Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 19, 1932 A bascule (moveable) truss bridge in the city of Grafton in Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW) was formally opened. Sir Isaac Isaacs (1855-1948), who served as governor-general of Australia from 1931 to 1936, officiated at this dedication ceremony. The Grafton Bridge carries Bent Street (formerly known as Summerland Way) over... Continue Reading →
July 8, 1862 In the Australian colony (now state) of New South Wales, a group of 19 men met in the office of merchant William Walker in Sydney to establish a club to promote local boating activities. (Along with being an avid yachtsman, Walker was the head of a prominent shipbuilding firm; in addition, he... Continue Reading →
July 1, 2013 An innovative type of vehicle for the longtime and heavily used tram network in Melbourne, the capital city of Australia’s state of Victoria, was formally introduced to the public. This three-section vehicle was the first of the E-class trams to be showcased. (The Melbourne tram network is owned by the state government... Continue Reading →
May 19, 1869 In Australia, a railway station in the town of Musclebrook in the colony (now state) of New South Wales (NSW) was officially opened with considerable fanfare. (That town in the east-central section of NSW is now known as Muswellbrook.) This station was built as part of the NSW-based Great Northern Railway (the... Continue Reading →
May 13, 1885 In Australia, the opening of a railway in the village of Oatlands in the central part of the island colony (now state) of Tasmania was celebrated with much enthusiasm. The Oatlands Railway was built as a short branch of the Main Line (also known as the South Line), a freight rail corridor... Continue Reading →
April 5, 1899 A bridge near the community of Clifden in the southernmost part of New Zealand’s South Island made its debut. (At the time, New Zealand was a British colony; it became a dominion of the British Empire in 1907 and achieved full autonomy in 1947.) The Clifden Suspension Bridge, which is 365.8 feet... Continue Reading →
March 22, 2014 The Hunter Expressway in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) was opened to traffic. This freeway covers 24.5 miles (39.5 kilometers) between the Pacific Motorway at the Newcastle Link Road interchange and the segment of the New England Highway that is just north of the town of Branxton. The Hunter... Continue Reading →
March 9, 1986 A newly built bus interchange first went into service in the community of Paradise in the Australian state of South Australia (SA). Paradise Interchange, which is located 3.7 miles (six kilometers) from the central section of SA’s capital city of Adelaide, had been officially dedicated a week earlier. John Bannon, who served... Continue Reading →
February 23, 1970 The Indian Pacific passenger train began its inaugural coast-to-coast trip in Australia. After what the Canberra Times called “a glittering lace-gowned ceremony,” the westbound train left Central Railway Station in Sydney on Australia’s southeastern coast along the Pacific Ocean at 10:50 p.m. “Train Sets Out to Span the Continent,” proclaimed a headline in... Continue Reading →
February 21, 1900 A newly constructed lighthouse began operations on Somes Island (now officially known as Matiu/Somes Island) in the northern half of Wellington Harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island. At the time of this lighthouse’s debut, New Zealand was a British colony; it gained semi-independent status as a dominion of... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 