Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
A ceremony was held to lay the foundation stone for a new railway station in Western Australia’s city of Perth. This Monday afternoon event, however, received a decidedly lackluster review from the region’s Herald newspaper. “There was a very small attendance of the public, there being scarcely any persons present but officials and children,” reported... Continue Reading →
In New Zealand, aviation pioneer George B. Bolt inaugurated the first regular airmail service between the cities of Auckland and Whangarei. This venture marked only the latest of his major contributions to airborne transportation in his homeland. Bolt, who had been born in the city of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island in 1893, developed... Continue Reading →
The Australia-based Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, carrying the Main Northern railway line over the Hawkesbury River on the northern outskirts of Sydney, was officially opened. The seven-span bridge, which would remain in use for more than a half-century before being replaced by the current bridge, was the final link in a railway network connecting Adelaide,... Continue Reading →
Robert Risson, an engineer who played a crucial role in the retention of the tram system in southeastern Australia’s city of Melbourne, was born in the town of Ma Ma Creek in northeastern Australia. Risson received a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Queensland in 1922, and the following year he began work... Continue Reading →
In Western Australia, a new main road between the town of Muchea (on the northern outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area) and the port city of Geraldton was officially opened. Western Australia’s Transport Minister Ray O’Connor was on hand for this dedication ceremony, which took place in the town of Eneabba. There were plans to... Continue Reading →
Boat builder and designer Archibald Logan died in the New Zealand city of Auckland. According to the next day’s edition of the New Zealand Herald, “Such was his genius in the construction of yachts that he had an international reputation, and craft of his own design have proved eminently successful, not only in [New Zealand],... Continue Reading →
The initial segment of Australia’s first-ever freeway was opened to traffic in Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Joseph Cahill, NSW’s premier at the time, inaugurated the overhead portion of the freeway and made clear his high expectations for the new route and what it would mean for Sydney. “Cahill Sees Roadway... Continue Reading →
In Australia’s state of Queensland, the M7 Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7) in the city of Brisbane first became fully operational at 12:02 a.m. after individual segments of the new structure had been progressively opened to vehicular traffic starting the previous day. The tunnel, which carries the motorway M7 under the Brisbane River and encompasses a... Continue Reading →
Olympic Park railway station made its formal debut at Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb of Sydney in Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW). Those taking part in the opening ceremony for the station included Bob Carr, premier of NSW. The station was built as part of the Olympic Park railway line, which also began... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 