Ida was one of five girls from the Quantock family that lived in Kookynie at the turn of the last century. She died at the age of 19 yrs, 10 months on the 12th of May 1908 in the Kookynie Hospital from Typhoid fever. The above photograph was taken not long prior to her death. […]
The people of the Goldfields
The Goldfields of Western Australia was and still is made up of many people, from poets to politicians, from saints and sinners and everything in between. I hope to tell you the stories of some of these people either famous or infamous or just the ordinary folks. Sometime the most ordinary people do the most extraordinry things
Coolgardie – a womans point of view
21/01/2023 By 2 Comments
West Australian 14 January 1896, page 10 The following article which deals with Coolgardie as it was in June last, is republished from a recent issue of the Sydney Sunday Times: We have the statement made that a goldfield is spoilt as soon as women and newspapers get a footing on it. Whether this is […]
A Woodline Childhood by Ron Matthews
14/01/2023 By 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 […]
Across No Mans Land in Central Australia – part 3 (final)
14/01/2023 By 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 […]
The Rooks Family – grave tales
14/01/2023 By 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 […]
