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A Woodline Childhood by Ron Matthews

14/01/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

From the late 1890s until the early 1950s, because all heavy machinery was steam-driven, vast quantities of wood were required to fuel the boilers, and coal was too expensive. Consequently, Wood Lines were born. The last surviving company was ‘The Western Australian Goldfields Firewood Supply Limited’, which ceased operations in 1964. From early 1946 until […]

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Filed Under: People, Places Tagged With: Goldfields History, Western Australia, Woodline

Across No Mans Land in Central Australia – part 3 (final)

14/01/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

Part 1 Part 2 Advertiser SA  2 February 1933, page 11 ACROSS NO MAN’S LAND IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA Camel Bitten By Copperhead Mr. Terry Given a Fright. by Michael Terry LIGHTNING struck a nearby range and fused the rock, one night when the Terry prospecting party was in camp. Next day a copperhead snake killed […]

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Filed Under: People, Ripping Yarns & Tragic Tales Tagged With: Australian History, Goldfields History, Laverton, Prospectors, Western Australia

The Rooks Family – grave tales

14/01/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

I was recently contacted by Maureen Jones who has sent me two wonderful photographs to share with you. The photographs are from Eric Rooks Collection now belonging to his niece Valerie Grayden, who has given permission for these photos to be shared. Maureen says – “I have been researching the Rooks family here in Melbourne […]

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Filed Under: Grave Tales, People, Places

Scandal at Murtagh’s Private School

14/01/2023 By Moya Sharp 1 Comment

The following story is about a teacher who went from town to town setting up schools for a short time then leaving under a cloud of suspicion. First in Perth in 1892 then to Kalgoorlie and  Coolgardie then on to Perth again then Bunbury with the same results. However, Mr. Murtagh was in no way […]

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Filed Under: People

Across No Mans Land in Central Australia part 2

07/01/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

The Chronicle SA – 9 February 1933, page 52 Part 1 can be read here – Across No Mans Land part 1 Next day we reached the shore of the lake, an immense area of white and brown salt, extending west and south-west until the dancing mirage hid the further reaches. It is larger than […]

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Filed Under: People Tagged With: Australian History, Goldfields History, Western Australia

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