Long Weekend. Yes, those were the lazy halcyon days of my youth.

What happened to summer?

Last year we had a late start to summer with the warmer weather not really kicking in till the week before Christmas and playing out until late April. Once again this year we have had a late to our summer, with the warmer weather waiting until New Years to bless us. Even then it has been a patchy start to 2012, with a few hot days in between the dominant southerly air stream, that have bought patchy showers and cooler temperatures. To emphasise the point, December 2011 was the coldest recorded in 50 years with an average mean temperature of just 19.9º and with only an average 6.7 hours per day, down from the usual 7.9 hours, which added to the gloom.

What happened to summer?

But it is not all doom and gloom, I don't think I have ever seen my garden looking so lush and verdant at this time of year ... ever! Usually by January the gardens are really struggling, as the moisture evaporates with hand watering and heavy mulching the only way that the avid gardener can keep his garden from desiccating before their eyes. However, not this summer, the whole garden is alve with new growth, especicially the frangipanis which are producing flowers en masse, the like I have never seen before.

What happened to summer?

Although my garden is in picture perfect condition, a wet summer has its drawbacks as well, like the vines in the Pokolbin vineyards area not setting the fruit, which could lead to a smaller crop and a poorer vintage this season. Another drawback is the lack of beach days, where I get to spend lazy days reading good books and soaking up the sun on some of Australia best suburban beaches and worrying about how to keep my camera free of sand. But not this summer, beach days have been a rare event and movies have been the preferred weekend outing.

What happened to summer?

So what happened to summer, I don't know, perhaps next year we'll get one .... and then we can complain about the drought, bushfires, water restrictions and a brown lawn.

Wet Days & Wine

2011-11-26T00:14:00.006+11:00

Ahhh, the vineyards of Polkolbin in the spring time can be quite picturesque with lush verdant vines thriving in the warm Australian sunshine.

.... What !!!

Well normally this would be the case, however springtime in Australia, especially in New South Wales, can be extremely temperamental, with wild swings in temperature and weather conditions, especially in the current La Nina conditions. And believe me this week certainly proved the point as to the changability of our weather.

As the week started out it was hot and humid and quite uncomfortable. However, by Wednesday morning the heavens had opened up over the Hunter and dropped over 80 millimetres, which is over 3 inches in old speak, of much welcomed rain over the district. So while our summer is just around the corner, a cold snap such as the one we are experiencing at the moment, can have you wondering why you packed away your winter weight jumper and wet weather gear so early, brrrr

Although the dams can always use a much needed top up, working in the constant precipitation is not much fun and dodging the constant deluges can try the patience of a saint ... or an Australia Post transport driver.

As Charles Dudley Warner famously said, although mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain, "everyone complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it"

However, I just think I'll just let Enya take us out with -

It's In The Rain

Every time the rain comes down,
close my eyes and listen.
I can hear the lonesome sound
of the sky as it cries.

Listen to the rain...
Here it comes again...
Hear it in the rain...

Feel the touch of tears that fall,
they won't fall forever.
In the way the day will flow,
all things come, all things go.

Listen to the rain...
(the rain...)
Here it comes again...
(a-gain...)
Hear it in the rain...
(the rain...)

Late at night I drift away
I can hear you calling,
and my name is in the rain,
leaves on trees whispering,
deep blue sea's mysteries.

Even when this moment ends,
can't let go this feeling.
Everything will come again
in the sound, falling down,
of the sky as it cries.
Hear my name in the rain.

'In The Rain' lyrics Roma Ryan courtesy 2005 EMI Music Publishing Ltd - www.enya.com

Walking Into The Past

2011-11-21T17:28:00.016+11:00

In 1973 the Daily Mirror newspaper described Ingleburn as a "wasteland" dominated by "ugliness, lack of amenities and boredom". As a teenager growing up in the suburb at the time I was absolutely gobsmacked that anyone would describe my town in such vitriolic manner and also as a result of that article, I don't even think my mother has bought a Murdoch published newspaper for nearly 40 years!

When I was a young kid growing up in Ingleburn in Sydney's south western suburbs, history was something that happened in more exotic locales. In the NSW school history syllabus during the 60's & 70's, we were taught about the great monarchs of the United Kingdom, the journey of Australia's discovery by Captain James Cook, Australia's convict transportation era, the explorations of the Australian continent, the deeds by our brave fighting men at Gallipoli (World War 1) and the defeat of the Japanese by the sons of Gallipoli at Kokoda (World War 2). All great historical events in their own right and it was probably deemed sufficient in the public school curriculum at the time, given the limited resources available to educators at the time.

However, history existed right under our noses if we cared to suspend our prejudices, remove our blinkers and just look at our own town.

The development of Ingleburn can be traced back to colonial botanist, George Caley, who in 1805 traveled from Prospect across to the upper reaches of the Georges River mapping its course near Ingleburn. Not long after the travels of Caley, settlers pushed out of the Sydney confines and into the area that is now known as Ingleburn. In 1809 four soldiers, William Hall, William Neale, Joshua Alliot and Timothy Loughin from the NSW Corps took up farm selections in the area that became known as Soldiers Flat, on the eastern side of Bunburry Curran Creek (according to Parish Maps of the late 1830's show that Bunburry is spelt with 2 r's and not with one 'r' as it is today). Although the southern railway came through in 1858, it wasn't until 1869 that a rail platform was built on the Neale property to service the growing rural industries and so a name had to be found for the new locality. The name chosen was Macquarie Fields, named after the large property located on William Redfern's land holdings to the north of the platform. The properties near the platform changed hands a few times up until 1881 when the area was purchased by Elias Laycock and the home he built on his new holdings was called Ingleburn House. Also in 1881 William Redfern's former Macquarie Fields property was subdiivided and became the new village of Macquarie Fields. To save confusion over the names in August 1883 the railway authorities decided to adopt the name of the nearby Elias Laycocks house, so the name was changed to Ingleburn. When the area around the station was eventually subdivided, the area simply became known as Ingleburn as well.

As Ingleburn was basically a rural village, most of the early buildings were constructed using easily accessible building materials such as timber and iron. Even the local public school, which was relocated from Brooks Point near Appin and opened in 1887 was originally built as a timber and iron structure. The current brick building, including the teachers residence, that stands on the site today were constructed in 1892 at a cost of £1097/9/0 ($1.6 million) which reflects the standing Ingleburn had achieved in it's very short history.

Ingleburn even managed their own civic affairs when they elected their own council and which first sat in1896. The first meetings were conducted in Alderman Smiths lounge room (as there was no council chambers at the time) with Mr Barff serving as Ingleburn's first Lord Mayor. Also serving were some old Ingleburian names such as Mr Percival and Mr Collins (the areas first Postmaster) who were elected as Alderman in the first local administration. Eventually the council was incorporated into the Campbelltown Council in 1948. One of the legacies of the Ingleburn Council was the development of Kings Park (now called the Georges River Reserve) in the late 30's as a recreation area and was popular spot for swimming on those hot summer days. It was also where a lot of local kids, myself included, learnt to swim, mainly thanks to the now heritage listed weir that made the conditions less treacherous by artificially slowing down the fast flowing water. The area was also used extensively by the Scouting movement for orienteering and bush related activities, a real asset to the early community before the age of swimming pools.

In 1901, the original railway station burnt to the ground and so the government decided that it would be one of the first built in the contemporary style of the day, that is in what is known as the 'Initial Island' style. Ingleburn railway is one of the few remaining examples of the first attempts to implement this style of rail architecture into the Sydney metro area and is considered to be the prototype for many other railway station buildings that were erected in the 1910 -20 period using this style.

The Ingleburn School of Arts (Community Hall) is another example of pride in local community, built in the 1920's it is an example of the Art Deco style that was becoming in vogue around that time. The hall has survived during this time, however a recent redevelopment of the Ingleburn Arts Precinct, saw the old hall demolished and now only the facade remains.

It was during the 1970's that population of the former rural village exploded, when the Housing Commission and developers opened up vast tracts of farmland to housing and changed the face of my town forever, dragging the locals from a sleepy insular backwater, to a thriving Sydney suburb. However, what puts Ingleburn apart for other suburbs in south west Sydney is that Ingleburn has a very rich civic and architectural history ... all you have to do is look.

N.B. - I'd like to thank the Campbelltown City Library, the online resources of the National Library of Australia, the late Ingleburn historian Mrs Genevieve Tregear & my 4th Form history teacher Miss Burrows, who gave me my inspiration ... better late than never!.

The Ghosts of Post Offices Past - Ingleburn (2565)

2011-11-18T13:07:00.008+11:00

It was in 1896 that the Postal Inspector gave the fledgling town of Ingleburn this less than romantic description: " the Ingleburn community consists cheifly of fruit growers and wool carters" and while not flattering, it was probably an accurate assessment of the community at the time.

The small township of Ingleburn, situated 44 kilometres south west of the Sydney CBD, grew from fairly humble beginnings, originally just a rail platform that was built in 1869 and was originally called Macquarie Fields, after a large property situated to the north of the platform. The name was changed to Ingleburn in 1883 to avoid confusion after the Macquarie Fields estate was subdivided and was gazetted as the town of Macquarie Fields.

The land around the Ingleburn platform was also subdivided into smaller town lots in 1885 and the town began to take shape. As the town grew, so did the needs of the community for postal facilities and in October 1886, Mr W.Collins, a local storekeeper, was appointed as the Ingleburn Receiving Office Keeper (ROK), which paid him an allowance of £5 p.a. ($4,100). By 1891 business had grown sufficiently for the status to be raised to become a Post Office and Mr Collins appointed Postmaster with remuneration increased to £22 p.a., ($16,600) with a porterage allowance of £10 ($7,500) to move mail between the rail station and Mr Collins' shop. However, not everyone was pleased with this arrangement, as the Collins shop was located a quarter mile away (400 metres), on the western side of the railway line, which was away from the expansion of the town which was occurring on the eastern side of the line, according to the Ingleburn Progress Association in November 1891.

The Postmaster General must have agreed with the sentiments expressed by the Progress Association because in February 1892, arrangements were made with the Railway Department for the Post Office to be moved to the station and Herbert J. Webb was placed in charge, combining both the telegraph and post offices in the one area.

In 1900 the Postmaster General decided upgrade facilities at Ingleburn and with agreement from the Railway Department a new room was built apart from the railway office and included a 'silence' cabinet for the telephone. Miss Frances Quinn was appointed Postmistress in March 1901 on a salary of £55 p.a.($37,000) and this new arrangement also proved quite fortuitous as the Railway Station burnt down in 1901! The Post office continued to grow, with Money Order facilities offered in May 1901 and a branch of the Government Savings Bank in opened July 1901.

In 1909 the Postmistress, Miss Quinn, was transferred to Greta in the Hunter Valley and the Postal Department decided to move the Post Office to the general store owned by Mr A.B. Kavanagh, who became Postmaster in January 1910, mainly because he offered to allow out of hours access to the telephone. However, it was not a popular move according to the local residents, who petitioned to have the Post Office remain at the railway station. Mr Kavanagh sold the business in August 1912 and Mr S. McIlveen became Postmaster. In 1917 Mr McIlveen moved the Post Office to a new brick building on the opposite side of the street (Oxford St) and installed a larger swithchboard ... And of course the local residents opposed the move.

In 1933 the Post Office moved back to the other side of Oxford St and remained there until extensive renovations in October 1964, These renovations involved the complete demolishing of the old store and then rebuilding it as a purpose built Post Office. During the construction phase, the Post Office moved into 41 Oxford Street as a temporary measure and moved back to 10 Oxford Road in December 1964. In March 1970 Ingleburn Post Office finally was granted official status and at the time the Post Office had grown to employ 6 staff (Postmaster Assistant, P/T Assistant two Postman and one junior Postal Officer)

As Ingleburn continued to grow rapidly during the 1970's so did the needs of the community for better postal facilities and so in 1977 a new Post Office complex was opened at a completion cost of $174,000 ($820,000) . It was estimated at the time that the building would have a serviceable life of around 20 years, however, after 34 years at 34 Oxford Street Ingleburn, the Post Office continues to meet needs of it's growing and diverse community of nearly 19,000 residents. A far cry from when the Postal Inspector made his cutting remarks in 1896!

Footnote - Local historians like to point out that the large Bunyan Pine located on the eastern side of Ingleburn Rail Station was planted near the site of Postmistress Quinn's Post Office which opened in 1901, making that wonderful old pine 110 years old this year!

N.B. I'd like to thank the staff at the Campbelltown City Library & the online resources of the National Library of Australia for their assistance in compiling this blog.

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Stockton (2295)

2011-11-16T08:34:00.008+11:00

view to Newcastle from Mitchell St Stockton

In 1800 a gang of 15 convicts, escaping from Broken Bay in NSW, stole the colonial sloop 'Norfolk' and ran aground at the present day Stockton, thus giving the area it's first and more romantic name, Pirate Point.

Situated less than 1 kilometre across the harbour from Newcastle, Stockton has its own unique history, which dates back to early Aboriginal occupation and was known as "Burrinbingon" by the local Worrimi tribe. Stockton was known by the aboriginal as a gathering place of plenty as it was well stocked with oysters, pippies and plenty of fish species in the river. When Lt Shortland 'discovered' Newcastle in 1797 word got back to Sydney about the natural riches that could be found, especially the coal and cedar and it didn't take long before 18th century entrepreneurs came to take advantage to the abundant riches. One of the first businessmen was Hugh Meehan, who in 1799 began operating a saw pit on Stockton's northern shore

Following the establishment of the convict settlement at Coal River (Newcastle) in 1804, Stockton then became a horrendous place of punishment as convicts were sent over the river to work the lime kilns that were situated close to the former aboriginal middens that were scattered around the area.

By 1823 the convict era had finished and so private settlements along the length of the Hunter River flourished, including Stockton. Large grants of land were issued in the 1830's and early industries quickly flourished, salt works and foundry in 1838, vitriol (sulphuric acid) works in 1853, tin smelter in 1872 and the colony's biggest textile factory (which burnt down in 1851). however the mainstay was shipbuilding, with at least six shipbuilders operating in the area by the 1860's.

With a population of over 150 permanent residents the first calls were made for the establishment of a Post Office on the peninsular in 1859, however the NSW government declined, mainly due to the high cost submitted by the contractors to convey the mail across the harbour, one tender was quoted as £60 ($10,000), which was considered to high of a cost at the time.

Not to be deterred, in November 1861 representations were once again put to the government, this time by local politician Mr James Hannell and in this instance they were successful. On the 1st February 1862, Mr Samuel Sterling became the first Postmaster of the new Stockton Post Office. A contract was also let to Mr Henry Plenglaze for £36.13.5 ($6,000) to provide a 6 day mail service from Newcastle to Stockton. According to the Parish Maps the first Post Offices seemed to be located off Fullerton Road, near what is now known as Punt St (formerly known as Factory St.). Several Postmasters followed Mr Sterling ... William Adams (1868), Edward Miner (1870) and then in 1873 the former contractor, Henry Penglaze, who held the position until his death in 1882, then passing the running of the Post Office licence to his wife, Elizabeth.

As Stockton continued to grow, especially when the Stockton Coal Company commenced operation in 1882, so did the demands for better postal services, including the connection to the telegraph. Following an assessment by Postal Inspector Davies in 1886, it was decided to erect an 18 mile telegraph line from Raymond Terrace to Stockton and amalgamate the Post Office and the Telegraph Office.

In 1887, Stockton at last had an official Post & Telegraph Office with Mr John Beckett appointed to the position with a salary of £124 p.a. ($130,000). On the day he opened Stockton's the new Post & Telegraph, the 27th June 1887, his first message as the official Post & Telegraph master was "I have opened the office here this morning, may I take on a Probationer to carry messages, no other person employed here but myself ", Postmaster Beckett was quick to realise the short comings of being the only employee at the Post Office! Not only was his plea for additional staff agreed to but he also gained a part time Postman as well, John Griffiths, who commenced his rounds on 1st September 1887, thus earning the distinction of being the first postman in Stockton .

In 1890 the Post Office also gained a lamp for the front of the Post Office and as this had to be lit and maintained by Postmaster Beckett, so he asked for and was granted an additional allowance of £4 p.a. ($670) to perform this task. Just another perk of the job that we have seemed to have lost over the years!

By 1891 however calls were made by the Stockton Municipal Council for a public building be erected for a Post Office, instead of operating out of Mr Bruce's rented premises, so after much negotiating a site on Hunter Street was selected and on the 18th February 1901 at a cost of £1,219 ($815,000) , Stockton finally had a new purpose built Post Office to be proud of.

Over time technology moves on and the Post Office building in Hunter Street had outlived it's useful life which required extensive renovations just to make it habitable. So in the late 1930's it was decided to build a newer office in Clyde St (cnr Douglass St) and update the delivery and retail service. It was with little fanfare on the 6th December 1941 that the new £2,500 ($490,000) modernised Stockton Post Office opened for business. The old Hunter Street Post Office was then sold off and converted into residential flats, eventually the building was demolished and became part of the revamped Stockton foreshore.

By the late 1990's, the Post Office structure was once again under review and as a result the retail business became an LPO (Licensed Post Office) and is now located in the newsagency at 29 Mitchell St. The old 1941 Post Office building was retained for a few more years before it too was also sold off and in June 2001, the remaining postal staff and contractors were moved out to Heatherbrae, near Raymond Terrace.

Next year marks the sesquicentennial (1862 - 2012) of Post Office operations in Stockton, a Post Office that has had quite the history of being moved, updated, downsized, revamped and hopefully, will continue to serve this local community well into the future.

As for the 15 pirates from the Norfolk? Eleven of them stole another boat, but eventually all were recaptured and two of the ringleaders executed ... perhaps they just should have opened a Post Office!

N.B. I'd like to thank the staff at the Newcastle Library, the National Archives of Australia, The National Library of Australia & the residents of Stockton for their help in compiling this blog.

Holidays .... what are they good for?

2011-10-12T14:36:00.008+11:00

It seems that these days, our holidays, like our modern lives, have to be planned, booked and the time spent fully accounted for. It would seem that is why we have such a current infatuation with cruise ship holidays, what could be better than having a fully itemised itinerary of relaxation.

However, this year I bucked the trend by not going on a cruise or even over to Australia favourite overseas holiday destination, Bali Instead I once again booked my holiday at the Australia Post and Telstra sponsored holiday accommodation on Australia's Gold Coast at North Burleigh Beach. The area, located in SE Queensland , is called the Gold Coast because of the large expanses of golden sand on the beaches ... beautiful .

Now, besides the wonderful beaches, the Gold Coast has quite the reputation as Australia's favourite holiday destination because of its proximity to the theme parks, beaches and 24 hour entertainment around Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise. This means that the Gold Coast attracts events such as Schoolies Week (an Aussie tradition that signals the end of high school formalities http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolies_week), 100's of work related conventions, end of season trips for sporting clubs and even a round of the V8 Supercars (Australia's premier motor racing marque) on it's coastal street circuit. It is quite the 'in' destination for those who are in full on party mode.

But thundering V8 Supercars, the Cavill Ave late night bars or even the theme parks weren't my focus this year ... the plan of this years annual break was trying to achieve total relaxation and recuperation. Although we did manage a day excursion and took the train up to Brisbane to check out the beautiful parks and galleries around the wonderful South Bank precinct of the Queensland capital.

It was a holiday of sun, beaches and books, I did not even go onto the internet (ok I did once to do my banking), or even (shock, horror!) take the Canon 400D out and preferred to capture my whole holiday on the Sanyo S1275 'point & shoot' camera. The reason for preferring the Sanyo was that if I wanted to take a swim, I could, without having to worry about the security of the bulkier Canon DSLR. With the Sanyo I was able to wrap it up in a towel and secure the compact camera that way ... easy as!

So most mornings I woke early, grabbed the towel, grabbed the camera and took a stroll along the pristine beaches of Australia's wonderful Gold Coast region.

So now I can correctly say on my profile that I enjoy long walks on the beach, watching picture perfect sunrises over the ocean and capturing natures beauty .... I have the pictures to prove it! (& I don't like pina colada's or getting caught in the rain!)

So sometimes on holidays it is best just to do absolutely nothing, just sit back, with a good book, comfy chair and enjoy just being away from the humdrum of our everyday lives! And here's a travel tip, don't catch the train into Brisbane from the Gold Coast ... it sucks!

Wonderful Weekend Wanders In Wickham

2011-08-24T15:17:00.001+10:00

In my last blog entry 'The Ghosts of Post Offices Past' I covered the Post Offices that were situated in and around the former Wickam Municipality. As I was doing my research I performed a walk around the area armed with my compact S1275 Sanyo to track down and photograph the former Post Office sites. As I decided to walk the route, instead of drive, it enable to to get a different perspective of the area and the more I walked, the more I liked what I saw.

Now to be honest the former Wickham Municipality, comprising the towns of Wickham, Islington, Tighes Hill and Maryville are presented as run down urban grunge by the media, reinforcing an unfair stereotype by those Novocastrians who live outside this wonderful urban gem. Once you move past the sterotypes, you'll be astounded by some wonderful late 19th century archtecture, such as the wonderfully restored Tighes Hill School of Arts, magnificent civic parks, historic bridges and some wonderful street architecture that reflect Newcastles evolving social history.

The area also boosted some of the richest Aboriginal sites in the Newcastle area, with a well documented Corroboree site located on the cnr of Church & Hannell Streets (formerly the St James Anglican Church, now Blackwoods), with the last Corroboree performed in 1830 (Wickham PS Centenary 1878 -1978). In addition to the Corroboree site there were many other sites that evidenced Aboriginal life in the area, with reports that fish traps were set in the tidal mangroves & extensive middens along the sandy shores and clear waters of Throsby Creek. Evidence of the middens can be found if you look closely at the concrete pourings on the Grahame Bridge at Lewis Street, you can still see the shell grit that were taken from the ancient middens during the construction!

With Newcastle expanding with free settlers after the end of the convict era in 1823, more land was sought as the fledgling settlement of Newcastle spread west. When the railway arrived at Honeysuckle Point (Wickham) in 1857, land situated to the north of the railway was an obvious choice as it was flat fertile land, plentiful food from the numerous creeks and freshwater springs (Islington & Smedmore), the area must've seemed like paradise to the early settlers However, with the settlers came the industry and without todays environmental controls, the original beauty of the area was raped in the push for development .

The were slaughterhouses set up (near the present day Marina), a Soap & Candle factory on the site of Wickham PS), coal mines (Caltex & Tighes Hill PS), a tannery (Tighes Hill TAFE), copper smelting (Port Waratah) and unbridled housing development all contributed to the degradation of the once pristine, sandy banks of Throsby and Styx Creeks.

As more people were attracted to this working class area they bought their stories, leaving their imprint on the suburbs where they lived and then, as their children grew up, they added more stories to the new tapestry that was being woven. One of the fascinating stories is that in 1885 a young Henry Lawson (18 at the time), came to work at Hudson Bros at Wickham as an apprentice coach painter and spent a lot of evenings and weekends at the the new Wickham School of Arts to continue his studies for matriculation. His time in Newcastle wasn't a happy one due to workplace bullying and perhaps homesickness, so he returned to Sydney after a few months, becoming one of Australia favourite poets .

But time moves on and the former Wickham Municipality is slowly recovering from almost a century of unbridled industrial carnage, leaving a landscape that has been changed forever from those heady days in the 1820's when area was known as Whytes Paddock. But with that urbanisation came some beautiful 19th century architecture, expansive parks framed by magnificent fig trees, fascinating streetscapes and stories from people who have generations invested in the area.

Yes the area has it blemishes, that you can't deny, but I'd rather choose to live in an area with a past, than in a suburb without a soul.

The Ghosts of Post Offices Past - Wickham (2293)

2011-07-19T17:18:00.011+10:00

Wickham Post Office- circa 1900 - NLA C4076

The 27th Febuary 1871 would have been quite an important day for the proud residents for the small town of Wickam as on that day they were proclaimed a Municipality, the first in Newcastle. The new Wickham Municipality incorporated the surrounding towns of Maryville, Smedmore (Wickham North), Linwood, Islington and Tighes Hill ... quite a day indeed!

Wickham LPO

With the industrial expansion of Newcastle in the 1860's more workers were seeking accommodation so residential land was opened up from Blane Street (Hunter St) to Whytes Paddock on the banks of Throsby Creek with sales commencing in 1868. Due to it's unique siting, with the harbour and railway close by, industries also were also attracted to the area, with a soap and candle factory, abattoirs (Tighes Hill & Wickham), steam sawmill, Hunter River Copper Works (Port Waratah) and the coal mines situated at Bullock Island (Carrington), Tighes Hill (Ferndale Colliery) and the Maryville (located on the current Caltex refinery), all providing a varied working environment for the Wickham Municipality as the area expanded.

The early living conditions were further enhanced by the limitless supply of fresh water from the Islington sand beds, the abundance of fresh fish, eels and estuary prawns that were found in clear waters of Throsby and Styx Creek.

Tighes Hill 1938 - NLA C4076

As more people were attracted to the area the postal needs of the community also grew and one of the first deputations by the newly elected council in 1871 was to ask the Postmaster-General to establish a formal Post Office and so on the 13th September 1872, local store owner Mrs E.Blackie was appointed Wickhams first Postmistress. The Wickham Post Office grew rapidly becoming a Post & Telegraph Office (7/10/1878), a Money Order Office (MOO - 1/1/1880) and a Government Savings Bank agency (GSB -22/5/1884). Then on the 27/8/1892 the new purpose built Post Office on the Cnr Throsby & Hannell St's opened for business. This beautiful two storey building was built in the James Barnet 'country Post Office' Italian Renaissance' style (although it was completed during the time of James Liberty Vernon tenure as New South Wales Government Architect) and cost £1897 ($1.4 million) to complete. Sadly we only have photo's of this iconic building left as the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake seriously damaged the structural integrity of the building and as a result the building was demolished. Australia Post also decided at this time to convert the Post Office to an LPO (Licenced Post Office) and this happened on the 1st December 1994.Today the current LPO stands on the former site of the Post Office, albeit now combined with a newsagency.

former Tighes Hill PO

It is also interesting to note that Tighes Hill began operations on the 13th September 1872, the same day as the Wickham Post Office with J.Kilgour appointed Postmaster and like Wickham, the Post Office grew as the population expanded. It became a Money Order Office (22/9/1872), Telephone Service (31/1/1890), GSB (15/10/1894) and then eventually became an Official Post Office (3/11/1914). In 1937 the Post Office moved into a new building at 4 Elizabeth St and stayed there until 1997, when Australia Post closed this wonderful example of an Art Deco Post Office for good.

Islington PO - 1951 - NLA C4076

Islington Post Office was promised to the residents by the Postmaster-General for many years prior to its opening on the 1st January 1893 with S.Proctor appointed the Postmaster. Again it quickly grew with a Telephone Service (18/11/1899), MOO & GSB (9/6/1900) and then finally a Official Post Office in 1941. A new Post Office was built in 1974 for $101,520 and housed the postmen for the Wickham/Islington area, as the then PMG began to restructure mail delivery. This building was then eventually sold in the 1990's and the delivery operations were moved to new larger premises in Hudson St Hamilton (now itself closed and the operations haved now moved to Warabrook). The retail side of the Islington Post Office itself was closed and the licence sold off. As a result Islington became a Licenced Post Office, another LPO located within a newsagency and with that, the town lost some of its rich postal history.

1974 Islington PO site

Islington LPO

The last of the area's Post Offices was the Wickham North Post Office located in Downie Street Maryville. It was called Wickham North because there was already a Maryville in Victoria and the authorities didn't want any confusion! When the name was proposed a few old time locals preferred the name Smedmore to reflect the original name for the area, however the PMG stuck to their guns and it remained known as Wickham North Post Office. This little Non Official Post Office (NONO) first opened in 1951 with J.G. Power appointed licensee and it closed in 1971. It reopened in 1972, however by 1978 it had once again closed, never to reopen, although the street posting box (SPB) remained in place until it too was relocated to Hannell Street.

Downie St Wickham

So one day if you are walking through the streets of the former Wickham Municipality and you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise up, don't be afraid, it is probably just the ghost of a Post Office past looking for some proper closure.

I'd like the thank the invaluable assistance given to me by the NCC Library, Newcastle Family History & Historical Society, the National Library of Australia & Doreen Cummins of the Honeysuckle News & Post (Wickham LPO) in putting together this blog.

As a footnote it should be understood the name Wickham is actually a corruption of the original spelling of the town of Whickham, which is located a few miles from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England

Sisi Upendo Dubbo

2011-06-15T09:35:00.004+10:00

If you lived in one of the many African countries that speak Swahili, "Sisi upendo Dubbo", may just be the phrase that would pass your lips if you came to visit the magical Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The zoo is located a few kilometres outside the New South Wales city of Dubbo and is just over 400 kilometres west of Sydney, on the Central West plains. I have also covered the history of the town and the surrounding area in my blog called 'The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Dubbo (2830) '

However, on this visit to this wonderful city I was not admiring the impressive architectural heritage, but I was there with the wife and grand-kids to check out the impressive 300ha open-range zoo.

Now I'm not going to judge on the pro's and con's of whether it is ethical to keep animals in zoo's, however it is quite a privilege to be able to photograph some exotic wild life up close and personal. Also, going to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo give kids the opportunity to see these wonderful animals outside the confines of their lounge room (via the Nat Geo & Discovery Channels) and where they can learn about the conservation projects that are in place to ensure these beautiful animals are around for generations to come.

Where is King Julian?

Being tall is not always an asset!

Dinner Time

Meerkats on alert

Looking for love

You look like a tasty treat

I'm the pretty one

The best are always just out of reach

While I would not recommend spending 4 hours travelling confined in a Kia with three children, a visit to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a highly rewarding experience for everyone and even if playing 'I Spy' for 400 kilometres may have you contemplating evil, the opportunity to photograph these wonderful animals without bars will make the trip a tad more bearable ... just!

Sisi upendo Dubbo ..... yes we do love Dubbo!

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Teralba (2284)

2011-06-02T12:52:00.018+10:00

"This now little township, which has sprung up like a mushroom, has some comfortable miners residences already built in it. Mr. T. Williams, late of Minmi, has just opened a new hotel there, which is situated close to the edge of the lake. He seems to be one of the right sort, and is doing a flourishing trade, as it is the only hotel within several miles. There are two butchers' shops, two stores, and a baker's shop to supply the people's wants, with a good school for the children." - The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser 13th December 1887.

It would seem that our good correspondent from the Maitland Mercury forgot to add that Teralba also had a Post Office, although the Post Office was known as Winding Creek at that time.

original letter/newspaper receiver

Teralba is a small community situated on the northern edge of Lake Macquarie (about 20 kilometres from Newcastle) and is part of an area of 914 acres that was originally granted to Capt. James St. John Ranclaud in the 1830's. Upon his death in 1842 the title passed to James Mitchell, who combined the Ranclaud land with his existing Lake Macquarie holdings and the area became known as the Awaba Park Estate. Upon his death in 1896, the Mitchell estate was then bequeathed to his daughter, Margaret Quigley, who continued to develop the land for pastoral enterprises.

In the 1880's the NSW Government decided to extend the railway from Homebush to Newcastle and so it was from this great engineering achievement that the town of Teralba (or Tirelbah, as it was known to the local aborigines) began to rise from the scrub. The site was chosen by the contractors because of the access to a fresh water stream and that they were able to quarry the much needed ballast from a site that was known as 'Big Hill'

Teralba PO - 1920's (NLA C4076)

As men sought employment on the railway, a town quickly established around the quarry and by 1885 there were over one hundred men employed in the quarry. A lot of these workers were accompanied by their families, living in rudimentary accommodation, mostly tents and dealing with the harsh environment of the Australian bush. It should also be remembered that at the time there were also over 45 children living in the fledgling camp as well ... hard days indeed!

As the camp expanded the needs of a Post Office were required and so on the 1st January 1885 the Winding Creek Post Office opened, with Mr S.G. Hooper appointed as the first Postmaster. Who Mr Hooper was I can't ascertain, however, as most of the business owners can be identified, Mr Hooper could have been a mine manager at the Amos & Co. gravel quarry, which was not uncommon in the early days of the Post Office. The mail was initially conveyed from Wallsend to Teralba (Winding Creek) three times per week via horse/coach and was incorporated into the existing Wallsend to Cooranbong mail run.

Street Posting Box circa 1870's

Luckily for the residents of Teralba a viable coal seam was also opened up in 1886, so once the railway reached Teralba in August 1887, the little township continued to thrive. Also coinciding with the arrival of the railway, the postal and telegraph operations were transferred to the railway station on the 1st January 1888 with the Officer in Charge Mr H.F. Nesbitt appointed the new Postmaster, his remuneration for performance both tasks was £150 p.a. ($115,000). The arrival of the railway also provided Teralba with a direct link to Sydney with the mail now arriving daily at 4.30pm without it having to come via Newcastle and Wallsend. The Teralba Post Office continued to grow, becoming a Money Order Office (3/6/1889) and then a branch of the Government Savings Bank (1/10/1895).

The growth of the Post Office was forcing more and more people to cross the busy main north railway so calls were made to find a more suitable location for the Post Office. The site that was eventually chosen on the western side of William St (possibly at 61 William St ) and the 'new' £700 ($85,500) non official Post Office was eventually opened on the 12th August 1904 with Miss M. O'Shannessy appointed Postmistress.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, on the 4th October 1924 the Postmaster-General called for tenders for the "Removal and re erection of post office building, repairs and painting, and installation of electric light". Who accepted the tender and when the work was actually done is still unclear, however we do know that the Post Office, including of the original building, were moved from it's William St location to 42 York St in 1924/25. In 1996 Teralba became a Licensed Post Office (LPO) and then the current owners, Llynda & Peter Cleary, finally moved the Post Office from the cramped 100 year old building to combine the Teralba Post Office with their newsagency next door.

So it doesn't matter if it is called Tirelbah, Awaba Park Estate, Fresh Water Creek, Winding Creek, Big Hill, Glen Mitchell, Gravel Pits, Ballast Pit, Billy Goat Hill, Hillsborough, Quigley Estate or even Monkey Town .... the present day Teralba is still being served by Australia Post, as it has been for over 125 years!

I would like to thank the NCC Library, LMCC Library, Trove Australia, Newcastle Family History Assoc. and Llynda & Peter Cleary for their assistance in compiling this blog.

P.S. I mentioned in an earlier blog about how I come across some interesting side stories during my research. However, some of those stories are tragic and with the railway running through the middle of town, some of those stories are truly heart wrenching. On the 17th December 1911, one week prior to Christmas, two young girls were killed in a terrible tragedy. Below this is the SMH report from Monday 18/12/1911 -

“A double fatality occurred line near Teralba yesterday, when two little girls were dashed to death by a passing train

At about 3.15 yesterday afternoon Ada Duncan, aged 10 years and 9 months; Clara Duncan, aged 8 years; and Gladys Duncan passed through tho wicket-gates about half a mile north of the Teralba railway station. They were about to cross the rails, when they noticed an empty ballast train travelling from Teralba towards Newcastle. As their attention was directed towards this train, they failed to notice the Tamworth mail, which was dashing along towards Sydney. When the ballast train had passed, the children attempted to cross, but Ada and Clara were struck by the englne of the Tamworth mail. Ada was dragged about half a dozen yards, and was killed instantaneously. Clara was thrown clear of the rails, but was badly injured. She was brought on to Newcastle, and taken to the Newcastle Hospital, where she died at 17.30 last night.

Gladys appears to have had a narrow escape. The little girl Ada, who was killed instantaneously, was a cousin to the two other girls. Ada had arrived from Dora Creek at about midday, and the three children were taking a walk when the accldent occurred. Clara and Gladys were sisters, and lived with their mother In Victoria Street, Teralba. Their father, Robert Duncan, died recently.

An inquest will be held at the Courthouse, Teralba, at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning"

site of the former wicket gates at Teralba

That makes this tragic accident 100 years old this year and so I plan to give reflection on the 17/12/2011 to the two young lives, Ada and Clara Duncan, who were snatched away well before their time.

Sky High

2011-05-10T22:52:00.004+10:00

Back in 1975 Australia's first martial arts film, 'The Man From Hong Kong', was released to Australian and International acclaim. In the opening sequence a young spunky (70's speak) Rosalind Spiers hang glides into the Royal Hong Kong Police Training School in pretty spectacular fashion, while the hip tune 'Skyhigh' performed by British Jigsaw (not to be confused with the Australian band Jigsaw, again a 70's thing) provided the soundtrack. Later on in the movie hang gliding sequences were filmed at Stanwell Park on the Australian South Coast and then also used in a spectacular finale for the film.

So this was probably the first time that this sport was introduced to the Australian public via the mass media.

I was reminded of all this the other week, when having a spare few minutes at work, I drove up to Newcastle's spectacular Strzelecki Scenic Lookout to just take in the wonderful Newcastle coastal vista. While I was there, the guys from Air Sports - Newcastle were preparing to perform a couple of tandem flights and so I grabbed my trusty go anywhere friend, the Sanyo S1275 camera to capture the fun, colour and excitement of a tandem hang glide. However, I must admit that I hadn't kept the batteries in the camera fully charged and a result I could only take a limited amount of shots on this occasion before the batteries expired. Not very professional at all on my behalf!

My failing battery issue aside, these flights look spectacular as they leap from the sheer cliff face, over the azure blue ocean and soar up to 3.000ft, taking in what must be one of the most unique sightseeing adventure tours in New South Wales, if not in the whole of Australia.

Now you may not want to hang glide into a Chinese Police compound and you may not even want to take on an evil Australian drug lord in the Sydney CBD, but if you want to get a different perspective of Newcastle then contact the crew at Air Sports - Newcastle http://www.air-sports.com.au/ and jump into adventure.

Also make sure you always take your camera on your travels and make sure the batteries are always fully charged!

Living the steam dream

2011-04-25T00:09:00.009+10:00

The first signs are quite evident in the cool autumn morning, it starts with the unmistakable sound of 'choof, choof, choof', then in the distance the first clouds of steam and smoke gather over the Main Northern Line, which can only mean one thing .... the Hunter Valley Steamfest is upon us once again.

Sooty

Although not generally known, the Hunter Valley region was virtually built on the ribbons of steel, which finally reached Maitland in 1880 (or West Maitland as it was known until 1949). This enabled local produce to be taken directly to the important Sydney markets without having to rely on the vagaries of river transport and the cost associated with the multiple handling of goods. For over 100 years steam trains were a familiar sight on the tracks around the Hunter Valley, with the last steam engine ceasing operations on the South Maitland Railway (SMR) in 1983, which makes the SMR the 2nd last railway to use steam haulage in Australia.

36 Class locomotive

The Hunter Valley Steamfest just isn't about trains, a significant focus is also on the various steam engines that played a huge part economic development of the area. The bigger traction engine were used extensively in the farming, forestry and road construction industries, but also there were multiple uses for smaller steam engines to power generators, water pumps, shearing rigs and almost anything else that required a stable power source.

So this year I decided that I would attend this wonderful Hunter Valley festival for the first time and so arming myself with Canon 400D, I headed off to Warabrook railway to catch the local train to Maitland. Now the Steamfest is unique in that steam trains operate continually throughout the weekend and so even as I waited for my local train, one of the historic steam trains passed through, the beautifully restored 1902 built C-32 class 'Hunter' No. 3265 locomotive. The 3265 still holds a special place in the hearts of Hunter train buffs, as it is last of the 32 class locomotives still operational and still carries the Hunter nameplate.

Once at the rally grounds there were so many excellent examples of steam propulsion it is nearly impossible to know where to begin to describe the displays. However, what I'll do is give a very short overview of just some of the examples of a technology that once dominated the landscape of 20th century Australia.

McLaren No . 1170

The J & H. McLaren No.1170 - This Traction Engine or 'road locomotive' as they were commonly known), is a great example of the type of equipment that would have been found working around the Hunter region around the start of the 1900's. Typically they were single cylinder of around 7 - 8 horse power capacity and would have been in great demand around harvest and shearing time.

Christina

Christina - Unlike the McLaren, this John Fowler & Sons model, plate No. 16770 appears to had a life in the road construction industry as a road roller. Although very similar to the J & H. McLaren Traction Engine models the road rollers had a wider front track and smooth rear wheels for compacting the road surface. Both factories were located in the English town of Leeds and the two competing factories even shared a common boundary. At the height of their manufacturing heyday the John Fowler Steam Plough Works occupied a 15 acre site and employed over 2,500 workers.

Sooty - Another John Fowler & Sons road locomotive, built in Traction Engine configuration, plate designation No. 16605 .

Aveling & Porter Type D

The Aveling & Porter Type D Road Roller - This is great example of the road rollers that were imported into Australia in their 1,000's during the 1920's as road construction became a priority as more and more vehicles began using the roads after World War One and demand was high for better construction techniques. A lot of these 8 ton, 6 horse power road rollers were imported by Noyce Brothers in Sydney and were sent throughout the state. The cost of one of these machines was apparently around £1321, or around $360,000 today!

Hazel

Hazel - This is a very rare example of a Traction Engine built by Wm. Allchin of Northhampton in England. The Allchin plant was very small when compared to others of the period and they only produced around 220 machines by the time they stopped building in 1925. Out of the 220 machines produced today it is believed that there are only 20 left in existence and of these 17 are in England, with three believed to be in Australia ... Hazel being one of them.

Marshall Traction Engine

1905 6 horse power Marshall, Sons & Co Traction Engine - Marshall, Sons & Co, located in Gainsborough, England was one of Englands largest agricultural machinery manufacturer and were one of the early adopters of the internal combustion engines for tractors, which ironically sounded the death knell for steam operated tractors.

1920's Super Sentinel

1920's Super Sentinel Steam Waggon - At least 100 Sentinel Steam Waggons were imported into Australia between 1921 to 1927 from the Shrewsbury factory in England and there is believed to be only 15 examples of these unique vehicles still surviving today. These odd looking trucks found a niche in our early motoring history, being able to haul over 6 tons and had an achievable top speed of around 20kph from their two cylinder engines, making them more powerful than the horse drawn drays of the time. However, by the 1930's they had all but disappeared off our roads as the petrol engine began to be more readily available to the transport industry. The slow, cumbersome Sentinels were no match for the newer technology and 'choof, choofed' into automotive history.

Vernier Tractor

While it is nostalgic to look back on the age of steam as representative of a gentler era, it must be remembered that this form of propulsion was dirty, high maintenance and very inefficient. An example of this were the early steam wagons that used around 200 kilos of coke, 150 litres of water and had an operational time of around 3 hours which made them very energy inefficient. Also, the steam trains were filthy, smelly and had a bad habit of setting fire to the Australian bush from their embers.

So well it may have been a bit of fun to have a tactile engagement with the past, but I think the age of steam has past and is best left to the industrial romantics.

A walk to Whibay Gamba

2011-03-28T11:45:00.005+11:00

view to Nobbys Beach & Fort Scratchley

On the 10th May 1770 Captain James Cook whilst sailing up the east coast of Australia on his journey of discovery, sailed close enough to the coast to notice, what he described in his journal as, "A small clump of an island lying close to shore...". It was in fact Nobbys Head, the former island that marks the entrance to what we know today as Newcastle harbour and provides Newcastle with an iconic natural landmark.

Now the history of this little island goes way back further than James Cook and was also part of the local Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, with the island which they named Whibay Gamba. The local Aborigines, the Awabakal tribe, tell the story of how a kangaroo was chased from the mainland by the Wallaby clan after disobeying their laws and under the cover of a heavy fog, swam to Whibay Gamba to hide under the rocky outcrop. The Wallaby clan believed that the mischievous kangaroo had drowned, however, he survived his ordeal and is still hiding there to this very day, hiding under the island. Apparently the kangaroo lets us know that he is still there by thumping his tail, which causes the occasional earthquake around the Hunter region.

The island itself has changed since the time of Captain Cook with the island now being less than half of its original height, now standing at 27.2 metres. Although there is now evidence from the Coal River Working Group that the island wasn't as tall as the officially accepted height of 62 metres and was more like 43 metres, which is about the height of the current signal station. What we do know is that changes began to take place as far back as 1818 when Governor Macquarie started work on a pier to link the island with the mainland with convicts using rock from the island to construct the breakwall. Then again in the early 1850's the height was reduced another 10 metres to assist navigation, as the island took the wind out of the sails of the sailing ships entering the harbour and then to aid the construction of the lighthouse (completed in 1858) another 2 metres were taken off the top of the island.

the 1858 lighthouse

Now due to the isolation of Nobbys and especially since the erection of the Signal Station and Lighthouse, public access to the site has been very limited, however a change in the use of the former island is allowing public to enter the site through a series of limited open days.

I was lucky enough to join many other Novocastrians on one of those days and walked up to the site that offers a different perspective on our wonderful city. The day was another perfect Newcastle day, fine, sunny and with a nor' easterly keeping the edge off the heat. Also taking advantage of the carnival atmosphere were the anti coal protest group Rising Tide, who decided to form a mini blockade of the harbour in their canoes and other energy efficient water-craft to make their point known. Newcastle Ports, which knew of the protest, just rescheduled the port operations for that day and so no coal loading was hindered that day. While I don't agree with all the aims of Rising Tide, I do appreciate that they give the community a conscience, that there may be another way to live our modern lives and to me, that isn't a bad thing.

So next time Nobbys is open to the public, make sure you grab your best walking shoes, some water to keep hydrated and of course your camera to make the one of Newcastle's most unique photographic locations.

I just hope that the kangaroo who is still hidden beneath Nobbys doesn't get to upset with all the activity above his rock home and start thumping his tail!

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-03-16T15:43:00.003+11:00

Sometimes you get some good feedback on your blogsite, but more often of not it seems that most of the time you are writing these musing for no ones benefit but your own.

So imagine how surprised I was to find out that a complete stranger, Geniaus from the http://genimates.blogspot.com/ has nominated 'Thru My Lens' in the (now) prestigious One Lovely Blog Award.

The rules for accepting the award are;

* Accept the ward, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

* Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

* Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now unfortunately I don't subscribe to 15 blogs, so I'll be honest & only nominate the ones I do visit & enjoy. They are;

http://davidkusumoto.blogspot.com/ - Hows It Going To End, David Kusumoto

http://grapegoddess.blogspot.com/ - Sonoma Harvest, Lynda

http://thehandofhavoc.blogspot.com/ - The Hand Of Havoc, Nathan Pitt

http://wheremountainsmeetthesea.blogspot.com/ - Where The Mountains Meet The Sea,

Doin' Lunch

2011-03-16T13:26:00.005+11:00

When did lunch time become so complicated in our busy, fast paced modern lives?

These days lunch times seem to be a period when it has to filled with some kind activity, such as power walking, bike riding, checking emails, updating Facebook, surfing the net ... whew, the list just goes on. Even when do get around to 'doing' lunch, it seems we have to do it with someone else, where we can unload the burdens of our private lives and our frustrations of work upon some other hapless soul, while gorging on some overprice takeaway trash.

We seem to fill this midday void with anything rather than just getting some quiet contemplation and a chance to unwind, to restore our restless soul.

Over the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to be having my meal break in the Maitland area and once again I decided to take advantage of the wonderful Walka Water Works picnic grounds and a secluded spot at Melville Ford crossing on the Hunter River. This may sound strange, but thanks to shift work I actually have my lunch between 9 - 10am and so, without sounding selfish, it does mean that my lunch is usually taken when there aren't a lot of people around to disturb my bit of downtime during this magic time of the day.

During my lunch lately at Walka Water Works I have been visited by a very inquisitive Magpie who seems to taken quite a shine to my lunchtime meals, coming down to visit as soon as I pull up and then waits for me to give him a few nuts (is that healthy for birds? ... whatever), after that he then just takes off. This regular occurrence has taken place over the past few months and even though I don't visit that area every day (it was over a week between visits this time), or at the same time, my new found lunch mate flies down for his visit no matter what. Not only do I have my Magpie mate, there are also the cows lowing in the paddocks, a flock of quarrelsome Cockatoos and a large mob of Kangaroos that regularly graze in the area, making my lunch breaks something special.

Sure beats sitting in a sterile McDonalds fighting the cappuccino sipping pensioners for the last soggy Newcastle Herald!

When it's a ton in the sun, working ain't much fun

2011-02-24T13:55:00.006+11:00

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language"

It is quite apparent that Henry James, who is attributed to the above quote and one of the leading lights in19th century literary realism, never spent any of his summers in the Pokolbin vineyards during an Australian summer. I'm sure if he had, I bet he would not be so bloody fond of summer afternoons!

Once again I was tasked to work in what is generally a fairly good working outdoor environment, plenty of exercise, excellent photographic location and just a pleasant way to spend a working day. However, the first week of February this year saw the area gripped in an oxygen sapping heatwave with a high of around 47° Celcius (116.6° Fahrenheit) and low of 42°Celcius (107.6° Fahrenheit) and just to add to the unpleasantness it was accompanied by a hot dry wind. Although the cab of the truck is air conditioned, the temperature in the cab remained at a blistering 37° Celcius and provided very little relief from the outside heat.

Everywhere you looked the landscape was listless, like it was conserving energy until a cooler change moved into the area to provide some relief, however that relief never came and by the end of the week the area surrounding vineyards was in heat distress, no rain came. Given the conditions, what I was trying to capture with the Sanyo S1275, were the fumes that are released by the native eucalypt trees and give the Australian bush that unique blue/purple haze. It is ironic that this beauty also provides the bush a highly flammable fuel during extreme bushfire conditions as the super heated fumes explode in the crown of the trees and is one of the reasons Australian bushfires are so destructive.

The hot, dry weather did provide the vignerons the opportunity to continue the fruit picking without being knee deep in glutinous red clay and remove the last of the grapes for harvest, hoping that it will make the 2011 Hunter vintage one of the best on record.

While the weather was generally regarded as a boost for the harvest, the sweltering unrelenting heat must have effected tourist numbers, as visitors stayed closer to the coast to take advantage of the cooler weather and the perfect swimming conditions. And who could blame them! No such options for us tasked to work in those searing conditions, the fruit pickers still were out in the vines (albeit finished by midday), roadwork gangs were still out repairing roads, delivery drivers were still out on their rounds and of course there was Australia Post, picking up the wine, making sure it arrived secure and delivered on time, both for domestic and international consumption.

"It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the drivers and vehicles that stand along the road, each vehicle and driver at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat (even if its 47°) nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed." apologies to Herodotus, Herodotus, trans. A.D. Godley, vol. 4, book 8, verse 98, pp. 96–97 (1924).

So when the temperature hits a ton, working in the sun ain't much fun ... believe me!

Australia Day The Newcastle Way

2011-02-22T18:58:00.006+11:00

Australia Day is so big in Newcastle these days is that they have to hold it over two days ... unfortunately we still only get one day off!

This Australia Day the Newcastle City Council decided to combine our national holiday with our annual Maritime Festival, which in some ways is a great idea, like having heaps more activities around the harbour, however it does rob us of another weekend festival on our wonderful harbour later during the year!

So starting on Australia Day Eve, the harbour came alive as all types of water craft assembled on the harbour, from the Police vessel 'Intrepid' right through to riders on stand up paddle boards to participate in the 'Harbour Lights Boat Parade'. Then at 9pm the sky erupted as a spectacular fireworks display from Dyke Point showered Newcastle with an awesome light display. One of the local cruise operators decided to offer a supper cruise for less than $100 to those who wanted to take advantage of the festivities but didn't want jostle with the crowds. I love harbour cruises, so I decided to spend the dollars and take part in a unique Australia Day experience on the harbour.

Australia Day itself was another picture perfect Newcastle Day and although some may contend that it was a bit on the warm side, long you kept hydrated, with plenty of sunscreen applied, there were plenty of activities to enjoy and participate in such as;

* Beach Volleyball,
* Ski Boat racing,
* Tugboat Ballet,
* Maritime Naval Salutes,
* Aerobatics,
* F/A-18 flyovers,
* Boat building competitions &
* various multi cultural stalls and displays that highlighted our unique Australian culture.

If you couldn't find something to please you in Newcastle on Australia Day, you are very hard to please.

Of course if you are planning to visit Newcastle for Australia Day next year, if possible utilise the wonderful public transport system, make sure you bring plenty of water, wear some very comfortable walking shoes and of course ... make sure you bring the most important item, your camera!

Australia Day the Newcastle way is a unique way to celebrate everything that is great about our wonderful country ... see you next year!

When You Are Left Up In The Air

2011-02-04T09:34:00.001+11:00

Ever have one of the lazy Sunday mornings, when all you want to do is just sit around recovering from an active Saturday night and your plans for the day are still up in the air?

Here in Newcastle when we are faced with this dilemma we can wander down to The Foreshore and the surrounds where you can guarantee that there will be some activity to take in and while away the hours. Lately Livesites has been very active in Newcastle and on Saturday 23 January was no different, with a free circus, Circus Avalon, that featured high flying aerials on the trapeze, ring and tissue, acrobatics, juggling, hoopists.

Also, located in Foreshore Park was 'Kites Above Newcastle' where the sky was filled with all sorts of kites from the professional kites on display from the Australian Kite Flying Association to young kids just out for the day with the parents enjoying the thrill of their first kite adventure.

Of course once you have seen all the free entertainment, you can take a short stroll down to our two lovely ocean beaches (Newcastle & Nobbys), or to the wonderful ocean baths, where you can soak up the wonderful views, or go for a swim, or grab a coffee or ... oh, the list is endless and varied.

So if you are ever left up in the air on what to do on the weekend, pack a picnic, pack a towel, pack some sunscreen and head on down to the Newcastle Foreshore where there is always something happening!

Oh, and also, most importantly ... remember to pack your camera

Fading Into Night

2011-01-17T00:22:00.001+11:00

One the magical things you can do on Newcastle Harbour is to organise a dinner cruise and take in a different perspective of our wonderful city.

I've been on a few of these type of cruises before, one on Lake Macquarie and a couple on Sydney Harbour, but what really sets Newcastle apart is the fact that it is a working harbour. While some may scoff at the idea of cruising a working port, Newcastle is spectacular as you wend you way along the row of ships loading/unloading all kinds of products and produce, although coal is still our main export.

Although I was aching to take the Canon 400D, once again I had to content myself with the Sanyo 1275s, as I correctly predicted that the boat would be pretty full of diners and the bulkiness of the Canon would restrict where I would be able to move around. So armed with the compact Sanyo 1275s we departed Newcastle Marina at Wickham just before sunset. The day itself wasn't a typical Newcastle summers day, which is normally warm and clear and usually tempered with a nor' easterly in the late afternoon, this day had a lot of cloud, with a light southerly, which was, initially, a bit disappointing..

But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining!

The cloud cover wasn't 100% and so as the sun sunk, the broken cloud reflected this wonderful event, changing from purple, to a spectacular golden glow, then finally to the most intense display of orange I have seen in quite some time. It was truly amazing and although I only had the little Sanyo, it picked up every colour nuance perfectly.

As the sun slowly sunk away into the west taking its wonderful display with it, the harbour then took on a different perspective as the arc lighting begin to take effect and began reflecting off the water in shimmering hues of orange, red, silver and blue. As well as all this there were also the lights of Newcastle itself including Christ Church Cathedral, Fort Scratchley, Nobbys, Queens Wharf and the lights of the CBD all glittering like a thousand jewels on the shoreline.

So if you ever want to see a different side of my wonderful city, book a dinner cruise with either Moonshadow Cruises - http://www.moonshadow.com.au/ or Nova Cruises - http://www.novacruises.com.au/ and enjoy a wonderful night on our very special harbour.

Oh, and as I always say .... make sure you take your camera!

Summer Holidays In Carrington

2011-01-08T20:58:00.008+11:00

The Christmas/New Year breaks are pretty special, they give you time to relax, unwind and practice some photography in exotic locations .... such as Carrington. Now I will admit that Carrington doesn't have wonderful beaches where you can kick back to relax in the sun, neither does it have rolling acres of lush vineyards with fattened grapes that are ready for picking or wonderful cellar doors dispensing some of Australia's best vintage. Nope, Carrington is Carrington, an often much neglected industrial suburb on Newcastle Harbour, located on a narrow piece of land between the Hunter River and the shores of Throsby Creek.

When Newcastle was first settled, Carrington, as we know it today, didn't exist. It was a low lying tidal island that was known to the local Aboriginals as "wuna - r tee" and was known to be abundant with fish, mud crabs and oysters. Originally named Chapmans Island during the convict era, then later Bullock Island, it rose from the mud from 1859 when extensive dredging commenced in Newcastle Harbour to help alleviate flooding (probably following the 1857 floods) with the spoil spread over the tidal flats gradually raising the island above the tidal influence. Then during the 1860's Bullock Island became a ballast dumping ground for the visiting coal ships and as the demand for coal continued to grow, more expedient methods were sought on the loading of the colliers with Mr. E O Moriarty, the Chief Engineer of the NSW Steam Navigation Board, expanding Bullock Island to accommodate the growing coal trade. In 1874 Mr Moriarty commissioned the British based Armstrong Hydraulic Machinery Factory to design a hydraulic crane delivery system for the Bullock Island site. James Barnet was commissioned to design the Power Station to accommodate the new fangled equipment and so in 1878 Newcastle led Australia when the £20,000 ($16 million) Carrington Hydraulic Power Station began operations with the first load of coal dispatched using this new system on the 18th March 1878. It wasn't until 1916 -17 that electricity replaced the steam pumps and in 1964 the last of the internal machinery were removed from building for scrap. Recently the building has been purchased by the NSW State Government which intends to restore this excellent example of 19th century industrial architecture to its former glory after nearly 50 years of disgraceful neglect.

It was also during the 1860's that families first began to settle on the former mud flats and a town quickly established itself around the growing community, so much so, that the Municipality of Carrington was proclaimed in1887, with a brand new council chambers being completed one year later in 1888. The town continued to grow with over 2,000 residents by 1900 and when BHP opened, Carrington's future seemed assured. However, the 1930's depression proved disastrous for Carrington with 58% unemployment or those lucky enough to be working were on reduced wages, so much so that a shanty town called 'Texas'  sprung up to provide struggling families with rudimentary accommodation

Carrington survived the Great Depression and continued to grow as a tough, no nonsense, Newcastle working class suburb with its proximity to the railway, wharves and associated industries providing workers with stable employment. This is also evident in the amount of pubs in Carrington, with nearly a pub on every corner! Even with the closure of BHP in 1999 and the relocation of many supporting business, Carrington, once again proved resilient and has since then become more gentrified as young families take advantage of the towns proximity to Newcastle.

Today Carrington is still an industrial suburb, dominated by the Hunter Port Corporation, however, it is still dotted with many historic buildings that are over 100 years old, including the Hydraulic Power House, Public School, Post Office, Council Chambers, hotels and numerous private houses that give the suburb it's unique rough diamond character.

So if you are looking for something to do during your next summer holidays, grab your camera and take a stroll back through time in Carrington.

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Morpeth (2321)

2010-12-21T08:14:00.004+11:00

"Passing by the race-course last Sunday evening we were sorry to see a number of young men engaged playing at cricket, in the vicinity of the church; and, knowing how strongly a due observance of the Sabbath, and public feeling in general, was against such a mode of spending the Sabbath ....." - .Letters to the Editor, Maitland Mercury, Saturday 12th April 1845

circa 1940's

One of the pleasures of researching our postal history is that it gives you an opportunity to go back and look at how the local newspapers recorded the issues of the day. Although the above letter didn't deal with postal issues, it does give us a glimpse into Morpeth life during the first half of the 19th century.

Morpeth itself was an important inland transport hub in the early settlement of New South Wales with it's access to the Hunter River system made it vital link in sending fresh produce to Sydney. Although the area was known since 1797 when Lt Shortland navigated the river, it wasn't until the convict gangs (under military rule) and then the cedar getters plying the river that really opened up the opportunities for further development. In 1821 Lt. Edward Close chose to take up his land grant in the area known as Green Hills and began farming on the rich alluvial river flats. The high ground near the family home became known as Morpeth and due to the erection of wharves at Morpeth to send produce back to Sydney a town quickly established itself. So quickly did the town grow that agitation for postal facilities began as early as 1836, as inhabitants were very much inconvenienced to have to pick their mail up from either Hinton or Maitland. Then in August 1838, as reported in the Sydney Gazette, came the following good news -

"MORPETH - Mr Raymond, the (NSW) Postmaster (- General), has recommended to the Government a Post Office should be established at the thriving village of Morpeth at the head of the navigation of Hunter's [sic] River"

original letter receivers are still in place

The first Postmaster, according to the Official History of NSW Post Offices, was Mr J.Chastel, a storekeeper who operated the post office from his premises close to the current Morpeth bridge. The big problem for most of the early Morpeth Postmasters was usually the rate of of pay/commission, which was low and was paid six months in arrears, which meant that meeting the day to day costs were a constant struggle, according to Mr A Larrymore (Postmaster in 1842). Several residents held the position until1860 when it appears that the Post Office finally achieved official status with Mr John Broker appointed the first 'official' letter carrier on the princely sum of £120 ($13,000) per annum (plus £0/2/0 ($11.00) per day for his horse).

The Post Office and Telegraph Offices found themselves combined in the Court House in 1862, however run separately, as was the norm in those early days. It appears that the Post Office and Telegraph Office didn't amalgamate until the appointment of Mr D.Bell in January 1870, when both offices were located in the 'new' Court House ( built in 1866). This arrangement lasted a year and the offices were once again split with the Post Office moving to a new site in Swan Street with Miss Anne Larrymore in charge.

circa 1907

In 1872 the farce continued when Mr Charles Wakely became both the Telegraph Master and the Postmaster, but operating from different sites. As the town continued to grow so did the needs for better postal facilities and in 1878 the Morpeth Municipal Council applied for a more substantial Post Office building to meets the needs of a growing community. The NSW government obliged and commissioned James Barnet to design a Post Office to reflect the status of Morpeth. Once again Barnet designed the Post Office in his usual Italianate style, with corrugated iron gable roofs, arched windows, stucco details, string courses, mouldings to arches, key stones and pediments. However there was no clock tower included in the design and when quizzed by this lack of respect to the town of Morpeth the Postmaster-General replied that if the council want a clock they will have to pay for it! As would be the case today, the council said thanks, but no thanks!

Mr Robert James of West Maitland was awarded the contract for the construction with the corner stone laid on the 17th March 1880 and the building was officially opened on the 27th November 1881. The final cost for the building was £1882 ($1.5 million), but excluded the price of the original land purchase for £200 ($170,000) from Mrs Dickson.

As part of the Australia Post rationalisation and post office restructuring during the 1990's Morpeth Post Office once again lost its 'official' status, however it continued serve the Morpeth community but now as a Licensed Post Office (LPO).

The Morpeth Post Office has ridden on the fortunes of the town, from the heady days when the town was a important river town and a vital transport link in the early development of the colony of NSW, through to today where the town now is a major tourist destination trading on its wonderfully restored 19th century architecture. However, after 129 years of service to the Morpeth community, the Post Office has moved out from its stately abode on Swan Street, as the owner has now listed this iconic James Barnet designed building for sale with an asking price of $889,000. The Morpeth LPO is now located in a modern shop just off the main street and while losing its claim to being the longest continuous trading Post Office from the same building, they are still providing postal services to the Morpeth community, as has been the case for over 170 years!

As for playing cricket of the Sabbath, I think that game in 1845 could have signalled the beginning of the end for strict religious observance on Sundays .... who knows?

I'd like to thank Maitland City Library, Newcastle City Library & the online resources of the National Library of Australia for their assistance in the research of this blog

When the bikers rule the town

2010-12-07T14:09:00.005+11:00

Do you remember the scene in the 1970 movie 'Black Bikers From Hell' when the bikers take over the town and cause mayhem? You know the movie, it has that famous tageline "God forgives. The Black Angels don't!" Ok then, what about that immortal line "This time I'm gonna kill ya, Frenchie. You filthy, no good, egg-sucking, finger-licking, snot-picking scuzzy faced rat!" .... still not ringing any bells?

Ok then, lets start over again, remember the 1954 movie, starring Marlon Brando, The Wild One, where bikers take over the town and has the best biker dialogue ever on the silver screen "What are you rebelling against?" "What have you got?" Priceless!

So with all those infamous scenes in mind I headed down to Newcastle, arming myself with my Sanyo S1275 for self defence to watch the 33rd annual Newcastle Bikers for Kids Toy Run. This is a charity event held to help with donations of toys, food and cash, through the Salvation Army, to assist those less fortunate in our Hunter Valley community.

This year proved to be another stunning success with thousands of bikes (some estimates were up to 4,000!) doing the pilgrimage from Sandgate Markets through to the Newcastle Foreshore. The streets of Newcastle were just a mass of colour, movement and noise, as the bikes came through bringing cheer to the assembled crowds. I even seen one thing that I thought I would never see, one of the visiting coal ships (Sincere Pisces) almost slowed to a halt to observe this great event and that in itself is a very rare event indeed ! While events of this type are not exclusive to Newcastle, it is a continuation of the many free community fun days that are bought into Newcastle to provide the city a weekend spectacle and more importantly, a chance to raise funds/awareness to those that are less fortunate in our community.

Part of the crowd along the Foreshore

If you are thinking of heading into town to capture some of the excitement and colour of one of these events, my advice is to go the early, know the route, visit a couple of vantage points and stake your claim, because the once the crowd moves in it is hard to jostle for a good photographic position. Also, plan a fallback position as well, just to get a different angle of the parade as it passes, even if it means climbing on a seat, or even bringing along a step ladder, anything that will help give you a different perspective and, most of all be patient.

Once again Newcastle was the place to be on a Sunday to take in all the city has to offer and if you do come to visit one of these wonderful events always remember to pack your camera (with fully charged batteries), perhaps even bring a picnic lunch, just to make a day of it.

thanks for the effort guys!

"A picnic? Man, you are too square. I'm... I... I'll have to straighten you out. Now, listen, you don't go any one special place. That's cornball style. You just go.... " - Johnny Strabler 'The Wild One ' (1954)

- as long as it's Newcastle Johnny, as long as it's Newcastle!

Balmy Nights & Red Lanterns

2010-12-02T13:45:00.000+11:00

Over the past few years Newcastles Hunter Street Mall has fallen on hard times as major retailers left the CBD to go seek their fortunes in the glitzy suburban mega malls that are become part of the urban landscape. As each retailer departed the CBD it left another vacant shop along what was once reputed to have been one of the longest main streets in the southern hemisphere. This was especially evident in the Hunter Mall area, where shop fronts had all the ambience of a gapped tooth smile and also being closed off to traffic, also made it look lifeless.

While some in the community stood around pointing fingers and looking for culprits to lay blame on, the Newcastle City Council (NCC) and some of the more civic minded citizens buckled down to come up with some workable solutions. One of the most controversial decisions made by the NCC was to spend $330,000 to reopen the Hunter Mall to vehicular traffic, which had been closed since 1981. Another step was the establishment of the Renew Newcastle group to reopen vacated shops by finding artists, cultural projects and community groups to use and maintain these buildings until they become commercially viable or were redeveloped. The third part of the revitalisation process was involving Newcastle Live Sites (a partnership between NCC, Hunter Development Corp. & Arts NSW) in bringing live entertainment into the Mall during the Xmas build up.

free puppet show for the kids

As result for the past two years the Hunter Mall and Newcastle itself is being transformed into a vibrant arts orientated centre.with one of the main focal events being the Red Lantern Markets which are generally held late November through till mid December. While there are a lot of food, art and craft orientated speciality stalls to choose from, (over 70 this year alone!) some of the more savvy boutique shops in the Mall are also open to take advantage of the passing trade, making it a unique shopping experience. Another advantage is that you can usually talk to the person that made the item and find out some background to that special gift, something you can't do at K-Mart or Toys 'R' Us!

The Red Lantern Markets are also an urban photographers dream with so much colour, people and movement around, sometimes it hard to know when to frame a shot, but it is a vast landscape to choose from!

There are very few places on earth where you can drive down to the city (or catch a train, ferry or utilise the excellent bus service) have lunch at a 5 star restaurant (Honeysuckle or Darby St), walk to beach to have an afternoon swim (Newcastle, Nobbys or Newcastle Baths), then do your all christmas shopping in a relaxed market style atmosphere and then if the mood takes you, go and watch a latest release movie at the King Street theatre, all this within an easy half hour walk of the Newcastle CBD.

No wonder Lonely Planet Guide recently listed Newcastle in its top 10 of places to visit in 2011!

The last Red Lantern Market for 2010 will be held on Saturday 11th December 4pm - 10pm ... don't miss it!

A Mighty Fine Vintage

2010-12-01T23:28:00.005+11:00

Robyn Drayton Wines

I was lucky enough to spend another week in the Hunter Valley wineries picking truckloads of our beautiful produce for delivery just in time for the festive season.and summer holidays. Of course every time I visit the wineries I always pack my Sanyo S1275 camera, my camera of choice when on the road.

Lindemans Wines

Now I have been doing this work on and off now, depending on the rosters, for a number years and I have seen the vineyards displaying every aspect of viticulture through every type of season. From the autumn hues to the starkness of winter vines, to the new growth in spring and to the picking of the harvest in late summer. I have also witnessed the vagaries of the Australian weather, from dams that have run dry in drought and where the only moisture comes from the sweat of the farmers brow, through to total inundation of the land, where at times the ground becomes so soaked that the ground turns to a glutinous clay bog, where fruit becomes bloated and ruined on the vine due to the inability to harvest .

Out all those visits, over all those years, I have never seen the wineries of the Hunter Valley looking so lush and green. Late spring rains have turned bare winter vines into row upon row verdant fields of what could be another stunning vintage for the Hunter Valley region.

With the fruit now set on the vines, every Hunter Valley vintner is eyeing off the long range weather forecasts to assess when will be the best time to harvest the vintage, which traditionally in the Hunter Valley is around February/March. However, every year brings new challenges, because the grapes have to have the perfect balance between sugars and acids, it is a combination of local knowledge, science, skill and a lot of luck. Miss the harvest by a day or two and the crop for the year is ruined. This why the vintners are worried, the long range forecast is for a wet summer and for an extremely wet February, right in the middle of harvest season. If it is too wet the wineries can't use the mechanical harvesters and have to rely on skilled teams of fruit pickers to manually bring in the bulk of the harvest which increases the cost of production and reduces wineries margins. A testing time ahead for these skilled artisans of the land.

However, for the casual visitor, now is a great time to visit the wineries, to taste the special wines from the Hunter Valley, eat some of the best food from some of our top restaurants and soak up the wonderful vista of green that is laid out before you at every winery (remembering to pack your camera!). Life doesn't get much better than this!

The only people that will have a worried look on their faces will be the vintners as they ponder, the age old dilemma that faces every farmer, no matter what the crop .... when to harvest.

Ivanhoe Estate

Being part of the solution

2010-11-22T23:14:00.003+11:00

Newcastle is going through some growing pains at the moment, with various developments continuing, not just around our beautiful harbour, but throughout the city. This hasn't been an easy task as every second person has an opinion about what development is appropriate. This debate has not been helped by what to do with the railway that runs from Wickham to Newcastle city and effectively stops development between the CBD and the harbour. It is such a polarising issue that has effectively split into two rival camps, the Save Our Rail group and the Fix Our City group.

While the railway is a major issue, neither group seems to be able to appreciate that there is other development that needs to be addressed. So last Saturday the Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) asked for volunteers to come down the Cottage Creek precinct to take part in a workshop to help the HDC with ideas on how the community would like to see the last piece of the Foreshore puzzle fashioned to link the whole project together, from Nobbys Beach to Carrington/Linwood Estate.

The former Cottage Creek site started life as a mangrove swamp and then following the settlement of Newcastle in the 1804, a convict farm was then started in the area (with a Government cottage built, thus becoming known as Cottage Creek), the cottage was located approximately on the site of the new KFC store in Hunter St . As Newcastle continued to grow so did the need for land, especially around the harbour and so progressively the area became one of Newcastle's prime industrial areas. Over the years the area became home to variety of industries including timber mills, fuel depots and finally Throsby Wharf with associated railway marshalling yards. In fact anything north between the railway and harbour became one vast ugly industrial complex.

That all changed in 1992 with the Building Better Cities programme and slowly, but surely, over the intervening 18 years the Newcastle harbour has been transformed from industrial scar tissue to a vibrant city meeting and living space.

Former Wickham School of Arts - 1881

That is not to say there hasn't been mistakes along the way and this is what the HDC is trying to avoid with its emphasis on community consultation in the Cottage Creek precinct development, hoping that it will instead become a show piece for the city of Newcastle. So along with around a dozen other community spirited citizens we spent a couple of hours touring the site providing feedback to HDC representatives, so they can use the information gathered to provide the guidelines for the eventual rejuvenation of this last piece of the former industrial wasteland.

I also took the opportunity to grab the the Canon 400D to take some shots of the area prior to its transformation, so in a decade or so I'll be able to look back at the photo's and proudly say I was a small part of the process of transformation. Being part of the solution, instead of grumbling about the problems.

Achtung, deutsche Autos und Newcastle die besten

2010-11-21T23:26:00.006+11:00

In most countries when you think Germany you think beer, sauerkraut, sausages and Oom Pah Pah music ... but not here in Newcastle. In Newcastle when we think German, we think cars and not just any car, but the iconic Volkswagen Kombi.

Borgward 1500cc Coupe

The Volkswagen Kombi became synonymous with the Australian outdoor lifestyle and throughout the 60's and 70's, they were the campervan of choice as young hippies followed the surf around Australia's coastline. These days however the Kombis have, like their owners, aged gracefully and reflect a certain timeless beauty. However, the petrol powered Kombi slowly and quietly dropped out of favour with today's modern back packers and 'grey nomads' for the newer flashier diesel models from Europe,

The Kombi itself came in other variants other than the camper, with crew cab utes, panel vans and micro buses also figuring in the model line up, quite a versatile vehicle. On display down at the Foreshore today were all the examples of these quaint VW's from the 'day to day' commuter types, right through to the fully restored version and all were proudly displayed by their fastidious owners.

Lloyd Alexander TS

To be fair, it wasn't just a KombiFest, nearly every type of German automotive heritage was on display, with Beetles, Porshe's, BMW's and Mercedes-Benz, all proudly being represented. The were even a couple of oddities like the NSU Prinz 30 (with a 2 cylinder 600cc engine producing 15kW), a Lloyd Alexander TS (a 2 cylinder 600cc, producing 18kW), two Borgward Isabella coupes and a Borgward Isabella saloon (all had a 1500cc engine, producing 45kW).

NSU Prinz 30

Also on display were the ubiquitous Beetles, as well as a beautifully restored Karmann Ghia that almost stole the show from the Kombis, with its timeless classic lines and flawless presentation, she was a real stunner. Another rarity, although not of German heritage, was a Lancia Delta HF Turbo, a model which dominated the WRC in the late 80's, early 90's and one I haven't seen for years.

Nearly every make and model of modern German motoring history was there, from the latest Mercs and Bimmers, nearly every variant of the Kombis, Beetles by the dozens and rare compacts, however one make was conspicuously absent ... the Audi's, which was disappointing.

VW Karmann Ghia

Once again the Newcastle Foreshore park proved to be a wonderful place to wander around the exhibits in near perfect weather and talk to the enthusiasts in a relaxed atmosphere, but more importantly, being able to capture some of these wonderful cars using my Sanyo S1275 camera

So if you are ever visiting Newcastle, although we might not have flashy theme parks, a stroll around our Foreshore can always bring something wonderful to look at and a place to relax for a few hours without paying a lot of dollars. A rarity in this day and age.

And make sure you bring a camera!

P.S. Although not typically German, the NRMA also had a wonderful display of some of their former vehicles, including 3 NRMA, the iconic HD Holden panel van (pictured above)

Things That Go Squish

2010-11-13T00:00:00.006+11:00

One of the wonderful things about Australia is the extremes of weather that we can be sometimes be subjected to and this year our Spring is continuing this wonderful tradition. A tradition that was immortalised in verse by Dorothea Mackellar - in her poem 'My Country' with a stanza that is transcribed into every Australians soul

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains

Of ragged mountain ranges

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons

I love her jewel sea,

Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me!

Last Spring was so dry on the Australian east coast we were hearing of houses cracking as the clay based soil under the houses dried up so much, due to the lack of moisture, it was causing the houses to shift on their foundations and the repairs were costing owners many thousands of dollars in remedial work to fix the cracked walls.

This Spring we are blessed as persistent showers continue to soak the ground, filling the dams and watering the gardens. However, as much as the wet weather is appreciated it does kind of make outdoor activities problematic, activities such as photography.

One of my big problems during these rain events is keeping the equipment dry and out of the wet weather. This means every shot has to be planned and executed, no 'point & shoot' in persistent rain. One of the advantages is consistent (if low) light levels, which negate shadows on the subject and funnily enough, reduces the use of the flash.

Newcastle itself, is a city that prides itself on it's beach culture, with a central business district that is within a ten minute walk of some of Australia's best surf beaches and a wonderful dining culture along the harbour foreshore, the city does tend to recede into its shell during periods of continual wet weather. People tend to hustle along, avoiding the rain and not stroll along soaking up the wonderful views that are usually afforded by the harbour and beaches.

Even so, it was during one of our recent wet weather events, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, that I grabbed my good friend, the Sanyo S1275 camera and took a sodden stroll through our wonderful city and quite enjoyed the isolation that was afforded to me. Only the hardy and the foolish were to be seen on our beautiful city streets

Sometimes it is worth taking the camera out on days that are challenging, however, I must admit, the best part of the day was getting out of the rain and having a wonderful hot cup of coffee before heading home.

Mammals, Mustangs & Markets - A brief trip to Port

2010-10-24T09:47:00.002+11:00

One of the advantages of being a 24/7 shift worker is how you can manipulate the system to suit your weekend activities. The other weekend was a prime example of using the system to my advantage, I finished work at 7am Friday and didn't have to be back at work 9.30pm Monday, virtually a long weekend! The lack of sleep and the longer term impacts of constant night shifts will be something for my doctors and my psychologists to deal with in the future .... I had 3 days off in beautiful Port Macquarie!

Unfortunately, one thing that I wasn't able to manipulate was the weather, with an intense low pressure system bringing gales force winds of up to 90kp/h and keeping maximum daytime temperatures down to a chilly 18° along the coast (the low even bought snow to the Central West!).

Now the reason I was in Port, my wife was required to attend the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia (www,cmca.com.au) 25th National Rally for work and I decided to tag along for the weekend. The rally itself was a huge event, with over 1,000 vehicles, of all shapes, sizes, combinations & condition, from the very new $500k rigs, down to the home built backyard jobs. However, the weather was windy and cold, so while we made a full day of it, I left my camera tucked away.

On the Sunday the weather cleared to an almost perfect Spring day and after losing Saturday, I was not going to let this opportunity pass by, so when we went out I made sure the battery in the the Canon 400D was fully charged.

Our first stop was the Ford Mustang 'Show & Shine' at Settlement Point, where every type of those iconic Pony cars from 60's, were on display, with their heavy use of chrome and V8 engines, it was a petrol heads paradise.

After we had poked around the displays we decided to continue our early morning walk around to the marina and as it happened there were some quite good deals on whale watch tours, $25 per person! Now I've seen the whales, but it has always been from land, now this was the perfect opportunity to face these huge mammals of the sea on their own turf , so to speak!

It is really a spectacular sight to see these wonderful creatures up so close and luckily I had the Canon with the 300mm lens to take advantage of their frolics.

After watching the whales play, it was time to head home and so instead of heading out to the Pacific Hwy to race back home, we chose the more leisurely coast road that winds it way from Port Macquarie to Laurieton, taking in beautiful hideaway spots such us Bonny Hills, Lake Cathie and North Haven. We were even lucky enough to have lunch at the monthly Laurieton markets and wander around the stalls of local produce and  bric-à-brac on display.

Sometimes it's best not to have a plan, only to 'Laugh More, Live Longer' the motto used by CMCA members and travel around our beautiful country and take advantage of the quieter coastal retreats ....plus you can always drive to some better weather!

When The Torries Come To Town

2010-09-29T21:08:00.006+10:00

The was time in the motoring life of Australia that the small to mid size market was dominated by Holden Torana. The Torana's were based on existing Vauxhall/Opel designs and were extensively modified from their British/German heritage (especially in the engine department) to suit the harsher Australian driving conditions. Not only were they successful in the showroom, but they virtually dominated the Production/Touring Car races throughout the 70's, making drivers like Peter Brock, Colin Bond, Alan Grice and Bob Morris virtually household names by their exploits on the Australian racetracks.

HB 4 cylinder with automatic transmission

The first Torana, the HB series were introduced in May 1967 and were basically a facelifted Vauxhall Viva, with 4 speed manual transmissions and underpowered 1.2 litre engines. From these humble beginnings grew the mightiest Torana of the all .... the A9X.

The A9X, of which only 405 were ever made, were powered by the fearsome 5.0 litre V8 (L34 spec.), with an unbreakable 'T-10' 4speed gearbox, 4 wheel disc brakes and was completed with a rear facing air induction bonnet scoop, this Torana looked like it meant business! When in the hands of the late Peter Brock, the A9X Torana dominated the touring car seasons of the late 70's, winning the 1979 Australian Touring Car Championship series and the 1978 and '79 Bathurst 1000 races, making it quite the formidable touring car of its time.

Colin Bonds LC XU1

A change of heart at Holden saw the Torana model gradually phased back and when the UC Torana was released in March 1978, the V8 option was dropped. In 1979 the hatchback version ceased production and the brand struggled on until 1980, now only in 4 cyl form, until Holden, mercifully axed the Torana brand from the Australian motoring landscape. (Holden however continued racing with the newly launched V8 Commodore in 1980, a tradition that continues today)

Now we in Newcastle have a special fondness for the Torana and each year we hold a car show on The Foreshore to showcase all that is wonderful with these iconic cars, from the very mild, to the radically wild. I also have my own Torana connection, owning three little beauties, a 4cylinder, 2 door HB, a 4cylinder, 2 door LC and my favourite a 6cylinder, 4 door LC model.

Peter Brocks A9X

This year I attended Toranafest, making sure I was armed with my little friend the Sanyo 1275s and spent over an hour just wandering around the exhibits, admiring the work that the Torana enthusiasts put into making sure their cars are perfect for the event. And reliving my youthful past!

So if your ever in Newcastle in September, make sure you check out the Newcastle Toranafest and take a step back in time when the mighty Holden Torana was the undisputed King of the Mountain.

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Leichhardt (2040)

2010-09-20T11:49:00.004+10:00

"A deputation, consisting of the Mayor (Mr. Sydney Smith, M.L.A.) and aldermen of Leichhardt, accompanied by Mr.J. Garrard and Mr. F. Smith, M.L.A's [sic], waited upon the Postmaster-General yesterday and complained of the existing arrangements in the Leichhardt Post-Office, in respect of the charge being under the control of a postmistress. It .was urged that the business transacted justified the appointment of a postmaster and complaints were made in respect of tho alleged incivility of the postmistress.Specific charges were made against her, into which an inquiry was demanded." - Sydney Morning Herald 22/12/1888

It was not an uncommon event in the early days of the Post Office for the Postmater-General to receive this type of deputation from disgruntled local businessmen, who demanded that their postal business be handled by 'man' and not by a woman. However in this case and with all other such type of cases, the charges were dismissed, with Mrs Cross retaining her position as Leichhardt Postmistress.

Leichardt itself started out as Piperston Estate and following the subdividing of this estate by Walter Beames in1849 he changed the name to Leichhardt Town after his good friend Ludwig Leichhardt who famously disappeared while exploring northern Australia in 1848.

As Leichardt continued to grow so did the need for better postal services and so in 1881 Leichhardt Council approached the Postal Department for the provision of a Post Office to service 3,500 residents. The department agreed to their requests, however on the advice of the postal inspector, they denied Leichhardt a Telegraph Office, due to the existing office at Petersham Railway Station.

So it was on the 20th July 1881, local grocer Mr George Purdie became Leichhardt's first Postmaster, operating the Post Office from his shop on Balmain Road. In May 1882 the Post Office was also operating as a Money Order Office and also as a Government Savings Bank. By October of 1882 the Postmaster-General decided to upgrade Leichhardt Post Office to 'official' status and incorporate the Telegraph Office as well, so new premises were sought.

On the 3rd January 1883 Leichardt finally had an official Post & Telegraph Office located at 9 Short Street, with Mrs Ellen Cross appointed as Postmistress and Telegraph Operator. Mrs Cross also had two letter carriers appointed as well to cope with the expanded business.

As the community continued to grow the Post Office became more cramped, so in 1885 the Postal Department began to look for larger premises to rent, however they were unsuccessful. It was eventually decided to build a new purpose built Post Office on a block of land on the Cnr Norton and Wetherill Streets purchased in December 1886. Tenders were called for the erection of a James Barnet Victorian Italianate designed Post Office (replete with an impressive clock tower) with Messrs. Innes and Winchester successful with their bid of £2465 ($2.2 million). They completed the construction in 1888 and now Leichhardt had a double reason to celebrate, a new Post Office and Australia's centenary of settlement.

For some inexplicable reason the clock was never installed in the Post Office and as most clocks were installed by public subscription, Leichhardt council decided in 1897 to install clock in the Town Hall instead, leaving the Post Office with a very impressive tower!

In 2000, Australia Post decided that it's future lay in the new Norton Street Plaza, leaving this iconic James Barnet designed building to take up residence amongst the soulless glass and chrome of a modern retail establishment.

While the Post Office on the Crn of Norton and Wetherill St has moved on, Australia Post continues its commitment to providing job opportunities and supporting women in the workforce, 127 years since Mrs Ellen Cross. Now that is something to be proud of!

I would like to thank the invaluable assistance given to me by Amie Zar (Community Information and Local History Leichhardt library)

When memories are enough

2010-09-16T13:00:00.008+10:00

In 1993 after 10 years of serving with the Australian Army, I decided to elect discharge and seek my fame and fortune in the civilian world. However, seven of those years were spent in Sydney and six of them we were living in Leichhardt, a suburb of Sydney's inner west, so it is understandable that the family shares quite a bond with that cosmopolitan part of Sydney.

During our time there our kids went from Primary School to High School, our son played his junior rugby league on some of rugby leagues most hallowed turf (Leichhardt & Birchgrove Ovals), our daughter swam competitively at Leichhardt Pool, the local rugby league team the Balmain Tigers contested consecutive Grand Finals (1988 -89, losing both) and I think it was the first time that our family felt part of a community, so our bonds with the area remain strong.

So on a recent trip to Sydney, Jude and I went back to Tiger Town to see how the place has fared since we left in the summer of 1993.

This is our place at Unit 6/64 Charles Street. The palms I planted in our small courtyard seemed to have grown quite a fair bit since we left! Charles Street was a great place to live, with Leichhardt Oval only a 15 minute walk away & some of Sydney's best restaurants even closer!

I was quite surprised to see that our local corner shop is still operating and is still owned by Charlie after all these years. In a fast paced world where the landscape is dominated supermarkets and 7/11's, there is still a place for local business's to grow and thrive. Charlie also saved me the newspaper headline leader about Canberra's amazing win in the 1989 Grand Final.

Blackmore Oval was the home of the mighty Leichhardt Wanderers. Mick later left the Wanderers and went to play with the Balmain Police Boys. Both clubs are steeped in rugby league history and both played on some of Sydney's most iconic rugby league grounds.

I don't think there is anything better than an Il Cugino pizza. Il Cugino's are still located on Norton Street and are still serving the best pizza's in Sydney. A couple of times each month during our time in Leichhardt we made sure we visited this family owned pizzeria to take home a family treat

Kegworth Public School was the second school we enrolled the kids at, they first went to Leichhardt PS, but we had to change schools due to 'difficulties' with the Headmistress. The kids then settled in well at Kegworth with Sheryl becoming School Captain and Mick becoming a Prefect, a pretty impressive achievement! My Aunties also attended Kegworth PS in the late 1930's, so we really had a strong family connection with the school!

26 Marlborough St Leichhardt was home to 1 Amenities Unit, where I served two postings, 1987 - 89 and also 1991 - 93. The building itself was originally a fire station and then became an army drill hall around the time of WWI. It was eventually sold off by the Department of Defence in 1994 for I believe around $60,000!. Although the street frontage hasn't changed at all, the building has been extensively renovated out the back and is now a private residence. I still have some very happy memories from that little obscure army unit!

It is sometimes pleasant to go back to an area that holds so many happy memories for us as a family, to walk around the old landmarks and reminisce about the happy times we had. Whilst it was fun, and I still do so love Leichhardt, I'm more than happy with my life choices. Although it was hard for the kids to break their bonds with the area, I'm glad we did, initially moving to the Central Coast and now to our home at Newcastle.

Leichhardt is now a memory, not a destination.

However, seeing what property is fetching in Leichhardt these days and what I could have bought it for in 1986 ... I too could be driving a Ferrari!

A week of winter wanderings at work

2010-08-23T11:43:00.003+10:00

One of the distinct advantages of being employed as an Australia Post driver is the continual changing of the work environment. This week, whilst not typical of what I do every week, had me travelling from the Hunter Valley wineries, into Newcastles' peak hour traffic flows, to late afternoons around Raymond Terrace and over to the wonderful sunsets around east Lake Macquarie.

Of course, on these wonderful adventures, tucked safely away, but always ready, was my take anywhere friend, the Sanyo S1275.

On Monday I was taken off my shift and asked to cover a heavy truck run up to the wineries. The day itself was a cold blustery day that made any task outside totally miserable and was a day only suited for sitting in the cabin of the truck, no inspiration there I'm afraid!

On Tuesday, once again I was sent up to the wineries, only this time the weather was perfect and a great day to practice a bit of photography, so my S1275 was put to good use. However, I was fairly busy and really didn't have a lot to time to spare, so I was confined to short period of photography during my lunch break.

On Wednesday I was finally on my normal run which takes around much of the local area and involves a lot of driving through the afternoon traffic, which isn't much fun. However, if you push really hard, you can sometimes grab a 15 minute break at Toronto on the east side of Lake Macquarie and use the time to relax. Unfortunately due to traffic delays it meant that I didn't have any time to stop and reflect on the beauty of the area.

On Thursday I was back out to Toronto in the afternoon, only this time I managed to work in 15 minutes of camera time and so as soon as I could I had the camera out, marvelling at the beauty of a late winters afternoon on Lake Macquarie.

On Friday I was asked to cover a shift that incorporated the Raymond Terrace area and to me this was a real bonus. I had been wanting to photograph King Street in Raymond Terrace for some time, not only for it's time capsule streetscape and 1850's feel, but it was also used as a location for the current Australian movie "Tomorrow, When The War Began". So utilising my lunch break, I was able to wander around King St and the Hunter River, photographing one of the most wonderful film locations in the Hunter Valley.

So that was a week of my winter wanderings at work ... now I can't wait for Spring!

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Kurri Kurri (2327)

2010-08-19T14:19:00.004+10:00

The Kurri Kurri Times was the local area newspaper for the newly established coalfields district and it was known for some straight talking when it came to local issues. An example of this was on Friday, May 12, 1905, in the Town Talk column it noted that,

"Another week has passed and the slow-moving old gentlemen who control the Postal Department have not yet sent along that letter-carrier.
There is nothing like making haste slowly, but the postal dignitaries please us a wee bit too well" ... ouch!

Kurri Kurri itself was established in October 1902 as a 'government' town to service needs of Stanford Merthyr and Pelaw Main collieries, just two of the burgeoning mining operations located on the fast growing South Maitland coalfields.

When Stanford Merthry commenced operations in February 1901 (the mine was officially opened on the 6th Sept. 1901), the area that surrounded the mine was virgin bushland and the early mineworkers were forced to erect shacks, on leased company land, for rudimentary accommodation. The Miners Union considered this arrangement to be an imposition on the families and so began pressuring the state government to open up allotments of freehold land for auction. The basic form of the township of Kurri Kurri was drawn up and the first auctions were held on the 10th January1903.

It is surprising how quickly the town grew and of course one of the first requirements of the area was the provision of a Post Office. Local shopkeeper Mr C.J. Darke was appointed the towns first Postmaster on the 17th August 1903, less than 8 months after the first land sales!

As the town grew so did the pressure for better postal facilities, with a telephone service (7/11/03), Government Savings Bank (1/2/04) and finally a telegram service (22/8/05). With each new service came increasing pressure for Mr Darke to employ more staff and acquire better facilities. When the Post Office moved to larger premises on the 1st August 1905, the erstwhile Postmaster, Mr Darke forgot to inform the good citizens of Kurri Kurri, which earned him a light-hearted rebuke from the Kurri Kurri Times,

"Scores of people were fooled on arriving at the old Post Office on Tuesday. It had been vacated early in the morning without notice.
The new office, next to Lewis' Hall, is much more commodious and convenient"

On the 11th January 1906 Kurri Kurri finally became an official Post Office and Mr R. Galloway took over the duties of Postmaster from the very popular Mr Darke. As there was still no official Post Office building, the department continued the lease on Mr Darkes former Post Office premises. Also, staffing continued to be a problem and the letter carrier tendered his resignation soon after the appointment of Mr Galloway because of the heavy work load, which was also not helped by the fact that he was also responsible for delivery of the telegrams. This situation was finally resolved with the employment of a telegram boy.

Although expectations were high for a brand new Post Office, especially after the appointment of Mr Galloway, progress was painfully slow and it wasn't until the 1st July 1907 that the new building on the Cnr of Victoria & Lang Streets was completed at a cost of £867 ($610,000).

The designed followed Walter Vernons standard Federation Bungalow Style design for country Post Offices with its homely simplicity and robust honesty, a design that reflected the nature of the people it served.

Unfortunately even this wonderful example of Walter Vernons' federation design couldn't escape the rationalisation of Australia Post property portfolio and in December 1998 the property was sold into private hands.

Today Kurri Kurri is still served by Australia Post, but as is the fashion in these less romantic days, it is located in a convenient shopping centre, with easy access, plenty of parking and in a building with all the architectural style of a besser block. That is progress I guess!

So where did Kurri Kurri gets it unique name from? Apparently it is derived from the local aboriginal Wanaruah people and it means the very first and as Kurri Kurri was the first 'planned' town in NSW, it is a very apt name indeed

I'd like to thank the assistance of the Coalfields Heritage Group, Brian Andrews, the staff at the Newcastle Family History & Historical Society and the online resources of the Newcastle Museum.

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Newcastle (Watt Street)

2010-07-04T21:50:00.008+10:00

I have previously covered the iconic former Walter Vernon designed Newcastle Post Office located on the Cnr of Hunter & Bolton Streets, however, as I mentioned in that post, Newcastle's postal history goes back a lot further than 1904.

Newcastle's first Post Office was erected at the rear of the original Council Chambers in Watt Street in 1828, commencing operations on the 1st March, with Mr D.F. McKay appointed as Postmaster. Now there is some controversy as to who and on what date the Post Office started operating in Newcastle, with some stating that Mr John Erskine was appointed deputy Postmaster in 1827. However, while I accept that there may have been an informal postal system in place operating from the Commissariat Store (in Watt Street) prior to 1828, I concur with the official Post Office history that clearly states that Mr McKay was the first appointed Postmaster for Newcastle in 1828.

One thing is for certain is that the Post Office continued to grow as the city grew from its early convict heritage, becoming an Official Post Office (01/09/1862 - W. Thompson, Postmaster), Money Order Office (01/01/1863) and then a Government Savings Bank (01/10/1871). The telegraph arrived in Newcastle in January 1860 and was initially housed in the railway station, however in 1861 it moved into a purpose built office in Hunter St next to the Police Station (built in 1840), however the Post Office remained on the old Council Chambers site.

As the 1860's came to end, there were increasing demands made in the local newspaper, 'The Newcastle Herald & Miners Advocate' for better postal facilities with demands such as;

"a cottage in Watt St with accommodation hardly sufficient to swing a cat, much less to conduct our postal business' and,

" the 2nd city in New South Wales boasts a Post Office hardly fit to be opened as a lolly pop shop"

These demands were finally heeded by Sydney who asked James Barnet to come up with design for a new Post Office to be located on the Cnr of Hunter and Watt Streets, next to the Telegraph Office. On the 16th March 1872 local builders Lang & Wylie put in the successful bid of £2139/4/3 ($2.1 million) and were awarded the contract. The building was finally completed and officially opened for business on the 20th June 1873 by local MP Mr George Lloyd at 12pm. During his opening speech Mr Lloyd also promised that he would press for a verandah to be added to the Post Office ASAP. That addition didn't happen till 1886 at a cost of £3101/3/7 ($2.9 million) and as not to inconvenience the public during the additions, cast iron street posting boxes in were installed. It is also interesting to note that the Telegraph Office and the Post Office didn't amalgamate until January 1901 when Mr R.W. Arnott took over both duties, even though they were operating next to each other for 28 years! It was also around this time that the verandah was removed, a portico between the buildings added and then both buildings rendered to give a the 'new' Post & Telegraph Office a common look (originally both were bare brick but were of a different colour & style)

As Newcastle continued to grow, so did the requirement for a larger Post Office and so in August 1903, the Post and Telegraph Office moved to its stately Walter Liberty Vernon designed building on the Cnr of Hunter and Bolton Streets.

Today it is the Bolton Street Post Office gets all the kudos while the former Watt Street Post Office, although beautifully restored and situated only a couple of metres down Hunter Street has been quickly forgotten, fading from our collective memory with the passage of time.

I'd like to thank the staff at Newcastle City Library, The Newcastle Family History & Historical Society and The National Library of Australia

When heavenly shades of night are falling

2010-07-01T09:53:00.003+10:00

Ok, I know the title of this post is a clichéd rip off of that famous Platters song "Twilight Time", but it is the best way to describe the view of sunset on Lake Macquarie yesterday.

One of the best things about my job is that I'm always presented with different photographic opportunities every day. Not only are the locations and seasons varied, but also are the times of day that I'm out and about, including that most sort after photographic time, the 'Golden Hour' (the hour before and after sunrise/sunset).

This week I happened to be around the western shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie, from around 4pm - 5pm, so remembering some of the stunning sunsets from previous years, I made sure that my Sanyo S1275 was packed and fully charged to take advantage of any photographic opportunity that may present itself. Because time wasn't on my side (I was actually working), as I drove around on Monday and Tuesday I made mental notes on what locations would be suitable to quickly capture this wonderful painted landscape. My reconnaissance was done with almost military precision and execution, I call it guerrilla style photography, because as with a military style operation, you only have a few seconds to capture the shot. So you .. plan, stop, shoot and then evacuate.

Another factor in my favour this week is that it is winter and so that means that the air is very still, clean and crisp. In July/August the winds in Newcastle come predominately from the WSW, which pushes the moisture laden humid air out to sea, leaving the atmosphere almost pristine and allowing the even light to enhance the vivid sunsets without distortions of humidity, which can be the curse of summer coastal photography.

So if you are ever on the western side of Lake Macquarie in winter, make sure you take your camera, upload into your iPod, 'Twilight Time - The Platters' and marvel at the stunning vista that is presented as the day slowly fades into night ...

♫♫ Heavenly shades of night are falling

It's twilight time

Out of the mist your voice is calling

It's twilight time

When purple colored curtains

Mark the end of the day

I hear you my dear at twilight time ♪

♫♫ Deepening shadows gather splendor

As day is done

Fingers of night will soon surrender

The setting sun

I count the moments darling

Till you're here with me

Together at last at twilight time ♪

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Singleton (2330)

2010-06-26T23:03:00.009+10:00

Singleton Post Office holds one of the most unique claims to fame in Australian postal history, it was the first country Post Office to have Private Letter Boxes installed. The new 40 box installations were supposed to be installed in time for the opening of the new Singleton Post Office, however, construction delays denied this event for nine months, and eventually they were ready for use on the 7th August 1879. These boxes were based on an American design, which had a copper alloy frame and doors to ensure security and according to the Maitland Mercury each of the boxes had an individual key and "that the little locks are marvels of ingenuity". So how much would you pay to have access to your mail 24/7, how about £1 per year (plus 5s key security)!

The delay in the Private Letter Boxes did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Patricks Plains community when their purpose built Post Office was finally completed at 25 -27 George St (the New England Hwy) Singleton and officially opened on the 16th November 1878.

I doubt whether Singleton had ever witnessed such a pompous and officious affair than this auspicious occasion and when the Postmaster, Mr Joseph Kelf, officially declared the Post Office open for the business at 12pm, the speeches commenced. The longest of course went to the local MP, Mr W.C. Browne MLA for Patricks's Plains, who was deputising for the Postmaster-General and during his sonorous speech declared -

"The people of the district of Patrick's Plains would appreciate the conveniences provided for them in this commodious building, which was an ornament to this important and rising town, and a credit to the architect who had designed it."

The architect was of course James Barnet, who designed this Post Office in his usual ' Victorian Italianate' two storey design, which featured beautiful arched colonnades and slate roof. The interior of this wonderful building was also enhanced with solid cedar tables, cedar cupboards, leather upholstered stamping table, ten hanging pendant lamps and various table lamps. The total cost for this wonderful building, including the land, was £3,670 ($3.2 million), which was an extraordinary amount for any similar designed Post Office of the period (e.g. Campbelltown PO was built for £2400).

Through the years there were various additions or alterations to the building as the community continued to grow and prosper. Then, in 1924, for some inexplicable reason Walter Vernon was commissioned to design a new front verandah and he came up with the ugliest design ever imagined. Walter Vernon did not show any empathy at all for Barnet's original design and came up with a Federation style verandah and roof line, that totally destroyed the flow of Barnets Italianate architectural beauty.

The poor citizens of Singleton were burdened with this monstrosity for another 50 years, until on the 26th August 1974, after two years of construction and $191,200, the current Post Office was completed in John Street. This new building once again heralded a new lease of life for Australia Post as the ugly old George Street building had become cramped and being right on the highway, it was difficult for customers to access due to the increasing traffic flows. This was such an important event, the local paper, The Singleton Argus, even dedicated a 4 page spread to the official opening, which was quite an honour indeed.

Part of the newspaper supplement included the history of postal services in the Singleton area and highlighted the area's rich postal history. This history dates as far back as 1829 which was when the first Post Office was established at Darlington on Benjamin Singleton's property and located in The Plough & Horse Inn with Mr Alfred Glennie appointed Postmaster (Alfred Glennie also served as Clerk to the Patrick Plains Chamber of Magistrates at the same time).

The town of Singleton was proclaimed in 1835 and blocks of land were quickly snatched up for £13.13.5 ($19,500). With the increasing population came the pressure for better postal facilities and so on the 1st December 1841, the Darlington Post Office was then renamed Singleton, with local Singleton shopkeeper, Mr G. Lloyd, appointed Postmaster. This was a trend that was continued until 1st September 1862 when the Singleton Post Office was at last to become an Official Post Office, although it still was still separate from the Telegraph Office (which had arrived in 1861).

The Post Office continued to move, much to the dismay of the locals and when the Telegraph and Post Office were finally combined in January 1870 the Post Office was moved from Campbell Street to John Street, which caused a flurry of Letters To The Editor, complaining of "this thoughtless proceeding on the part of the Government - a proceeding on a par with the rest of the pettyfogging retrenchment transactions of the Robertson Administration". Mr John Nesbitt was then appointed the Postmaster, a position he held until Mr Joseph Kelf assumed the position after a fire nearly destroyed the Singleton Post Office on the 20th June 1876. Mr Kelf proved to be a very popular Postmaster with the local community and they were saddened when he left to take up a new position in Bourke in June 1901. Their gratitude was so great that they gave him a proper farewell (attended by 50 guests), a silver tray and hand drawn certificate to show their appreciation.

Today the former 1878 James Barnet/Walter Vernon designed George St Post Office is still standing, however, it wasn't renovated to its former glory and is now used as shabby low cost accommodation with all the ambience of a doss-house. Although heritage listed this former icon of the Hunter Valley should be euthanised to save this building from any further indignities, it is truly a sad sight to behold.

I'd like to thank the Singleton Council Library and The Newcastle Family History & Historical Society for all their assistance in compiling this blog.

Scars On The Landscape - Greta

2010-06-21T14:22:00.005+10:00

Most of us have seen those old gritty films that feature coal mining, movies like "How Green Was My Valley (1941) & "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980), they are just two that come readily to mind. Both these films portray a hard working life in the Welsh and Kentucky coal fields, where the countryside was as hard as the miners that dug for the black ore.

However, here in the Hunter Valley, while the miners were as tough and as gritty as any miners in the world, the country was, for want of a better word .... nice.

There was no bitingly cold snow laden winters or towns trapped in dank valleys where the sun rarely shone or where misery was worn like a shawl that wrapped itself around generations of mining families condemned to work in the pits

No, the Hunter Valley coal mines, even from the time of the first pits, right through to today can be considered a rather pleasant working environment, mining accidents not withstanding.

Now while the coal industry had been a thriving concern in Newcastle and the Hunter region since the early 1800's, it was a discovery of a few precious lumps on the banks of Anvil Creek (21 kilometres north of Maitland) that was to establish the Hunter Region as the worlds leading supplier of high quality low ash coal.

The honour of that find goes to William Farthing whose tenacity proved correct when in 1861 he obtained a lease on Anvil Creek and commenced operations in 1862 (which was known as Farthings Pit). From these small beginnings, helped along by the arrival of the Great Northern Railway 1869 and then by the geological findings of Sir T.W. Edgeworth David who declared in 1886 that this area was sitting atop some of the richest coalfields in Australia, the small rural village of Greta quickly expanded with at least eight coal mines beginning operations in this small area by 1910.

It hard to envisage today that this sleepy village at the height of mining operations, had over 7,000 inhabitants and the town boasted no less than 11 hotels! As with al these towns the local Post Office played an important role in the towns development and Greta was no different. The local Post Office began operations as a non official office in 1874 at Anvil Creek and then in early 1877 it was operating from the new £1800 ($1.5million) Farthings Platform ( which was then renamed Greta Railway Station in 1878) and was still called Anvil Creek Post Office (are you confused yet?). However, eventually commonsense prevailed and Anvil Creek Post Office was renamed Greta in October 1886. Then in 1889 with the mines around Anvil Creek closing and most of the population moving closer to the Greta township the Post Office at the railway station was closed and transferred to High Street (New England Highway) and was made an official Post Office with Mr M.J. Sheppard appointed Postmaster. The original Greta Post Office is still standing today, however the Post Office (which then became non official, or LPO, in 1979) has changed locations, now co-located with the newsagent next door and still providing the Greta community with postal services as it has done for over 120 years.

As for William Farthing, well his mining ventures didn't flourish as he'd hoped they would, mainly due to fires that ravaged his pits in 1871 and so he settled into the Greta district, ultimately becoming the local Magistrate for both Greta and Branxton Courthouses. On the 6th August 1886 William Farthing died suddenly while sitting in front of the fire with his wife Lillias, he was aged 68 years old. While others went on to claim higher honours for achieving less, William Farthing should never be forgotten for his contribution to the Hunter Valley and its mining heritage.

Not much remains of Greta's extensive mining heritage, no grand memorials, sculptures or dedications and mines such as Anvil Creek, Farthings Pit, Leconfield. Whitburn and Central Greta are now just scars on the landscape. Today it is difficult to see where these mines once operated, where proud men worked and died, however, these old mining ventures can give up subtle clues to their proud heritage ... if you know where to look.

I'd like to thank the online resources of the Newcastle Regional Library & especially the excellent contribution by the late John Delaney - http://archive.amol.org.au/newcastle/greta/background.html

P.S. There is a small dedication to the 36 miners who died whilst working in the various Greta pits and also to the one miner shot dead by the police during the Rothbury Riot. This small, but important memorial is located in Water St, outside the Greta Arts & Sports Community Hall.

William Farthing and his wife Lillias are buried in a small unpretentious plot in the Presbyterian section of the East Maitland cemetery.

A Winters Day In The Bay

2010-06-20T09:32:00.006+10:00

June in Newcastle can be get rather cold, so it is tempting just to sit inside, put the television on and wait for the warmer weather to arrive, however some winter days can be just magical.

This Saturday was just on of those special mid winter days, the sun was shining, the temperature hovered around 19° and so Jude and I decided to head off to Port Stephens for lunch at Shoal Bay. Shoal Bay is a wonderful little hideaway and has one of the best takeaway shops that can be found in the area, Aussie Bobs.So making sure I packed my Canon 400D we headed off on the 30 minute drive to the Bay. As well as lunch, since it is also whale migration season (June - October) it is sometimes possible to spot the whales from the headlands and so that is why I preferred the 400D, with its 75 - 300mm telephoto lens as it is ideal for bringing long distance shots into focus.

After our big lunch we decided that it might be a good idea to go for a walk along the bay and just see what we could find on our little adventure, plus walk off those calories. What we did find was the entrance to Tomaree National Park and the walking trail around to the old WWII gun emplacements at Fort Tomaree.

Since it was only a 1 kilometre walk we were well kitted out for our bushwalk, camera, check, a three quarters full bottle of Coke, check, one packet of chewy, check ... so off we went.

The old emplacements are accessed by a relatively easy walk and are well worth the effort. The guns were two 6" Mk.VII BL guns (the same as Fort Scratchley) and were installed in 1942 to cover the entrance to Port Stephens to deny the Japanese Navy easy access to a deep water anchorage, from where they could launch an invasion on Newcastle. The guns, unlike those at Fort Scratchley, were never fired in anger and while the guns have long since been removed, there are still the emplacements, plus other remnants of Australia's WWII history that are still in place and are worth exploring.

On the return journey I noticed that there was a track that led up to the 155 metre summit and it was only a 260 metre walk to the top. Now, this isn't mountain goat country, as it is a well formed path with steps and walkways that allow easy access to the summit, however it still requires a bit of effort to make it all the way to the top. Once you make it to the summit (which was also the WWII radar site), the vista is spectacular, with uninterrupted views north to the Myall Lakes, south to Newcastle, and along the Karuah River that lazily meanders westward.

The Tomaree Headland is also a great spot to do some whale watching and we were lucky enough to see a couple of these wonderful mammals putting on quite a display as they continue their migration northward to the warmer waters around The Great Barrier Reef (especially The Whitsundays). There is always something special about these displays which can captivate you for hours and makes you wonder how that we humans nearly hunted these wonderful mammals nearly to extinction early last century!

It certainly was a great way to spend a winters day, only next time I go on one of our walking adventures I think I'll pack something a bit better than a bottle of Coke and some chewing gum ... not exactly the best way to bushwalking!

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Waratah (2298)

2010-06-13T00:19:00.006+10:00

What an honour it must have been for 17 year old John Banfield to be appointed the Postmaster at the Waratah Post Office when the Post Office achieved its official status on the 23rd June 1877. Initially he was paid a salary of £52 per annum ($46,000), but what he wasn't so pleased about was that the Postmaster-Generals Department was charging him £1 per week for board and lodgings!

Reluctantly, the Postmaster-General did eventually agree to double his wages after young John made representations to him about how the low wage was making it hard to make ends meet.

Waratah was another one of our Hunter towns that was basically founded on the coal boom of the 1800's (the town did exist as early as the 1820's with small scale mining and brickmaking being the main employment) . The colliery at Waratah (established 1862) was made more attractive when the railway from Newcastle arrived in March 1858 making it easier to use that infrastructure to transport the black gold to Newcastle wharves and also to their own coal loaders located at Port Waratah.

As was the fashion of that period the Postmaster-General on the decided to place a Post Office at Waratah Station with station master, Mr Pat Dwyer, appointed the first Postmaster on the 1st February 1860. For his extra postal duties Mr Dwyer was paid £12 per annum ($13,000), plus commission on stamps sold, not a bad little earner even today!

Although the mine wasn't a real success in tonnage, Waratah began to thrive as a residential suburb and when Mr Thomas Grove opened up the new Hanbury Estate, both area's, Hanbury and Waratah started to boom as people took advantage of property close to Newcastle with easy access to the railway. As the town grew so did the Post Office, with the addition of money order facilities (1868) and a Government Savings Bank facility (1871).

In 1877 after the then station master (and Postmaster) Mr Mattingley was transferred, the Postmaster-General decide to amalgamate the Telegraph and Post Offices to save costs. The telegraph which arrived in 1863, initially was separate from the Post Office and so in 1877 the Post Office was moved into the Telegraph Office located in Cross Street (now named Tighe Street), with young John Banfield, the former Telegraph Operator, now appointed as Postmaster. The building was cramped and the accommodation deemed unsuitable, when the next Postmaster, a family man, Mr William Harris became the next Postmaster in November 1878 (this was a position he held for the next 35 years!). New rented premises were then obtained in High Street in January 1879 as an interim measure whilst a brand new purpose built building was constructed.

The site selected was on the Cnr of Turton Road and Station Street and Government Architect James Barnet designed the single storey building of a simple design with cement rendered walls and hipped corrugated iron roof (which dismayed the local council), at a cost of £1050 . The contract was awarded to W.H. Galbraith and on the 1st March 1881, Waratah welcomed it own, purpose built, Post Office (the mail room addition occurred sometime in 1901)

Waratah Post Office, after 115 years of service eventually became part of Australia Posts property rationalisation and in 1996 this wonderful 19th century building was sold off with the Post Office transferring operations to the Waratah Village Shopping Centre and becoming just another retail shop, albeit a very busy one, in another bland shopping centre.

The bond between the Post Office and they community they serve becomes severed with every one of these asset disposals, with the memory of past deeds and tribulations lost, while we pursue the lure of the easy dollar. It may surprise some to learn that Waratah Post Office turned 150 years old this year, but on Monday the 1st February 2010, this momentous fact passed unnoticed by everyone and so it became just being another day in a suburban shopping centre.

Congratulations to Waratah Post Office on celebrating their Sesquicentennial this year.

Many thanks to the Newcastle Library, the Ralph Snowball Collection & the Newcastle Family History & Historical Society
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The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Mayfield (2304)

2010-06-05T23:13:00.013+10:00

In 1881 Mr John Schoely decided it might be a good idea to subdivide some of his property in an area of what was then know as North Waratah. He called his new estate Mayfield, naming it after his youngest daughter May and sold the blocks in large 'on site' auctions with no interest finance. The Mayfield Estate was marketed as a prestegious suburb, with Hunter River frontages, vineyards and easy access to Newcastle either by a 4 minute walk to Waratah Station or a 20 minute sulky drive to the city. Indeed the suburb did flourish, with many prominent citizens moving out to this very exclusive area of Newcastle, at one stage it was even described as 'The Toorak of Newcastle". That was until the arrival of the BHP Steelworks in 1915 and then the modern phrase of "hero to zero" is more appropriate.

Funnily enough though, the Post Office wasn't a strong feature of the towns early development, mainly due to the fact that there was already quite a substantial Post & Telegraph Office operating at Waratah which was close by and servicing the needs of the nearby colliery, so although the Mayfield citizens weren't initially happy with the arrangement, they had to wait until the population grew to accommodate an expansion of postal services.

A Post Office & Money Order Office did eventually open in Mayfield on the 15th October 1910, when Mr A.Clendinning was appointed Postmaster. Unfortunately I have been unable to locate where this first Post Office was located and which will require further investigation in the future. A Mr Ellerton was then mentioned as the next Mayfield Postmaster when he built a new Post Office (combined with his General Store), which opened on the 21st March 1921 on the Cnr Kerr St & Maitland Rd. This was quite a unique building in Mayfield for ALL the materials used inthe construction came entirely from Mayfield and cost £900 to complete. Mr Ellerton is quoted as saying that he was happy to use local products, even though it cost him an extra £100 in building costs!

On the 11th August 1925, Mayfield at last became an official Post Office with Mr A.C. Battey appointed the Postmaster.

It was between this time and 1938 the Australian Postmaster-General constructed a purpose built Post Office on the Cnr Elizabeth St & Maitland Rd. I tend to think it was around 1938, because from what I can gather a new automatic Telephone Exchange was also listed as beginning operations at Mayfield and so I assume this was at the same time as the new Post Office, but again much more information is needed

After around 30 years of operation, the Postmaster-General once again decided to upgrade its premises and left the old premises vacant (the Police service eventually annexed the site as the Mayfield Police Station was already operating next door). On the 8th December 1969, the Post Office moved into the brand new building at 125 Maitland Rd (opposite Valencia St) which at the time at a cost of $105,360 to build. These premises were once again refurbished in the early to mid 1980's, with a new street frontage and contemporary colour scheme and it was one of many Australia Post properties that were upgraded to update its staid public image.

However times move on, those cosmetic changes that were fresh and dynamic in the 80's, are now over 20 years old and make the premises look tired and dated.

Mayfield Post Office, now called Mayfield Post Shop, is still operating, serving the good citizens of postcode 2304, as it has done for nearly 100 years and while many changes may have taken place, the one constant in all the turmoil of change is the Post Office, the rock that the suburb of Mayfield is built around.

Congratulations Mayfield Post Office on a centenary of service!

I'd like to thank the staff at NCC Library & the staff at Newcastle Family History Society for all their invaluable assistance.