September 07
Born on this day Thursday, September 7, 1876. : C J Dennis, Australian journalist, poet and author of ‘The Sentimental Bloke’, is born. C J Dennis was born Clarence Michael James Dennis on 7 September 1876. Born in Auburn, South Australia, as the son of a publican, he was brought up by his prudish aunts. He was […]
September 04
Australian Explorers Thursday, September 4, 1873. : Colonel Warburton captures an Aboriginal woman with the intent of forcing her to reveal the whereabouts of native wells. Peter Egerton Warburton was born on 15 August 1813, at Northwich, Cheshire. He joined the navy at the tender age of 12 and served for many years in India before retiring […]
September 21
Australian Explorers Saturday, September 21, 1872. : Warburton departs Adelaide on his journey to explore central Australia from Alice Springs to Perth. Peter Egerton Warburton was born on 15 August 1813, at Northwich, Cheshire. He joined the navy at the tender age of 12, initially serving as a midshipman on the HMS Windsor Castle. He then served […]
September 11
Australian History Friday, September 11, 1863. : Bushranger Captain Thunderbolt escapes from the supposedly escape-proof Cockatoo Island gaol. Bushranger Captain Thunderbolt was born Frederick Ward at Wilberforce near Windsor, NSW, in 1836. As an excellent horseman, his specialty was horse stealing. For this, he was sentenced in 1856 to ten years on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. […]
September 28
Australian Explorers Saturday, September 28, 1861. : The cache buried beneath the ‘Dig’ Tree, revealing the notes and journals of Burke and Wills, is dug up by Howitt’s rescue party. Burke and Wills, with a huge party of men and supplies, departed Melbourne in August 1860 to cross Australia to the north coast and back. Burke, being […]
September 26
Australian History Wednesday, September 26, 1855. : The first railway line in New South Wales is opened. Up until the mid-1800s, the horse and carriage remained the major means of transporting goods and people long distances overland. Victoria was the first colony to build a railway line, which ran from Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station and Port Melbourne, […]
September 03
Australian History Monday, September 3, 1855. : All property of the Sydney Railway Company is transferred to the New South Wales government. The Sydney Railway Company, established for the purpose of constructing the first railway line, was incorporated on 10 October 1849. Work began on the first railway line from Sydney to Parramatta, a distance of 22km, […]
September 17
Australian History Saturday, September 17, 1853. : Australia’s first paddle steamer, the ‘Lady Augusta’, reaches Swan Hill on its maiden voyage from Goolwa. In 1828-29, Captain Charles Sturt became the first explorer to follow the course of the Murray River down to its mouth at Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. In doing so, he opened up the […]
September 27
Australian History Saturday, September 27, 1851. : Australian explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell wins the last official duel in New South Wales. Sir Thomas Mitchell was Surveyor-General of New South Wales and the explorer who discovered “Australia Felix”, or “Happy Australia”, which was the rich land of western Victoria. As well as being well-known for his immense contribution […]
September 14
Born on this day Friday, September 14, 1849. : Ivan Pavlov, discoverer of the conditioned or learned reflex, is born. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born on 14 September 1849, in Ryazan, Russia. After studying medicine in Russia and Germany, he became a professor in pharmacology and physiology. Pavlov’s famous work with dogs actually started as a study […]