Urban Ambling
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Brooklyn: A Great Hawkesbury Town.
Brooklyn is on Sydney’s northern edge, but is totally different to the rest of the city.It is a small isolated settlement on the Hawkesbury River. Arriving by train is like stepping back 100…
The Greenway
An historic goods railway corridor becomes a link between the Parramatta and Cooks River.If I had to choose only two words to describe The Greenway, then they would be “accessible” and “history”.It…
Bloodworth and his bricks
James Bloodworth, like James Smith, was an early arrival in Sydney Town.The similarity ends there, however, as Smith's time was not successful, but Bloodworth was a stunning success.In many ways, he…
Has History Missed James Smith?
At 47 years of age , James Smith paid his fare for a passage to Botany Bay with the First Fleet. The arrangement was made with Captain Sever of the Lady Penrhyn. The Captain did not consult with…
Not a Convenient Drain - The Cooks River
Abused, Ignored and avoided were apt descriptions of the Cooks River over the years from 1788 to the mid 1970’s.It started as a Arcadian Wonderland, but industrial, chemical and plastic pollution,…
Of Chance, Dams and Moriarty
A passing mention of an engineer, Moriarty, on an historical plaque by the Moruya River, leads to some enquiries. These, oddly enough, result in learning that the sandstone circular dam that created…
From Parramatta to Premier
It is apt that Martin Place, like the man after whom it is named, progressed from humble beginnings to pre-eminence.Such was the life of James Martin, who arrived in Sydney at the age of one with his…
The first direct radio message from England was received in Australia
On the 22nd of September,1918 the first direct radio message from England was received in Australia.Surprisingly, it was sent from a Transmitting Station in the NW of Wales to a radio station in a…
Eccelston Du Faur, A forgotten Sydney Benefactor
Despite the fabulous name , this is not about a Spike Milligan or Barry Humphreys character.There really was an Eccleston Frederick Du Faur. He left a wonderful legacy to his adopted city of…
Rags to Riches - The mysterious 42 Million Dollar Man - John Henry Challis.
In 1890 the University of Sydney received 250,000 Pounds from the Estate of John H Challis.It was the first major private benefaction. In today's money , that is $ 42,000,000!The gift was used to…
Not only a Statue but an Obelisk as well - Allan Cunningham
There is a statue of Allan Cunningham on the Bent Street frontage of the Lands Department , at the corner with Loftus Street. There is an obelisk to his memory in a pond in the Botanical Gardens,…
Mr George Bass
Naval Surgeon, Explorer, Adventurer, and perhaps a would-be SmugglerGeorge Bass was an extraordinary person, enormously talented and incredibly brave. It was her, together with Matthew Flinders who…
To Observatory Hill Sydney's Forgotten Gem
If you are visiting Sydney, and only have a day or two and you’re wondering what the best thing would be to do. Then I don’t think there’s much doubt that you should go up to Observatory hill.It’s a…
Windmills and Millers Point
In this episode we return to Churchill, which is on the Rocks Ridge, and move away from the valley of the tank stream heading down towards Darling Harbour, and millers point.On the way, we mention…
An amble in Randwick leads to a story about a most interesting person
An amble in Randwick gives glimpses of the founding and development of the area together with some potted histories of a number of significant early homes.The amble leads to a reference to one,…
S1E5 Sydney - A City Of Windmills
This episode takes us up Grosvenor Street to Church Hill. During the 19th Century , this was a very fashionable area. This was probably due to the elevation and views. It is not easy to see those…
Who was Peter Dodds McCormick?
Most Australians should know this name. I suspect however, that most like me had never heard of this person.That changed for me when I serendipitously noticed an obscure plaque near the entrance to…
T.S. Mort
The imposing statue of T. S. Mort dominates the southern edge of Macquarie Place , which is opposite the Lands Department Building.Mort was an interesting and complex person who arrived in Sydney in…
Sydney's Connection To The South Seas
Near the western end of Bridge Street, there is a wonderful Victorian Building called Burns Philip House. It is worth just standing and quietly taking it in, as unusual as such behaviour is for us…
Perhaps The Finest Street In Sydney
Someone once said that Bridge Street in Sydney was the finest of its streets, in a place that has a lot of competitors for that title.I will not debate that question, but simply say that it is one of…
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Urban Ambling has published 20 episodes since May 2020, covering topics in History, Hobbies.
Urban Ambling is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 months. Average episode length is 24m.
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