The Owen Gun, officially known as the Owen Machine Carbine submachine gun, is the only weapon entirely designed in Australia and was assembled right here in the Illawarra.
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Horses and pit ponies have played a vital role in the local coal mining industry. Their job was to pull the heavy skips of coal along tracks out of the mine. Some ponies would spend all of their…
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Between the 1940s and 1970s clothing manufacturing businesses were a large employer of women and girls leaving school aged 14 or 15 years. In many cases the women supported their family incomes or…
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This letter was delivered by hang glider to Wollongong Lord Mayor Frank Arkell in January 1984 as a part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the city. Sent from the Stanwell Park Hang Gliding…
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It was the desire for Australian red cedar that brought timber getters to the Illawarra region, many years before the first land grant in 1816. The desire for this timber, known as ‘red…
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The official name of this technical instrument is JEOL JEM 2000FX 200kV analytical scanning transmission electron microscope. It was utilised in the BlueScope Central Laboratory at Port Kembla between…
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The coming of the railway to the Illawarra made a huge difference to local residents and visitors to the region. A long, arduous trip to Sydney up Bulli Pass by coach to Campbelltown and then a train…
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Horses and pit ponies were a major part of mining life up to the 1950s and even as far as the 1990s. Of the 30 horses or pit ponies at work in the mine on the day of the disaster, 18 were found alive.
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“The road to Mount Kembla is paved with sad memories. It is also a fairy land where green trees and wattle blooms make it a place of beauty.” Illawarra Mercury, 26 October, 1923
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Wollongong Harbour is a significant and busy port sending coal to the world since the mid 19th century. As the production of coal grew and the need for the Harbour increased, much discussion was had…
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Did you know that world famous Streets Ice Cream was developed right here in the Illawarra?Edwin or ‘Ted’ Street was born 1891 and raised in the Corrimal area, the tenth and last child of…
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Formerly known as Bulli Mountain, the village of Sherbrooke existed for only around 30 years, before it was resumed for the construction of Cataract Dam, and its associated catchment area.
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Many mines had a boiler plant to supply the steam engines of the mine. A steam powered whistle identical to that used on steam locomotives was used at each mine to signal the start and finish of the…
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Life down the mine presented miners with all sorts of daily challenges. One of them was how to stop the rats eating your lunch!
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Mining for coal by hand and underground is a dirty enough job without doing it in complete darkness. To make their work easier in this environment, miners used these oil fired open flame lamps. They…
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The Blinkco family have a long association with the Black Diamond district that extends back to the days of Sherbrooke before its resumption for the Cataract Dam.
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