Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 11, 1867 A railway station in the village of Blue Mountain in the Australian colony (and present-day state) of New South Wales first went into service. This village, located on one of the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains, had been established as far back as 1817. It was formally known as Christmas Swamp... Continue Reading →
June 23, 2005 HMAS Cessnock (FCPB 210), a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fremantle-class patrol boat, was decommissioned following more than two decades of service. This vessel was named after the city of Cessnock in the Hunter Region of the Australian state of New South Wales. She was the second RAN vessel to bear the name... Continue Reading →
April 23, 2017 Aubin Grove railway station in the vicinity of the state of Western Australia’s capital city of Perth made its official debut. This station -- located within the median of the Kwinana Freeway -- serves the Perth suburbs of Atwell, Aubin Grove, Hammond Park, and Success. Aubin Grove railway station is part of... Continue Reading →
April 17, 1871 A railway station in the town of Scone in the colony (and present-day state) of New South Wales (NSW) was opened. Scone railway station was constructed as part of the NSW-based Great Northern Railway, which is also known today as the Main North Line. The inaugural duties for this station were carried... Continue Reading →
April 8, 1913 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), the steam-powered ferry Karingal was launched at the shipyard of the company Morrison & Sinclair Ltd. in the Sydney suburb of Balmain. This wooden vessel was built by Morrison & Sinclair for Sydney Ferries Ltd., which operated ferry services in that region of... Continue Reading →
February 17, 2014 In the Australian state of South Australia (SA), a railway station in Wayville was formally opened to the public. (Wayville is a suburb of the City of Unley, a government area within the metropolitan region of SA’s capital of Adelaide.) This station was built as a transit link for the Adelaide Showground,... Continue Reading →
December 23, 1871 Operations began for the first railway in the present-day state of Western Australia (WA). At the time of this railway’s debut, WA was a British crown colony. The railway was a private one owned by West Australian (W.A.) Timber Company. This 4.3-mile (seven-kilometer) line ran between the localities of Yokanup (now known... Continue Reading →
December 13, 1963 The Murchison Highway on the Australian island state of Tasmania was officially opened. This highway, which is located on Tasmania’s West Coast, covers a total of 91 miles (147 kilometers) between the township of Somerset in the north and the town of Zeehan in the south. The inauguration of the Murchison Highway... Continue Reading →
December 3, 2011 A walking trail that courses through both of New Zealand’s main islands was officially opened. This trail -- better known in New Zealand as a tramping route --is named Te Araroa, a Māori phrase that means “The Long Pathway.” Te Araroa covers approximately 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) altogether between Cape Reinga /... Continue Reading →
October 16, 1965 The Fitzgerald Bridge, which carries Seaham Road across the Williams River in the Australian state of New South Wales, was officially opened. This prestressed concrete bridge was named after Ray Fitzgerald (1879-1963), who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 to 1962. Measuring 862.7 feet (263... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 