Author: Special Collections

John Wyndham on Dalwood for the Bordeaux Wine Exhibition (1882)

April 1, 2019

BORDEAUX WINE EXHIBITION 1882 Questions to be answered by Exhibitor Exhibitors were required to answer a series of questions about their vineyard’s original vegetation, soils, site, age of vines, vine varieties, wines produced, production costs, prices, awards and vineyard history. John Wyndham’s answers provide a rare, incredibly detailed, valuable, and hitherto unrevealed insight into the … More John Wyndham on Dalwood for the Bordeaux Wine Exhibition (1882)

Part of Hunter's River: (or the Coal River) surveyed by Lieutenant Charles Jeffries Commander of H. M. G. Brig. Kangaroo, 1816 (Courtesy of the State Library of NSW) - jpg version Click for larger image

Part of Hunter’s River: (or the Coal River) surveyed by Lieutenant Charles Jeffries, Commander of H. M. G. Brig. Kangaroo.

March 30, 2019

  The Linen Copy of Jeffries’ 1816 Chart of Part of Hunter’s River (or the Coal River) Pictured above is a linen copy of the 1816 Jeffries Chart of Part of Hunter’s River held in the State Library of New South Wales. With regards to the State Library of NSW linen copy see Entry Here … More Part of Hunter’s River: (or the Coal River) surveyed by Lieutenant Charles Jeffries, Commander of H. M. G. Brig. Kangaroo.

Ancestor to the modern ‘Selfie’

March 27, 2019

Daguerreotype photography The daguerreotype was the first practical method of taking a lasting image and was available to the public in 1839. The process was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, a French artist and a chemist who based it on Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s process of heliography (sun drawing), a French inventor, who is credited as the … More Ancestor to the modern ‘Selfie’

Know Your Hunter Region

March 26, 2019

To Sustain the Hunter, We Must Know the Hunter 2008 Presentation of The UON’s Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment Provided by Dr Karel Grezel. It all began around 200 million years ago……. • Our piece of the earth’s crust was located around 70 degrees South latitude as part of Gondwana, the great southern land … More Know Your Hunter Region

Maitland Flood Scenes 1857 by Elijah Hart, Photographer, West Maitland. Courtesy of State Library of Victoria.

Maitland Flood Scenes Photographed by Elijah Hart (1864-1870?)

February 26, 2019

The State Library of Victoria holds a set of photographs by Elijah Hart (c.1821-1893) depicting Maitland (N.S.W) and  which they date to 1857 located at http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/86377 Researcher Mr Peter F. Smith has provided evidence that all four images could not date from 1857, but probably date, at the earliest, from the 1864 to 1870 Maitland … More Maitland Flood Scenes Photographed by Elijah Hart (1864-1870?)

Pen and Pencil Sketches on the Hunter by a Chatty Writer (1889)

February 26, 2019

      Pen and Pencil Sketches on the Hunter. BY OUR SPECIAL ARTIST. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63621861 In a recent issue we gave some account of Newcastle, together with a coloured bird’s-eye view of that place. The present article, from the pen of a chatty writer, is descriptive of the country beyond the City of Coal, will … More Pen and Pencil Sketches on the Hunter by a Chatty Writer (1889)

Maitland in 1878

February 25, 2019

“Our Supplement: Maitland” Over the past weeks (in February 2019) we have been uploading high resolution digital scans of selected stories and illustrations relating to the Hunter Region from the microfilm copies The Illustrated Sydney News. These scans were done during 2009-2010 and most have been digitised and now available through the digitised newspapers on … More Maitland in 1878

The New Railway Bridge Across The Hunter At Aberdeen (1872)

February 25, 2019

  THE NEW RAILWAY BRIDGE ACROSS THE HUNTER AT ABERDEEN. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63618476 This great engineering work was from the design of Mr. J. Whitton, Chief Engineer for Railways, and was carried out under the supervision of Mr. W. B. Wade, district engineer for the Great Northern line. The bridge consists of three spans of 159 feet … More The New Railway Bridge Across The Hunter At Aberdeen (1872)