October 18
Australian Explorers Sunday, October 18, 1818. : Oxley loses a valuable horse crossing Camden Haven, New South Wales. Following the successful expedition during which Oxley discovered the rich Liverpool Plains, he returned to the coast. He arrived at the mouth of the Hastings River, at the present site of Port Macquarie, and was especially pleased with the […]
October 23
Born on this day Saturday, October 23, 1813. : Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, first to travel from the eastern coast to Port Essington in the north, is born. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt was born on 23 October 1813 in Trebatsch, Prussia (now Brandenburg, Germany). His thirst for knowledge led him to study philosophy, languages and natural sciences in […]
October 22
Born on this day Tuesday, October 22, 1811. : Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer, Franz Liszt, is born. Franz Liszt was a composer of the Romantic Era, the period of European classical music which encompassed the early 1800s to the beginning of the 20th century. He was born Franz Joseph Liszt on 22 October 1811, in Sopron, […]
October 07
Australian Explorers Sunday, October 7, 1798. : Sea explorers Flinders and Bass set out to prove that Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) is an island. Matthew Flinders and George Bass were early sea explorers who charted sections of Australia’s coastline, adding valuable information to the current charts. In 1798, Bass explored along the southern coast of what would […]
October 04
Australian History Wednesday, October 4, 1797. : The first flock of Spanish Merinos, upon which Australia’s wool industry was founded, arrive in Sydney. In the early years of settlement, the colony of New South Wales struggled to achieve self-sufficiency. The convicts were not skilled in farming, and unwilling to work hard in the intense heat and humidity […]
October 05
Australian History Monday, October 5, 1789. : Australia’s first ferry service begins operation. Australia was colonised by the English in January 1788, and the colony of Sydney quickly grew. Although remote and isolated from the rest of the world, life in New South Wales promised new opportunities for people who had lost employment in England’s industrial revolution. […]
October 10
Australian Explorers Monday, October 10, 1774. : Captain Cook discovers Norfolk Island. Norfolk Island lies approximately 1,500 km northeast of Sydney, and along with two neighbouring islands forms one of Australia’s external territories. The first European to discover Norfolk was Captain Cook, on 10 October 1774. Cook’s reports of tall, straight trees (Norfolk pines) and flax-like plants […]
October 11
Born on this day Saturday, October 11, 1738. : Captain Arthur Phillip, first Governor of New South Wales, is born. Arthur Phillip was born in London on 11 October 1738. He joined the Royal Navy when he was fifteen, and alternately earned a living as a navy officer and as a farmer. In October 1786, Phillip was […]
October 20
Born on this day Wednesday, October 20, 1632. : The great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, is born. Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century English architect. He was born on 20 October 1632, in Wiltshire, England. He studied at Oxford, and at age 25 became professor of astronomy at Gresham College. In 1661 he became the […]
October 27
Born on this day Saturday, October 27, 1466. : Erasmus, translator of the first Greek New Testament, is born. For centuries, the Bible was out of reach of most Christians. The only copies that existed were in Latin, which most people could not read or understand, and it was left to the clergy who were educated in […]