Travel

Z Special Unit Part 1 – Operation Jaywick, the remarkable mission behind enemy lines

8 September 2023 / 3 Comments

Introduction This month 80 years ago, a small, unassuming ex-Japanese fishing vessel was pivotal in an audacious and successful secret commando operation by a handful of courageous Australians against the mighty Japanese war machine during World War II. Its history and how it got into Australian hands is remarkable. So is the bravery of its …

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The cable cutters

21 September 2023 / 2 Comments

“I’ll put a girdle ‘round the earth in forty minutes” William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream While travelling around the country, I came across yet another little-known wartime story which again highlights the heroics of Australians. This time it involves midget submarines and divers cutting underwater telegraph cables to thwart the Japanese communication efforts towards the …

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The slow disappearance of one of Fraser Island’s tourist icons 

14 July 2023 / 4 Comments

Every Fraser Island visitor has seen or knows about the Maheno wreck on the eastern shore about five kilometres north of Happy Valley. These days it is a tourist attraction and photographic stop. It must be the most photographed piece of rust in the world. The rusted remains, however, bear no resemblance to the luxury liner that …

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A Convict Road

10 March 2023 / Leave a Comment

The Great North Road was one of three great roads built simultaneously out of Sydney, heading north, west and south. While there is little evidence of the Great Western and Southern Roads, much more evidence still exists of the Great North Road. Up to 43 kilometres remain intact. The Great North Road was built entirely …

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The pitfalls of having a border follow a celestial line 

10 February 2023 / 4 Comments

Introduction The South Australian portion of the Nullarbor Plain was part of New South Wales. The reason can be explained by examining the stories behind the development of each of the state borders since colonisation. This blog will initially focus on the creation of the Western Australian, South Australian and Northern Territory border, which is …

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Tales of a Twentieth-Century Explorer

9 December 2022 / 2 Comments

Madigan’s Career at a Glance Dr Cecil Thomas Madigan (1889-1947) studied and later taught Geology at the University of Adelaide. His thirst for exploration started in the Antarctic, working with the famous Sir Douglas Mawson. Madigan survived two polar winters and remained a commanding officer when Mawson failed to arrive in time for the ship ‘Aurora’ to collect them. On …

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