Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 1, 2008 Two bridges spanning the Port River in the port-side region of Adelaide (the capital city of the state of South Australia) were inaugurated. Both of these bascule bridges (bridges that can move to allow passage for vessels traveling through the area) were built by the Australian construction company Abigroup. One of these... Continue Reading →
April 17, 2018 The Australian Sikh Heritage Trail was formally opened. This group of interconnected pathways is located in Adenia Park in Riverton, a southeastern suburb of Perth in the state of Western Australia (WA). The local government area of Riverton is the City of Canning. The trail commemorates the history of Sikhs in Australia.... Continue Reading →
April 7, 2018 On New Zealand’s North Island, a bus station in Manukau (a suburb of the city of Auckland) was officially opened. Those on hand for this inaugural ceremony included Phil Twyford, New Zealand’s minister of transport from 2017 to 2020; and Phil Goff, mayor of Auckland between 2016 and 2022. Construction on Manukau... Continue Reading →
April 6, 1974 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a dedication ceremony was held for a concrete box girder bridge crossing the Myall River and connecting the towns of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. The Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge was officially opened by Leon Punch (1928-1991), who served as NSW’s minister for... Continue Reading →
February 21, 1910 On New Zealand’s North Island, a lighthouse on the tip of Cape Brett Peninsula was first lit. The first keeper for the Cape Brett Lighthouse was Robert McIver; Frances Earnest Lee served as this navigational aid’s first assistant keeper. Cape Brett Lighthouse was built to help better guide and protect the numerous... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1901 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a timber truss bridge crossing Paterson River at the township of Hinton was officially opened. Hinton Bridge was designed by Irish-born Ernest de Burgh (1863-1929), the NSW Public Works Department’s assistant engineer for bridges. This road bridge replaced a steam ferry service in... Continue Reading →
February 3, 1862 The first railway line in New Zealand was opened with considerable fanfare. (At the time, New Zealand was a British colony; it gained semi-independent status as a dominion of the British Empire in 1907 and achieved full autonomy in 1947.) Horse-drawn train cars were used for this 13.4-mile (21.5-kilometer)-long privately owned and... Continue Reading →
January 10, 1912 In Australia, the first test was performed on a new tram line built in the port city of Geelong in the state of Victoria. There had been proposals to build such a transit service in Geelong as far back as 1888, and construction on the city’s tram system by the Melbourne Electric... Continue Reading →
December 2, 2020 In the western section of New Zealand’s North Island, a bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians was officially opened in the vicinity of the settlement of Upokongaro. The Upokongaro Cycle Bridge spans the Whanganui River. This 430-foot (130-meter) structure connects Upokongaro on the Whanganui River’s left bank with the community of Papaiti on... Continue Reading →
December 1, 1901 A newly built lighthouse made its formal debut at Cape Byron in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) to help protect ships traveling through that area of the Pacific Ocean. Cape Byron Lighthouse, which remains in service today and can be found approximately two miles (3.2 kilometers) northeast of the town... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 