OLD THYLACINE
75 years ago in September, the last of the known Tasmanian Tigers (also known as thylacines) died in captivity in a zoo in Hobart.
The Crown Street Women's Hospital in Sydney, was a focal point for some 90 years until the Government of 1983 decided the land was worth more and it was closed despite vociferous protests. Read Judy Newton's interesting accountof her time as a Scientific Officer there.
The Eugowra Gold Escort Robbery
On Sunday afternoon, 15 June, 1862, Frank Gardiner and his gang, which included John Gilbert and Ben Hall, ambushed and robbed the gold escort which was travelling from the Forbes goldfields.
The Shiralee
In 1957 the film The Shiralee was released in Australia. The film has become an important part of one town's history.
Pennyweight Flat
This moving goldfields cemetery occupies about an acre of land on the outskirts of Castlemaine in Central Victoria. It is often referred to as "God's Acre".
At Stringybark Creek
"I stood today at Stringybark Creek
where those fatal shots were fired" - Jim Low
Strangers on the Shore
Lesley Silvester and Mike Murray describe two incidents of shipwreck survivors and indigenous social contact - one from 1801, the other from the 1930's.
There's a Fire
"I can remember looking over towards Valley Heights and seeing a column of smoke..." This is Jean O'Gradey's account of a bushfire in 1951. Her only transport was by foot. The main road was dirt and there was no telephone or fire brigade.
When the fire came they had to do battle with it on their own.
Tragedy at the Weatherboard
Just to the west of the railway station at Wentworth Falls is a solitary headstone. Hidden in long grass behind a barrier of bushes and a fence next to the railway line, it remains unseen by many who walk (or ride in the train) past it every day.
The Autograph Book
World War Two brought many changes to Australian households. This is the story of Edith Williams
No Goose to Cook
An entertaining account of the difficulties faced by a cook in the Australian Army during the Korean War
Australia has a rich heritage and this is reflected in its folklore, its oral and social history as well as its music and song, both traditional and contemporary. Simply Australia was started with this in mind.
Simply Australia has been online now since October 2001. We have been through a number of improvements in design and our readership has steadily grown.
In March 2006 we had a major shift in presentation, changing from a static magazine style site to what you see here. We wanted to make the site more interractive, giving our readers the opportunity to comment on individual items on the site and to contribute, through the comments, their own thoughts and ideas on each subject.
February 2009 saw another change - the removal of the old Vault which housed all our archived issues (numbers 1-11). The articles, songs, poems and reviews are progressively being sorted into themes and being added to the new menu above.We expect this will be a great bonus for the many educational groups that visit the site.
We hope the new look is easy to navigate. We think it is! Everything on the site can be accessed from the above menu and the column on the right shows the latest additions.
The SEARCH engine is at the bottom of each page. Newly added works may take a short while to be included in the engine.
Finally, as we said in our very first issue - we are very excited at the potential of this "new" online venture. We hope you will drop by frequently and we would appreciate your comments and suggestions. It would be great if you could tell your friends about Simply Australia too.
Good reading, happy listening and enjoy, from the team at Simply Australia
The wattles are back in abundance. Although the wattle can apparently bloom at any time of the year, its blossoms are usually associated with the coming of spring.
The subtle, unique fragrance of the wattle blossom definitely invigorates the soul.
The golden wattle is Australia's national floral emblem. The many different varieties of wattle have inspired many a poet to wax lyrical. In John Mathew's 1902 collection of poems entitled Australian Echoes, he included a poem on the wattle. For him, their springtime arrival inspired not only hope and happiness but brought a welcome beauty to the landscape.
"Thy downy pellets bursting out
Begirt with filigree,
With golden velvet wrap about
And glorify the tree"
In March 2006 we had a major shift in presentation, changing from a static magazine style site to what you see here. We wanted to make the site more interractive, giving our readers the opportunity to comment on individual items on the site and to contribute, through the comments, their own thoughts and ideas on each subject.
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