Open your eyes to Australia
© Jim Low
From the second half of the nineteenth century, mining operations began in the Eldorado Valley, in northern Victoria. Because of the depth of the wash dirt and therefore the necessity to sink shafts, groups of miners formed companies to work the area for gold and tin.
The Eldorado region was considered a dangerous area to mine. Continue reading “The Eldorado Mining Disaster”
Although the roads around Lithgow are often lacking in easy places to stop and devoid of luxurious facilities, there are some intriguing spots along lonely thoroughfares.
The reserve beside the bridge on McKanes Falls Road looks initially to be a haven for weeds. However, there is a pleasant walk through the Casuarinas along the rock pools of the Coxs River not far away. The sub-structure of the bridge itself lives up to the claims made for it by the historic marker.
The truss bridge is a reminder of how stone and timber infrastructure helped the development of New South Wales transport system. This is particularly so in the rugged valley areas of the Greater Blue Mountains.
[photo © Christine Davies]
HISTORIC ENGINEERING MARKER
McKanes Bridge, Lithgow,
as a representative of McDonald Truss Road BridgesIn 1884 John A McDonald introduced a new timber truss design. His bridges were a significant technical improvement on earlier designs being stronger, easier to build and maintain and allowing for a future increase in loads. McDonald Truss bridges were significant in the development of the colonial road network. This 1893 bridge was an important transport link within this region and is an excellent example of the 91 built, of which only five remained in 2002.
The Institution of Engineers, Australia and
Roads and Traffic Authority NSW, 2002
© Don Morison
A hundred years ago You walked this avenue That I now stroll along Transfixed by harbour views Heading for the lookout That bears a Lady's name The floating fort still there Some things stay the same.Continue reading “The Lookout”
This episode looks at the lives of two Aboriginal people, King Tommy and Polly Flood. They lived in the northern New South Wales town of Angledool . Their lives were uniquely documented by local poet and writer Jim Harper. Harper, a friend of both, knew only too well how the spread of European settlement impacted on their lives.