Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 13, 1858 A new lighthouse began operations at Cape Borda on Kangaroo Island in the colony (present-day state) of South Australia. Cape Borda Lightstation was built to help guide ships being pushed along by the strong “Roaring Forties” trade winds in that part of the world and – via the Investigator Strait between Kangaroo... Continue Reading →
May 24, 1843 In the British colony (and present-day state) of Western Australia, the first of a series of bridges known as the Causeway was opened to serve as a crossing over the Swan River and connect the town (now city) of Perth with the port of Fremantle. For more than a decade, many settlers... Continue Reading →
In southeastern Australia, a truss bridge crossing the Murrumbidgee River was officially opened to connect the village of Tharwa with the city (and Australia’s present-day capital) of Canberra. The bridge reported the Queanbeyan Observer at the time, “is a stupendous but withal a light and very graceful structure.” As a truss bridge, Tharwa Bridge was... Continue Reading →
Marshall W. "Major" Taylor (1878-1932), the first African-American to become a world-champion cyclist, departed the Australian city of Melbourne via train during the course of his second racing tour in the Land Down Under. (His first tour in Australia took place the previous year.) The Indiana-born Taylor had launched his professional cycling career at New York... Continue Reading →
In the state of South Australia, a new bridge was opened in the town of Paringa. The bridge was built to carry the Brown’s Well railway (later renamed the Barmera railway), which had begun operations in 1913, across the Murray River at Paringa and to the larger South Australia town of Renmark in that grain-growing... Continue Reading →
In Australia, a record-setting passenger ferry began her maiden voyage. MS Empress of Australia, which was built for and operated by the Australian National Line (ANL), departed Sydney in New South Wales for Hobart in Tasmania amid a great deal of fanfare. “Bright lights, streamers, cabin parties and ship-side crowds heralded the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
In Australia, the original Como Rail Bridge was opened in the colony (now state) of New South Wales. The bridge made its debut on Boxing Day – a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas in several regions throughout the world, including Australia – and crosses the Georges River between the Sydney suburbs of Oatley and... Continue Reading →
Construction began on a swing bridge crossing Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour and connecting the community of Pyrmont with Sydney’s central business district in the Australian colony (now state) of New South Wales. This new bridge was built to replace one that had been in existence since 1857. The older structure was a wooden pile... Continue Reading →
The sixth and final section of the Nanango Branch Railway was officially opened in the Australian state of Queensland. This railway had been authorized in 1882 by the Parliament of Queensland after gold and copper were discovered in the region. The first two segments of the line – between the town of Theebine (known at... Continue Reading →
The Lamington Bridge was officially opened to traffic in the British crown colony (and present-day Australian state) of Queensland. The bridge, which is located in Queensland’s Fraser Coast Region, crosses the Mary River between Gympie Road in the town of Tinana and Ferry Street in the port city of Maryborough. The Lamington Bridge was named... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 